NCHS AP English Language

Numinous question three by jeff annis

The numinous is a supernatural phenomenon that refers to religious or spiritual events. One can see the numinous present in Ishmael when he has the dream of some omnipotent being’s arm wrapped around him and wakes up underneath the arm of Queequeeg. This might mean that Queequeeg will somehow protect or help out Ishmael somewhere in the novel. Another time the novel mentions the numinous is in the church that Ishmael and Queequeeg attend before their voyage. The preacher preaches the story of Jonah and the whale, which directly relates to what the crew of the Pequod set out to do: deal with a large almost mythological whale. The final example of supernatural action in Moby Dick is when the profit exclaims to Ishmael and Queequeeg how the Pequod is doomed and tells them almost exactly what will happen later on in the novel, before they even set foot onboard.

posted by NCHS AP English Language III @ 8:52 AM