ment namesake, evil king Ahab of Israel (Kazin 44). Ahab desires to look through the “pasteboard mask” of reality and see what is behind physical objects (Melville 157). Ahab wants to look behind the mask of Moby Dick and see God, to challenge him and question his justness. Ahab believes God is oblivious to the suffering of mankind (Braswell 154) and even states, “Sometimes I think there’s naught beyond” the mask of Moby Dick (Melville 157). Not only has Ahab questioned God’s justice, he has questioned His very existence. This blasphemy against God and non-acceptance of human limitations has made Ahab seek evil forces to harpoon God, God in the guise of Moby Dick.Ahab’s association with the evil forces in the universe is made apparent by Melville many times in Moby-Dick. Ahab declares himself to be mad and “demoniac” (Melville 160). His evil properties would lead him to be called the Antichrist by the Church Fathers (Murray 40). Ahab sets sail on Christmas Day, leaving port when Christ’s life began, symbolizing Ahab’s oppositeness to Christlike values (Braswell 152). Ahab also baptizes his specially made harpoon in the name of the devil — “Ego no baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli.” The translation of Ahab’s Latin is, “Ido not baptize thee in the name of the father, but in the name of the devil.” Ahab baptizes his harpoon in the blood of his pagan harpooners: Queequeg, Dagoo, and Tashtego. Ahab’s personal whaleboat abounds with heathens, led by Fedallah, whose name suggests “dev(il) Allah,” the Crusader view of Allah (Murray 41).Melville adds more symbolism near the end of the novel. When Ahab announced his devious intentions early in the voyage, he offered an Ecuadorian dubloon as a prize for the first man who sighted Moby Dick. The coin shows the sun moving into the zodiacal constellation ...
