Romanticism Essay

Romanticism Essay

Throughout history, man has been obsessed with the idea of evil and has given it incarnations in the form of an animal or human that they hunt and try to kill. The Dark Romantics from the Romanticism period of literature were some of those people that were obsessed with the idea of evil. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville uses Ahab’s conflict with the White Whale Moby Dick to portray Ahab’s obsession with the evil of Moby Dick. In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the preacher’s veil that covers his face to symbolize hidden sin or an evil deed. Herman Melville used the symbols of Moby Dick and Ahab, as well as Ahab’s conflict with Moby Dick and foreshadow; and Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbol of the preacher’s black veil to demonstrate man’s obsession with evil.

In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Hawthorne uses the symbol of Mr. Hooper’s black veil to portray an obsession with evil. When the people of Mr. Hooper’s church first see the veil, they immediately think of it as a symbol of evil, “He has changed himself into something evil, only by hiding his face” (Hawthorne 319). This shows how all the people automatically think that the veil symbolized something bad or evil. This also demonstrates how obsessed the people are with the thought of evil to not even ask Mr. Hooper and just believe it is evil. This veil even pushes away his fiancée, who should trust his judgment no matter what, but she eventually falls into the belief that the veil symbolizes something evil, “But in an instant, as it were, a new feeling took the place of sorrow; her eyes were fixed insensibly on the black veil, when like a sudden twilight in the air, its terrors fell around her” (Hawthorne 323). When someone finally asks Mr. Hooper why he is wearing the veil, he will not give an answer, and the last person who believes in him is gripped by fear and finally believes it is evil. No one knows what the reason is behind the black veil, and Mr. Hooper will eventually be buried with it on, and everyone still thinks it is a symbol of something evil he did. Hawthorne uses the symbol of the black veil in The Minister’s Black Veil to show the Dark Romantics idea of man’s obsession with evil.

In Moby Dick, Herman Melville uses symbolism to show man’s obsession with evil. Captain Ahab of the whaling ship Pequod is obsessed with chasing Moby Dick, a whale he claims is evil, “ Moby Dick seemed combindedly possessed by all the angels that fell from heaven” (Melville 596). This shows how everyone on the Pequod believed that Moby Dick was such an evil thing, even though they could have looked at it rationally and found another reason why he was always taking down ships. This also shows how Melville uses symbols from the sea to convey some of his Puritan beliefs, such as Satan’s rebellion in heaven and his falling out of heaven, which was when evil was first born. Ahab could be seen as a symbol of obsession in Moby Dick, “And I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up” (Melville 179). This demonstrates that Ahab is the symbol of obsession and Moby Dick is the symbol of evil in the Dark Romantics belief that man is obsessed with the idea of evil. Ahab is so obsessed with catching and killing Moby Dick that Ahab is willing to sacrifice his life, crew’s lives, and his ship to kill Moby Dick, so he can be seen as a symbol of obsession with evil. Melville uses the symbols of Moby Dick and Ahab to prove that man is obsessed with evil.

In Moby Dick, Melville also uses conflict and foreshadow to show that man is obsessed with evil. The whole story is of Ahab’s conflict with Moby Dick and Melville reveals how much Ahab wants to kill Moby Dick, “Ahab had purposely sailed upon the present voyage with the one and only all engrossing object of hunting the White Whale” (Melville 203). This shows the conflict between Ahab and Moby and how Ahab had tricked everyone on his ship into helping him fulfill his obsession with the evil Moby Dick. Ahab follows his obsession to the death, while trying to kill what he believes to be the evil in his life. After the first encounter with Moby Dick and Ahab’s whaling boat is wrecked, Starbuck, the second in command, states, “‘tis a solemn sight; an omen, and an ill one” (Melville 582). This demonstrates how the men of the Pequod believe anything to do with Moby Dick is evil or a sign of evil. This also shows how Starbuck becomes superstitious through his prediction that foreshadows that they will all die because of Ahab’s obsession with the evil Moby Dick.

To demonstrate that man has an obsession with evil, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbol of the black veil in “The Minister’s Black Veil”, and Herman Melville uses the symbols of Moby Dick and Ahab, Ahab’s conflict with Moby Dick, and foreshadow. In “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the people’s reactions to the black veil to turn it into a symbol of evil. In Moby Dick, Herman Melville uses Moby Dick as a symbol of evil and Ahab as a symbol of man’s obsession. Melville also uses Ahab’s conflict with Moby to convey man’s obsession with evil. He also uses foreshadow to show man’s obsession with evil. People today are still obsessed with evil, except they are now calling people and nations evil and starting wars with them. This kind of thinking is what started the war in the Middle East; the terrorists believe that the Western world is evil and oppressing the, while the Western world believes that they are evil for attacking us through terrorism.