The conflict between Good and Evil can be traced back to Biblical times and can be characterized by the conflict between God and Satan. As the books of the Bible progress, we see Satan or evil attempt to influence or corrupt innocent people. This seems to be one of the earliest examples of evil in writing.

Throughout literary history, the conflict of Good versus Evil has tended to dominate the classical literary trend and has been utilized by numerous authors; Herman Melville poses as no exception in the long array of writers on this topic. He was an extremist of this comparison and brought forth new ideas about the whole subject in itself. In the writings of Herman Melville, "...the intellectual and moral world appeared as consisting not merely in a duality of good and evil, truth and falsehood, but in endless and soul-defying ambiguities." These uncertainties would bring a

Of the many levels of meaning for Moby Dick, we also see the overall journey of the Pequod as having meaning in itself. The journey of the Pequod seems to reflect mainly on Ishmael. Ishmael begins his experience on the Pequod as a young man who is still young in mind. As the journey progresses, we see Ishmael not only mature physically, but mentally as well. Referring back to the themes of Redburn and White Jacket, Ishmael matures as he sees the many aspects of society on the Pequod; unfortunately, he also experiences the evil that is present in the world and the many masks it can wear. By the end of the journey, Ishmael is the only survivor of the Pequod and of all other characters, benefits the most from it. He leaves the ship having matured mentally beyond anything he had previously conceived.

In fact, Melville expands upon this idea with his method of presenting his characters as symbols of things much larger and more complex. In his writings, Melville portrays aspects of nature as evil or destructive. This use of representation and detail help to note Melville as one of the most respected authors of all time.

By 1837, Herman's brother, Gansevoort had fallen into bankruptcy like his father. Herman was forced to move back to Pittsfield where he took a position as the schoolmaster where he had taught until Christmas when he had moved back to Albany. Upon his return, the Melville family had lost a significant amount of money and moved from Albany to the neighboring town of Lansingburgh. Melville began to take steps toward a career and would attend the Lansingburgh Academy for surveying and engineering. Melville would produce his first known composition for the Democratic Press and Lansignburgh Advertiser on May 4th and May 18th, 1839.

Upon his return, Melville decided that he did not desire a maritime career and began work as a schoolteacher in Greenbush, New York until it's closing when he began to teach in Brunswick. Melville would soon join the crew of the Acushnet, a whaling ship that had set sail January 3rd, 1841. The opening of the Acushnet's sails "...would prove to be for literature one of the most important voyages of all time."

Melville's readers begin to realize that his novels are not the only pieces of his work that show evil. Melville would also write several poems during his life. One of the most popular of his poems is The Maldives Shark. In this, Melville returns to the belief that evil is present in nature. The shark in the poem represents the evil in nature, much like it's place in Moby Dick. He describes the shark as having a "sawpit of a mouth", "charnel of maw", "ghastly flank", "Gorgonian head", and "pit of serrated teeth."8

By February 1850, Melville had the feeling that his profession as an author was well off and he had the urge to continue writing. In 1851, his most famous and finest work was published, Moby Dick. Moby Dick serves as one of the greatest examples of symbolism in writing and is regarded as a profound contribution to American literature.

Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1st 1819 to Allan Melville and Maria Gansevoort Melville. His father was a middle class merchant and his mother was born to a wealthy family. Melville's father had become bankrupt due to the depression that had taken place at the time. Soon after his bankruptcy, Allan Melville died in 1832. His father's death would greatly affect him and he would reflect upon it in his writing of Pierre.

In the poem, Melville introduces another aspect of nature that readers have not seen before; this is seen in the pilot fish. The pilot fish are the friendly agent of nature or evil. The pilot fish serve as guides to the shark who is "phlegmatical", "lazy", and "lethargic". The pilot fish assist the shark in finding food in return for protection. Meanwhile, Melville depicts the shark and evil as stupid. "They are friends, and friendly they guide him to prey"9 The pilot f

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Approximate Word count = 2768
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)