Ahab is developed slowly throughout the book, given that
he doesn't even appear physically until around the middle chapters. He begins as a
force of nature, Melville describes him as being indomitable, as being willing to do
anything to seek his revenge on the creature. The reader at first sees this as his
great power, though there are hints of the somewhat more broken character of the
man.
As the plot progresses and Ahab begins to descend into
more of a madness, it becomes clear that as he descends, he is more and more a weak man
being driven by an obsession, rather than a powerful man seeking some kind of revenge.
He is controlled rather than controlling, representing somewhat of a reversal of his
role. In actuality this was always the case, but Melville takes his time revealing
this.
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