In Chapter 123, “The Musket,” \u00a0Starbuck struggles with himself over shooting Ahab. \u00a0If he did, he would have the chance to return home safely, protecting the rest of the crew from a suicidal mission. \u00a0But he would be committing murder. \u00a0He asks, “Is heaven a murderer when its lighting strikes a would-be murderer in his bed, tindering sheets and skin together?” \u00a0(Melville, 456) \u00a0Can God murder? \u00a0Can God still be holy if God does kill someone, even if that person is a potential murderer? \u00a0And can a sin be nullified if it is for the protection of someone else? \u00a0Whose life is more sacred? \u00a0I have no answers to these questions, and I cannot dream of passing judgement on Starbuck. \u00a0Maybe Melville includes this chapter so that the readers will reflect on themselves and determine what is most valuable in their lives.<\/p>\n
This idea of self-reflection is elaborated upon when Melville says that “Starbuck seemed wrestling with an angel.” \u00a0(456) \u00a0This description alludes to the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel, Genesis 32:22-31. \u00a0The angel appears to Jacob after he has already spent several days preparing to meet with his brother Esau, whom he is afraid will attack. \u00a0(Biblegateway) \u00a0I see the confrontation with the angel as a physical representation of Jacob wrestling with his fears and his relationship to his brother. \u00a0And although Jacob does not win the fight, he receives a blessing.<\/p>\n
Genesis 32:30 says that “Jacob called the place Peniel,\u00a0saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.'” (Biblegateway) \u00a0Since Starbuck’s opponent is another part of himself, isn’t part of him God? \u00a0 This relates back to the idea that we discussed about Narcissus and never knowing oneself. \u00a0God, after all, is unknowable. \u00a0Maybe Melville says that God is the part of a person that he or she can never understand. \u00a0During Starbuck’s internal struggle, he sees his true self and what he is capable of — “he [sees] God face to face.” \u00a0He survives this encounter, making him stronger. \u00a0Just like Jacob, Starbuck has “struggled with God and with men and [has] overcome.” (Genesis 32:28, Biblegateway) \u00a0Jacob had to realize what he was capable of and how special he was before he could face his brother; Starbuck has to realize how strong he is by confronting both Ahab and his own desires before he can confront his future. \u00a0If Starbuck fought God, then by not killing Ahab, he, like Jacob, lost that first battle. \u00a0But maybe he will be rewarded with a happy future, just as Jacob received a blessing? \u00a0Or that’s just wishful thinking on my part. \u00a0If nothing else, he now knows who he is.<\/p>\n
“Genesis 32” Biblegateway. New International Version, Web. 14 Feb 2010. <http:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=genesis%2032&version=NIV><\/p>\n
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1988, reissued 2008. Print.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In Chapter 123, “The Musket,” \u00a0Starbuck struggles with himself over shooting Ahab. \u00a0If he did, he would have the chance to return home safely, protecting the rest of the crew from a suicidal mission. \u00a0But he would be committing murder. \u00a0He asks, “Is heaven a murderer when its lighting strikes a would-be murderer in his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-religion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=702"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":736,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions\/736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}