Final+Product-Transcendentalism


 * ARGUMENT:**

Transcendentalism was an American philosophical movement of the nineteenth century that was influenced by Romanticism. It was based on the role of divinity in nature as an individual's inspiration and the belief that an individual's intuition was stronger than his logic. A transcendentalist felt that divinity was present everywhere and that there was a connection between divinity and the individual. This belief allowed an individual to feel that, through this connection, he actually was divine and powerful. This idea appears in Moby Dick through Captain Ahab's belief that he is the "God" of the ship, and because of this belief he forces his crew to find and kill Moby Dick for his personal motives. Ahab sees Moby Dick’s death as his final obstacle to gaining entrance to a spiritual world of the divine, beyond common men. The idea of transcendentalism seen in Moby Dick relates to the United States in the 1800’s because of the country’s recent defeat of the formerly strongest nation in the world, Britain, and the inequality of all people seen in the country. The victory over Britain gave the United States a sense of accomplishment and opened their eyes to the fact that they were a very powerful nation. The white people in the country at the time felt superior to all other races, whether they were black or Indian, and the upper class white man even felt superior over people of lower class of his own race. Herman Melville’s use of transcendentalism in Moby Dick relates to the United States by showing that Ahab’s selfish actions of hunting Moby Dick for his own revenge ends in disaster. Melville is using this as a warning to the United States of what may come if they continue to pursue their goals without restraint and considering the consequences.


 * ANALYSIS:**

Herman Melville is an anti-transcendentalist who uses transcendentalism in Moby Dick to show his feelings toward transcendentalism and how he felt that this idea was moving the United States in the wrong direction. Through Captain Ahab’s character and the digression of the Pequod we can see the full effect that transcendentalism has in the novel. In our film on transcendentalism in Moby Dick we visit the process by which Ahab takes control of the ship and runs it to its death because of his transcendentalist actions.

Scene one begins the film with a depiction of Ishmael and Queequeg in a romantic relationship. It is not a romantic relationship in the sense that they are in love with each other but rather a relationship based on romanticism and the belief in nature and strong emotions. Ishmael and Queequeg are able to put aside their differences, work together, become friends, and understand each other. All these components make up their successful relationship and they therefore decide to try to take position on the same whaling ship. Both Queequeg and Ishmael find available positions on the Pequod, which like their friendship, began as a romantic community. When the Pequod left the harbor its crew was still into whaling for its attachment with nature and because it was something that had been going on since the beginning of time. They all gladly worked together in the hunts and on board. The crew, at this point, was unaware of what would happen after they got out to sea.

In Scene three, things on the Pequod began to break away from the favored and productive romantic setting as Ahab announces that he feels he is God of the ship. In this scene it becomes obvious that Ahab is going to completely take over the excursion for his own motives of killing Moby Dick. His actions clearly show transcendentalism by his disregard for the respect of nature in whaling, the fact that he feels he is all-powerful over the ship, and his indifference toward logic. Ahab says that he would strike the sun if it struck him showing that he feels the divinity in himself and thinks it gives him power over nature. His intuition tells him to go forward and kill the great white whale but his logical reasoning on the matter is nonexistent. Ahab sees the death of Moby Dick as his entrance into a world past mortal men for divinities. Ahab wants to enter this world and thinks the only way to get there is by taking the life of the whale that took his leg. Ahab’s transcendentalist actions in this scene set-up for the disasters to come.

Ahab then continues to break down the romantic environment of the ship by turning the men against each other and pushing them onto his same motive for whaling. Ahab offers the first person to spot Moby Dick a gold ounce, and this doesn’t fail to switch the mood of the boat drastically from productive and friendly to an all out hunt for the white whale. Ahab’s first mate realizes that his captain’s ambitions are far-fetched and dangerous and thinks that if he wants to live to see his family again he will have to kill Ahab. Unfortunately for everyone on the Pequod, Starbuck can’t shoot Ahab so the ship moves forward toward its hunt.

Finally, the Pequod reaches Moby Dick and Ahab vows that if it is the last thing he does he will kill that whale. Ahab had driven the ship this far under his transcendentalist views on whaling and revenge and wasn’t going to turn around now. All the crew was fighting for Ahab, their lives, and the gold. At this point, there were absolutely no remnants of the romantic community that had been present in the beginning. Captain’s Ahab’s strong, selfish desire to kill Moby Dick and feeling of power had led the crew and the Pequod to its ruin.

Herman Melville was trying to use the transcendentalist, Ahab, as an example of the wrongs of transcendentalism. He showed how once Ahab took control of the ship as a hunt for revenge on one whale everything started to fall apart. The crew was pitted against each other, no one was in it for the sport of whaling, and Ahab felt like he had rule over the ship like a God and that no form of nature could strike him down. Ahab’s strong ambitions turn out to be the demise of the ship as everything is loss. Melville used transcendentalism in Moby Dick to heed warning to the United States during the time period. In Melville’s eyes, the United States was beginning to take a transcendentalist standpoint in foreign and internal matters. The country was feeling very powerful after their victory over Britain and Moby Dick warned of making rash decisions without considering the consequences. Internally, in the US, the white aristocracy felt power over all. They saw themselves as being better than anyone lower and gave themselves the right to control unmercifully. Could Melville have been warning the white population and country of the troubles to come on the topic of equality? He saw that those striving for an unmoral, unjust, or selfish cause were more often than not defeated. Melville believed in “look before you leap” and Moby Dick showed that failure to do so would not end favorably. Herman Melville’s use of transcendentalism showed the United States that they were headed down the wrong path.


 * SCRIPT:**


 * SCENE 1 - Ishmael and Queequeg in a "romantic" relationship**

narrator- Ishmael and Queequeg meet at the Spouter-Inn in Nantucket where they become bosom friends and put aside there differences.

Ishmael- If there yet lurked any ice of indifference towards me in the Pagan's breast, this pleasant, genial smoke we had, soon thawed it out, and left us cronies. He seemed to take to me quite as naturally and unbiddenly as I to him; and when our smoke was over, he pressed his forehead against mine, clasped me round the waist, and said that henceforth we were married; meaning, in his country's phrase, that we were bosom friends; he would gladly die for me, if need should be. Be it said, that though I had felt such a strong repugnance to his smoking in the bed the night before, yet see how elastic our stiff prejudices grow when love once comes to bend them


 * SCENE 2 -"Romantic" community/environment on the ship**

narrator- As Ishmael and Queequeg’s relationship develops they decide to further their friendship on a whaling excursion...WOOHOOO!!! They both find positions on the Pequod and are pleased to find that the crew shares their same views on whaling.

Ishmael- As Queequeg and I are now fairly embarked in this business of whaling; and as this business of whaling has somehow come to be regarded among landsmen as a rather unpoetical and disreputable pursuit; therefore, I am all anxiety to convince ye, ye landsmen, of the injustice hereby done to us hunters of whales.

narrator- the crew of the Pequod believed that whaling was a way of life and a part of nature. As the ship and crew set sail the Pequod’s owner gives them some friendly advice.

Bildad- Don't whale it too much a' Lord's days, men; but don't miss a fair chance either, that's rejecting Heaven's good gifts.


 * SCENE 3 - Ahab=God of the ship**

narrator- as the whaling excursion thickens captain ahab’s motives start to change.

To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there's naught beyond. But 'tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me. For could the sun do that, then could I do the other; since there is ever a sort of fair play herein, jealousy presiding over all creations. But not my master, man, is even that fair play. Who's over me? Truth hath no confines.

There is one God that is Lord over the earth, and one Captain that is lord over the Pequod. - On deck!


 * SCENE 4- Breakdown of "romantic" community**

Ahab - Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; whosoever of ye raises me that white-headed whale, with three holes punctured in his starboard fluke - look ye, whosoever of ye raises me that same white whale, he shall have this gold ounce, my boys!

Seamen - "Huzza! huzza!"

Ahab - Now, three to three, ye stand. Commend the murderous chalices! Bestow them, ye who are now made parties to this indissoluble league.... Drink, ye harpooneers! drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat's bow -- Death to Moby Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his death! The crew, man, the crew! Are they not one and all with Ahab, in this matter of the whale? See Stubb! he laughs! See yonder Chilian! he snorts to think of it.

Narrator – After Ahab’s announcement that the first person to spot Moby Dick will receive the gold doubloon things on the ship change. Everyone’s competing against each other and no one is in it just for whaling anymore. Ahab’s first mate realized that Ahab is going to drive the ship to its death and considers killing him.

Starbuck - Is heaven a murderer when its lightning strikes a would-be murderer in his bed, tindering sheets and skin together? - And would I be a murderer, then, if…

Narrator – But Starbuck wimps out and the Pequod moves forward on her hunt for the white whale.


 * SCENE 5- Death and Consequences**

MOBY DICK BLOWS!

Narrator - Ahab had taken his crew this far and all for this moment and he wasn’t going to let anyone back down now. As the crew fought, the white whale fought back ferociously and it became clear that Ahab’s ambitions were not going to be successful. The Pequod under Ahab’s direction had turned into a revenge machine and was now paying the consequences.

Ahab - Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!"

Narrator - The harpoon was darted; the stricken whale flew forward; with igniting velocity the line ran through the groove; - ran foul. Ahab stooped to clear it; he did clear it; but the flying turn caught him round the neck, and voicelessly as Turkish mutes bowstring their victim, he was shot out of the boat, ere the crew knew he was gone.

Narrator - while fixed by infatuation, or fidelity, or fate, to their once lofty perches, the pagan harpooneers still maintained their sinking lookouts on the sea. And now, concentric circles seized the lone boat itself, and all its crew, and each floating oar, and every lance-pole, and spinning, animate and inanimate, all round and round in one vortex, carried the smallest chip of the Pequod out of sight.


 * Video:**

[|Moby Dick and Transcendentalism]