In the novel Moby Dick, Ishmael is saved while the rest of the Pequod’s crew die at sea.

There is a specific point in the theme of the novel where each crew member sealed their

fate. These thematic reasons make sense at the end of the novel.

The Pequod’s crew dies because of the pledge they made to Ahab. They put their

lives on the line to capture the White Whale. At the time, all of the crew members on

deck thought Moby Dick was a actual whale they were trying to catch. As the story

progresses, they start to realize Moby Dick is “god-like” and “immortal.” This leaves

them chasing a Whale that is more important then life itself. Thus they are damned to

death.

Ishmael makes the same pledge the rest of the crew makes and yet he becomes the

lone survivor of the Pequod’s crew. The thematic reason for his survival is when he

cleanses his hands in the whale blubber in the “Squeeze of the Hand” chapter. He says “I

forgot all about our horrible oath...I washed my hands and my heart of it.” Queequeg

takes the position as the savior for Ishmael. Through him, Ishmael will be entered back

into the “joint stock company,” even though Queequeg will die.

Melville’s ultimate point regarding Ahab’s concept of the human condition is that

maybe it is God who compels us to do the things we do and that we do not control our

own decisions. God may have us predestined for riches, glory, or sorrow. Ahab sees

now, if this is true, there is nothing he or anyone can do

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