Throughout Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, the character of Queequeg, the New Zealand harpooner, is presented by Melville as perhaps the most heroic and honestly good-natured of the crew of the novels main setting, the whaling ship Pequod. He forms a healthy relationship based on respect and affection with the novel's narrator, Ishmael, and the concepts and ideas surrounding him are a direct and intentional contrast to those surrounding the novel's focus and ideological antagonist, Captain Ahab of the Pequod. Queequeg's natural heroism and Melville's idealism towards him are shown in Queequeg's stoic relationship with death through chapter 110, "Queequeg in his Coffin"[1], where Queequeg also comes to serve as a vehicle for the Melville's theories on race relations within American society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The focus of the chapter is Queequeg, who in his first encounter with Ishmael is described as an "abominable savage" [Melville, p. 20] and throughout the novel he is described as having an intimidating physicality and as, gripped by fever, accepting death in a way that baffles the American crew of the Pequod. Queequeg's illness is the focus of the reader's sympathy as it is caused by Queequeg and the other harpooners being used for heavy labor due to their endurance and strength, Ishmael confesses that "among the whalers, the harpooners are the keepers" [Melville, p. . 392]. The reader, influenced by Ishmael's sympathetic tone, then comes to see Queequeg as a victim of exploitation and thus his illness as a consequence of injustice in an environment prejudiced against American sailors, even the inexperienced Ishmael. This sympathy on the part of the reader is emphasized by Ishmael, and thus by default Melville, idealizing the dying Queequeg by stating “like circles on water that, as they grow weaker, expand; so his eyes seemed round, like the rings of Eternity. [Melville, p. 393] Melville then describes Queequeg as a character who intentionally, at the beginning of this chapter, appeals to the reader's sympathies, with a tone that exaggerates his "wild" and mysterious nature so as to emphasize Queequeg's existence in a foreign and unfamiliar environment. .Melville's tone, however, changes in the chapter following Queequeg's request to build his coffin. The tone explicitly shifts from sympathy to confusion and intrigue, Melville aligning the reading with the crew of the Pequod through their mutual lack of understanding of Queequeg's strange practices. Ishmael describes Queequeg's request as a “strange circumstance” [Melville, p. 394] and notes that the crew reacts with “indignant and semi-humorous shouts” [Melville, pg. 394], Melville thus highlighting how the entire situation is in direct contrast with the culture of American sailors. But the crew's bewilderment is nothing compared to that of the reader when Ishmael reports that "queequeg lay in his coffin with only his composed face in sight." [Melville, p. 395] Melville pays particular attention to Queequeg's unorthodox reaction to his seemingly imminent death. While the Americans aboard the Pequod are so taken aback by Queequeg that their reactions range from curious descriptions of a “strange circumstance” to derision and anger, Queequeg awaits death with a “composed face.” Melville then suggests that Queequeg understands something about death that the crew, a symbol of America juxtaposed with the wild, and the reader does not, a fact that leads them to bewilderment and anger. Melvillesuggests that through his separation from the American, and therefore Christian, society, Queequeg has acquired a certain relationship with death that allows him to look at it with stoicism and respect. This relationship is summarized in Ishmael stating that Queequeg “had changed his mind about death” [Melville, p. 396] and Queequeg's belief that "nothing but a whale, or a storm, or some violent, ungovernable destroyer" could kill him. Queequeg's belief that only violent causes can kill a man, and that all others can simply be overcome if only "a man would make up his mind to live", [Melville, pg. 396] not only increases Melville's idealization of this character, but also presents him as an ideological opponent of the obsessed Captain Ahab. The novel ends with all the characters, except Ishmael, drowning after a failed encounter with the novel's titular whale. Queequeg's reference to the whale as a force that can truly kill a man not only adds depth to the fact that the whale is a symbol throughout the novel of the unstoppable forces of nature, but also a piece of foreshadowing and irony. The only reason the Pequod chases Moby-Dick across the Pacific is Ahab's obsession. Several characters, particularly the first mate Starbuck, advise Ahab to abort his mad mission, thus suggesting that the whale could be averted if only Ahab saw the situation clearly and objectively, understanding that his revenge is based on logic. incorrect. Melville presents Ahab as the antagonist and not as Moby Dick, the latter instead as an element of nature who simply follows his instincts and should not be held responsible for his actions. It could therefore be interpreted that it is not Moby-Dick that leads the crew of the Pequod to their deaths, but rather the obsession of their deranged Captain. Since Ahab's obsession is not a physical force of violence but rather a man's psychological will, by Queequeg's logic it is something that can be overcome to avoid death. In hindsight, then, the reader, using Queequeg's logic within this chapter, can further the evil image of Ahab that Melville imposed on him. In addition to evoking the reader's sympathies and serving as an adversary for Captain Ahab, Queequeg serves as Melville's introduction to the noble savage and a symbol of his vision of how pagan and Christian cultures could integrate with each other. The noun Melville uses most when referring to Queequeg is savage, followed closely by pagan. However, over the course of the novel, Ismael's use of these terms changes from fear of the “abominable savage” to the possessive intimacy of “my poor heathen,” [Melville, pg. 392] Melville exploits the image of Queequeg as a stranger in a bewildering environment. Furthermore, Queequeg's character is emphasized through many other elements of the chapter, including his reaction to death which is presented as openly contrary to the American norm, as well as the inclusion of Queequeg's idol, Yojo, in his coffin and his description of the coffins as “certain little canoes of dark wood”. [Melville, page 393] All these elements further distance Queequeg from the American troupe and emphasize his “otherness” and refine him as a caricature of the noble savage. Queequeg is introduced, especially in this chapter, as having a much better understanding of the forces of nature and their effects on the human individual than the American crew, especially Ahab's pagan beliefs and savage heritage allow him to understand the world better natural and therefore to place him on a pedestal compared to the Americans..