Archetypes and Ishmael by Robbie
Why are we the way we are? What makes us do certain things? To have a calling to do something or to act a certain way. Carl Jung hypothesized that these feeling and mental obligations were "hard-wired into the human psyche". Jung believed that we were born with an innate, prenatal sense of who we are and what we want to accomplish in our lives. But Jung did not presume that there was just one archetype. He supposed that there were several which, when intermixed with each other, formed a collective unconscious.
Jung theory holds true in Moby Dick. In Moby Dick the protagonist, Ishmael, gives us his first archetype in the opening line of the novel. When Ishmael says "Call me Ishmael" he is pointing out the fact that he is an outsider. By doing this he shows that he will give a clear, unbiased view of events; but it also shows that he is new to the game and untested. The choice of Ishmael is also interesting. Ishmael, translated from Hebrew, means "he who will hear/obey". When this is placed as the first sentence in the book it forshadows the fact that even though he is new, he will listen to orders and knowledge and obey or act on those facts. Ishmael's Christian religion also plays into an archetype. The first view of this is when Queequeg, "a savage" shares the bed with Ishmael at the hotel. But a more readily apparent example is Ishmael's attempt to convert Queequeg to Chrisitianity through taking him to church and by talking with him. In the end yet another archetype becomes visible though when he accepts Queeguegs religion and disregards society's view.
The building blocks of the plot also rest on an archetype. This archetype, Ishmael's calling to go to sea, may be the result of two things. The first is through the prenatal connection with his mother and the nurturing properties of the sea. The second is his sense of adventure. As a school teacher Ishmael most likely does not see anything that is out of the ordinary or mind boggling. But with the majesty of the ocean he hopes to fulfill this unconscious calling that Ishmael acts on.
Carl Jung: the Madame Blavatsky of psychotherapy
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002048731
Ishmael
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael
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