Captain Ahab, the fifty-eight-year-old commander of the Pequod, is one of the most fascinating mortals in the history of literature. The reader sees him teetering between sanity and madness, with the latter winning every little battle and ultimately taking over his entire mind, body, and spirit. This, however, does not simply happen to Ahab, for he plays a very active role in his own death. The choices he makes consciously, knowing the results that will follow, are of his own accord. This journey of self-destruction is spurred by four significant turning points in the development of Ahab's mad suicide mission. The captain's preliminary altercation with Moby Dick, the night he convinces the crew of the Pequod to undertake his quest, Fedallah's prophecy and Ahab's decisive, fatal and irrevocable clash with the White Whale are the most significant events and which alter the character of the unfortunate captain. suicide pilgrimage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first significant event in the development of Ahab's monomania is his first encounter with his obsession, Moby Dick. Although this event has already occurred when the reader first meets Captain Ahab, it is discussed and hinted at throughout the text and is the indispensable trigger for Ahab's obsession. When a young Ahab, confident enough to face a life of emotional and physical trauma, encounters an ocean beast like Moby Dick, he is threatened with the loss of his precious leg to the whale's voracious and malignant jaws. Having a fanatical mother and an arduous existence, Ahab is no stranger to life's injustices. He has seen much evil and is separated from his wife and son, some of the only people he is capable of showing compassion for, due to his demanding and lonely life aboard the whaling ship. Ahab blames God for the injustice among men that his life exemplifies, and therefore believes that because God created such injustice, God is not perfect. This leads Ahab to the conclusion that he is superior even to the Creator. Because he robs Ahab of his independence and contributes to the inequality of Ahab's life by taking his leg, Moby Dick is the scapegoat Ahab needs for all this evil and hatred. In other words, Moby Dick, for Ahab, is God incarnate and conquerable. Because Ahab has a godly opinion of himself, he feels that he is able to destroy this evil and remain unharmed. Without this starting point, which provides Ahab with the mad motivation to destroy the White Whale, destroy all evil in his world, and conquer an unjust God, the entire doomed quest for Moby Dick's skin would not have been undertaken. The decisive event in Ahab's journey of self-destruction is the night aboard the Pequod, when he convinces his crew to become co-conspirators in his plot to annihilate the White Whale. During his first formal appearance before his crowd of sailors, he stimulates their curiosity by asking simple questions that become increasingly fervent to involve them in his sick plans for the voyage. Ahab is magnificently, terrifyingly zealous as his passionate cries hypnotize and captivate his wild-eyed crew. Cheering and shouting in harmony, Ahab's men can't help but become drawn into his plan as he feeds them alcohol, christens the harpooners' weapons, and unites the crew with his intoxicatingly charismatic, manipulative personality. This event is significant because Ahab has now convinced a large group of men to support his mad quest. Because he has gained the support of these men, he is able to.