Graduation Year
2020
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English
Reader 1
Thomas Koenigs
Reader 2
Tessie Prakas
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
This thesis explores Herman Melville's use of astrology in Moby-Dick in relation to the novel's stance on meaning-making and interpretation. It analyzes Ishmael and Ahab's respective methods of interpretation established in the first half of the novel, then explores Stubb's use of astrology in "The Doubloon" chapter. I propose that Stubb's astrological soliloquy poses a potential solution to the conflict between Ishmael and Ahab's diametrically opposed methods, thus offering an avenue into a new understanding of the novel's epistemological project.
Recommended Citation
Gallop, Amanda, "A Sermon Writ In High Heaven: Astrology and Interpretation in Moby-Dick" (2020). Scripps Senior Theses. 1456.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1456
