Sample Essay On Stubb And Flask: Their Attitudes And Actions

Moby-Dick; or The Whale by Herman Melville tells a story of Captain Ahab's voyage who is in pursuit of a great white whale. Stubb, Flask and Starbuck are three mates of Pequod; they are in pursuit of a whale as they seek to revenge following the order given by Ahab the captain. This paper will focus on Flask and Starbuck, considering that the two have differing personalities and attitudes apparent from the story, this paper will essentially compare the two characters: their attitudes and actions.
Stubb the first mate of Pequot is portrayed to be a person who approaches any situation as simple and attainable. To begin with, he is a person that assigns less significance to issues even when in a technical situation where the outcome is fickle. Apparent from the many situations that he faces from the story, it is ostensible that he is a person that does not attach great significance to a situation posed to him; he does seem to care when going on a pursuit for the great whale Moby-Dick, in most situations he offers opinions diligently with little concern to circumstances that may be ahead of him and his crew. He is a mischievous person, from the story, Stubb acts in a way that is likely to enrage his crew particularly his fellow mates’ Starbuck and Flask. He is too daring to even mischief in front of the captain Ahab. Apart from being mischievous, he is a person who trusts in fate, though it is evident that he is subjected to risky situations when in a revenge mission against the great white whale, he is seen to compose himself proving the fact that he is a person that beliefs in positive outcomes even when in a perilous situation. Stubb is also a person that is ever jovial and easy going, from the story, he reacts to any situation with a smile, be it the mission of revenge, butchering the whale, hunting the whale, he basically retorts by laughing and saying that everything is foreordained or predestined to happen anyway. He is also an easy-going, popular and interactive person.
Flask a short and stocky person as defined by the author is portrayed to be a person that has confrontational attitudes towards people and animals. The way he faces situations clearly establishes that he is a person that does not rationally perceive thinks the way it ought to be, but allows emotions to affect his way of thinking. He is a very aggressive individual particularly towards whales, from the story, the author explains that Flask is aggressive to an extend where he personally believes that Leviathans had affronted him and for that reason he had the responsibility of destroying whales mercilessly. His hatred for whales is so profound that he butchers whales with great enthusiasm. Apart from being aggressive, he is a very naïve person and possess lots of pointless opinions. While characters in the story are thinking of forming the symbolic meaning of the gold doubloon, all he thinks is money, in other situations Stubb his fellow mate take advantage of his naïve personality to make him believe in ridiculous stories.
In a nutshell, it is evident that Stubb is a jovial a person who believes in fate, easy going, a person who approaches any situation as simple and attainable, mischievous, a person who believes in fate, and a person that assigns less significance to issues even when in a technical situations. His mate, on the other hand, is a very aggressive person, he hates whale with a lot of passion; he is naïve and less informed and experienced. Though the two differ in attitudes they are both optimistic, careless, and believe in fate.