Abstract

This study of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick attempts to reveal the religious themes the investigator believes to be contained within the narrative structure of the novel. The novel's predominant theme, according to the study, is a quest for "otherness" and is symbolized by the pursuit of the great whales. This theme is identified as an essential characteristic of religion and is undertaken by what the author calls a "transcendental gesture": a consideration of the possibility of an object, theme, or experience. The investigator believes that human science methodology can incorporate a transformational component that cuts across questions of verification. Thus human science need not be restricted solely to the pursuit of certainty, it can be involved with healing and liberation as these terms are understood within traditions that the author identifies as the Sophia perennis. He believes that a rapprochement between science and religion is possible. ;Textual material from phenomenological, philosophical, psychological, and religious traditions are drawn upon to inform the inquiry and provide a counterpoint to the investigator's own responses. ;The study finds that the themes of forgiveness and unforgiveness dominate much of Melville's narrative. The investigator identifies Ahab's monomaniac pursuit of Moby-Dick as an expression of Nietzsche's "spirit of revenge", a pervasive condition that dominates both the narrative and much of the modern world. The articulation of this condition, according to the study, represents the deeper meaning of Ahab's pursuit of the white whale. Ahab can be considered a necessary hero whose mission is to bring to awareness the dominating influence of the spirit of revenge. ;The theme of the "death of God", along with its accompanying nihility, presents a persistent challenge to a religious reading of the text and receives consideration throughout the study. The investigator suggests that the appearance of nihility need not foreclose the inquiry, it can signal that our awareness has reached an extraordinary depth. The author sees nihility opening upon a more encompassing awareness, one that reveals an irreducible relationship between sameness and difference and an absolute equality of self and other. ;The study concludes that a religious reading of the type undertaken reveals interpretive possibilities that have otherwise been overlooked and that the methodological approach utilized has important implications for the practice of human science