NCHS AP English Language

hannah robinson - number 9 Fedallah

9.) Chapter 50, What does Fedallah's name mean?

Fedallah, an older oriental man, is one of Ahab’s personal boat crew; he is the harpooner. Ahab has brought on board the Pequod his own crew who no one has known about or heard about till this time in the book. While Ishmael and Queequeg did remember hearing men board the boat early Christmas morning before the boat sailed, none of it made any sense until Fedallah and the rest of the “phantom crew” was revealed. Fedallah originating in Arabic means “in the hands of God”. This meaning of Fedallah seems to be a tad ironic; while Fedallah is a Parsee worshiper ** , Ishmael seems believe Fedallah portrays demonic traits. Fedallah influences how Ahab performs while on the Pequod; Fedellah does not always influence Ahab in a positive way, Hence the demonic portrayal Ishmael feels about Fedallah. In the end however no one knows, maybe Fedallah will end up saving Ahab, “with the hand of God’”.


** Parsee worshiper: “a member of a religious sect descended from the Persians and devoted to the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster in the sixth century B.C., contrasting the spirits of light or good (Ormazd) with the spirits of darkness or evil (Ahriman)”
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-79,pageNum-153.html

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_cult/evolit/s04/whaleho.html

posted by NCHS AP English Language III @ 9:33 PM