Performance

Timothy Marr states that Ahab's power, characterized through romantic islamicism, is somewhat undermined when his mission is exposed as an arrogance that needs to be destroyed. Marr then turns to Goethe who illustrates the divinity in Muhammad that gets corrupted when lowered into an earthly body. A similar characterization is seen in Ahab, noted in instances that Marr brings forth, in which Ahab's employs certain manipulative methods in order to control the crew;  one would think that a man of such great force would exert his powers naturally, thus, his omnipotent power is somewhat reduced.

I found this double-sided characterization interesting, and searched throughout our reading for this week for certain moments in which Ahab is portrayed in his "demigod-ness". In the chapter "The Quadrant", Ahab tramples the quadrant in an act of fury, as this navigational device is not leading him to the sought after whale. This is an eccentric act that fortifies his madness all the more,  but it also seems somewhat equivalent to a temper tantrum a child would throw. The crew reacts by being, "awestruck by the aspect of their commander", and as Ahab notices this, he quickly covers up his behavior and regains his stately act by calling out a series of orders. This seems to me like one of many moments, that accumulate all the more towards the end of the novel, in which Ahab is caught acting out of character, (or at least out of the character that he forms for his crew) portraying a behavior that somehow diminishes his charismatic force. Certainly this is a different Ahab than the one who posted the doubloon in the beginning of the novel, who had the crew gazing at him in awed reverence. These moments of fleeting humanity show a certain divide between what could be hesitantly referred to as Ahab's genuine interiority and a performative dimension that exists in him.