A PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW OF CIVILIZATION IN MOBY DICK

Abstract

The civilized and the uncivilized are sometimes viewed as being in a dichotomous relationship. This essay will explore the themes of civilization and nature in Moby Dick. This is achieved through the use of psychoanalysis and especially the theories of Sigmund Freud and Julia Kristeva. This essay will make the case that as the ship leaves Massachusetts for its whaling voyage, the boundary between civilization and nature becomes distorted. As this happens, the difference between what is considered the civilized Western crew and the uncivilized pagan crew becomes blurred. In this process of Captain Ahab becoming more like a pagan, he also becomes more unrestrained by the rules of civilization. Captain Ahab becomes more controlled by his id, and the typical sublimation which would normally happen in civilization ceases. This is instead replaced by the sublimation which occurs in some societies before civilization, where anger is directed at a totem. Moby Dick becomes the target of his anger from his trauma, which is displaced at the whale as a form of defense mechanism.