The character of Captain Ahab has been interpreted in many ways, but if Melville intended him to be a symbol, he is in essence man, at times expressing the best and worst qualities someone can possess. From the moment he steps onto the deck, the description of him shows a man who is whole, yet broken. Melville described him as a "man cut away from the stake when the fire has overrunningly wasted all the limbs without consuming them or taking away one particle from their compacted robustness," and later goes on to say, he "seemed made of solid bronze, and shaped in an unaltered mold."These two passages portray Ahab as a man who has remained "whole" through trying situations. This shows how people are damaged throughout their lifetime, whether by accidents, deaths, or circumstance, but remain rational and essentially good. However the striking feature that distinguishes Ahab is the white streak that travels "from [his] crown to sole," seemingly splitting him into two pieces. It is not actually stated whether he was born with this mark or he acquired it from an event in his life, but it represents the division of a man's reasoning, one influenced by evil and clouded judgement, the other by good.
             It is the situations in which we are placed that influence our future decisions. In the most dire of situations, it is easier to conceive the actions of Ahab. He was attacked by Moby Dick, who he believed to be "pure evil," therefore he sought retribution. Although he was trying to rid the world of something that caused many people pain, it is that hate and blinded malice that is the worst quality a man can possess. It leads them to do inconceivable things that are more harmful than good. As humans we all have flaws, his desire of vengeance and pride are unarguably what sent him and his crew to their "fate."
             It is because of this that Captain
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