Shark-Man, Man-Shark?

The language in Moby Dick is absolutely gorgeous. Herman Melville employs intricate metaphors and analogies in order to paint a vivid image in the mind of the reader. Melville makes excellent use out of them when he is berating institutional fallacies, like those found in religion, describing the gory capture of a whale, and even when comparing God to the sea. The ocean and all the life within are constantly being personified. One particular focus of Melville’s beautiful rhetoric is concerning sharks.

When comparing land creatures to sea creatures, Ishmael can only say that “the accursed shark alone can in any generic respect be said to bear comparative analogy to [the dog]” (Melville, 224). Dogs are often amiable servants to humans; domesticated pets. But at the same time a feral dog can be voracious and food bowl aggressive just like a shark. The association between the two alludes to their connection with humankind.

While the whale that was caught by Stubb is suspended next to the ship, a scene is illustrated to describe the aforementioned voracity of sharks. Looking down over the edge of the ship, “amid all the smoking horror and diabolism of a sea-fight, sharks will be seen longingly gazing up to the ship’s decks, like hungry dogs round a table where red meat is being carved, ready to bolt down every killed man that is tossed to them” (Melville, 237). This unforgiving nature of the sharks sets them up as hungry animals ready to devour anything thrown to them.

Melville compares the carving up of the whale as “a shocking shark business enough for all parties” (Melville, 237). Now this play on words likens the whalers to sharks as they are both tearing pieces from the dead whale. The characteristics between sharks and humans are directly linked by this passage and connotes an animalistic, violent tone to the whaler’s occupation.

Another interesting scene was when Stubb is eating his whale steak and orders the cook to give a sermon to the sharks. In the sermon the cook reasons that “you is sharks, sartin; but if you gobern de shark in you, why den you be angel; for all angel is not’ing more dan de shark well goberned” (Melville, 238). In the pages previous, man has been metaphorically compared to sharks by their nature. The cook’s statement while literally reprimanding the sharks, is saying the same thing about humans. All humans that are well governed and civil are comparative to angels or may even have the opportunity to become one. This direct comparison is further proven when the cook makes an inaudible stab at Stubb when he says, “I’m bressed if he ain’t more of shark dan Mass Shark hisself” (Melville, 240). Melville clearly believes there is an intricate tie between the nature of man and shark.

All this brings into question whether man is more of a shark than sharks themselves. And if sharks are evil and bloodthirsty, then what does that make man?