Introduction

Moby Dick is perhaps one of the few characters from a fictional tale that has been portrayed in a plethora of cartoons, placements, toy models, movies and children’s stories and was widely commercialized in the late 50’s all the way through the 80’s as a child friendly character. But despite the huge name recognition Moby Dick has gained in the current generation, be it through a memorable story or an animated classic, the original story was far more brooding and sorrowful and like Alice in wonderland, was toned down by many writers to make it more accessible by the younger generation.

Symbolism

One thing that always stayed the same no matter how the monstrous whale was portrayed was the sheer size and imposing presence that the whale commanded coupled with the terror that it bought to the minds of the people who were at sea and the ones to witness it. Moby Dick became the icon of strength, toughness, massive size and durability. Its symbolism was also employed in several commercials and products to showcase the pure power and might of the product. This alone was proof that the sheer enormity of the whale as showcased in the original book by Herman Melville was the central theme or at least a major part of the original concept that the author had in mind for the mammoth mammal.

The Whale was specifically designed to create an initial sense of curiosity, awe and compassion for the monolithic creature which is then gradually turned into a sense of fear, foreboding and terror as the growth of the protagonist of the story, a mild mannered and lonely but passionate captain who is happy with his current lifestyle, progresses. The captain begins to dislike and eventually loathe the whale and consider it his arch rival for costing him his leg and leaving him in eternal physical pain, This turns the hate into an obsessive disgust which can only end with the death of the whale, or the captain’s death while trying to kill the colossal water legend in its own element.