The Whiteness of the Whale

In Moby Dick, Herman Melville uses several examples of imagery to support the meaning of the color white. Because of this imagery, the formalist criticism can be used to further analyze the text. Formalism analyzes texts under the assumption that we will only understand a text within the writing’s own form. The imagery of the “whiteness of the whale” consumes the entire 42nd chapter of Moby Dick. Because white, in many cultures, is associated with beauty and goodness, Melville talks about the images of white marbles and pearls and how the whiteness these objects make them more desirable. Not only does white depict beauty but it is also a symbol of power and dominance. For example Melville refers to the color white as the “imperial color”, mentioning white man’s dominance over “every dusky tribe”. To further illustrate the “goodness” of whiteness Melville relates the color to the “innocence of brides”, and the divineness of the wild white horse. Another attribute Melville associates with whiteness is “holiness”, mentioning that all priests wear. The color white symbolizes many different positive characteristics throughout this chapter. Melville mentions the association between this color and traits like innocence, purity, and goodness. Immediately after discussing the goodness of whiteness, he identifies that the color can also have a negative connotation. The color white also serves as a serious contradiction in itself as it makes things that are awful and evil in nature seem pure and righteous. For example in animals such as the white shark and the polar bear the color white makes these animals seem “smooth” and “mild” when in reality they are “ferocious irresponsible creatures”. The way the color white serves as a cloak in this sense makes these contradictory man  all the more terrifying. Furthermore this use of contradiction creates tension within the writing and introduces the paradox that white is associated with both good and bad.

Additionally, structural criticism can be used to better understand Melville’s work. Melville uses many patterns in the text, creating a flow in the linguistics of the piece. Comparisons are one of the main patterns that he uses in his writing. He uses many different symbols to get the reader to understand the meaning of the color white in comparison to the whale. Through these comparisons, we must interpret the writing in a figurative way, instead of literally. He is figuratively speaking about how the whale’s whiteness can be attributed to so many different symbols in the world, as mentioned in the paragraph above. The patterns of comparisons in the writing make it a product of the culture of 1851, when the text was written. The writing clearly shows it was from this specific time period because of the lack of acceptance of the culture. For example, Melville writes a comparison of the whiteness of the whale to albino people, but he explains this negatively as albino people are not understood. However, this opinion has evolved since the writing, as in culture today people are more accepting of diversity and differences.