Moby-Dick Herman Melville's 1851 Novel Essay

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Starbuck's religious affinities do not assist him in preventing his captain from abandoning the campaign that he got involved in. In spite of his love for God, he is a very loyal individual and he is actually surprised to see the extent of his devotion, as he practically disregards God and all the factors pointing toward the belief that the ship's crew will experience a catastrophic end in favor of following Ahab. Starbuck himself is unable to explain the reason for which he would rather subject to his captain instead of subjecting to God's will, especially considering that he appears to be aware of the futility of their mission even before they begin their journey. Starbuck acknowledges the fact that it is irresponsible to try and get revenge on an animal that lack reason and that attacks only when it feels threatened, thus the reason for which he relates to his disobedience toward God when he discusses his reluctance to actually arrest or murder his captain.

As the ship closes in on the whale Starbuck becomes alarmed and determined to do something in order to prevent himself and the rest of the crew from becoming the victims of an unjust and immoral fight. Similar to how Ahab is influenced to continue his mission when he comes across other crews that were affected as a result of their encounter with the whale, Starbuck is influenced to put an end to the mission, as he cannot ignore the little chances that the whalers have to emerge victorious from an encounter with Moby Dick. Through relating to how he disobeys God by obeying to Ahab, Starbuck makes it obvious that he considers Ahab to be against everything natural and against God Himself, especially given that the captain started a journey that was doomed from its very start and that went against the natural order of things.

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For Starbuck, his blind loyalty and Ahab's determination were examples of their direct insubordination to God, as they refused to recognize his power and the power of nature.

The whaler's last moments are described as being particularly intense, as the captain and several members of the crew embark on three boats with the purpose of harpooning and capturing Moby Dick. However, the whale manages to damage two of the boats and the ship itself before it actually comes to catch Ahab as a result of his failure to correctly harpoon the animal. Considering the American ship of state and Pequod's experiences, it only right to conclude that individuals who get actively involved in fighting for an absurd and immoral cause are eventually struck in their most prized possession -- the ship itself......

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