Ahab is dedicated towards regaining control of his life by conquering the whale. His obsession with Moby Dick is what fuels his desire to spend months and months at sea. Ahab is so involved that he tries to get into the mind of the whale. He becomes obsessed with the whale's every move. Similarly, the narrator is highl

y analytical of Bartleby's behavior. He feels the need to know exactly what it is that makes Bartleby 'tick'. Eventually the narrator is mentally defeated by Bartleby and is forced to change the location of his offices in order to avoid him. Ahab on the other hand is constantly chasing his antagonist and does whatever he can to get closer to Moby Dick.

Although the two stories have such a different subject matter, it is quite remarkable that such parallels exist. The fact that such universal themes exist in both stories is what makes them such an important part of literature.

The amount of involvement in one's profession is another important theme in the two stories. Ahab takes his job as a whaler quite seriously. He is obsessed by the desire to destroy the whale that shattered his life. In contrast, the narrator

Some common words found in the essay are:
Moby Dick, Dick Bartleby, Eventually Ahab, Finally Bartleby, moby dick, Herman Melville's, mentally defeated, moby dick bartleby, similarly narrator, lack resolution, destroy whale, control life, bartleby's behavior, dick bartleby, life narrator,
Approximate Word count = 559
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)