Pequod Hierarchy - Lindsay Miller
The Pequod is set up in a hierarchal structure resemblant of a macro-microcosm structure or the Great Chain of Being. A visual example would be:
CAPTAIN
FIRST MATE, SECOND MATE, THIRD MATE
HARPOONERS
THE REST OF THE CREW
This is resemblant of the Great Chain of Being because that shows the structure of survival of the fittest. The captain is at the top of the food chain,the head of the pack. To compare him to the macro-microcosm of the sea, he is the whale. Next are the shipmates, the first, second and third, and they are like the larger fish ofthe sea, such as sharks, dolphins, sting rays and the like. Next, the harpooners are like the fish ofthe sea in general, the swordfish, angel fish, clown fish, tuna, etc. Last, the rest of the crew are like the plankton ofthe sea or prawns. They are not predators, they are usually fodder for the higher members of this structure. This is how the Pequod is set up according to the Great Chain of Being concept of hierarchy.
Definitions of what the Great Chain of Being are:
The Great Chain of Being: a powerful visual metaphor for a divinely inspired universal hierarchy ranking all forms of higher and lower life
Found at: http://www.stanford.edu/class/engl174b/chain.html
the Great Chain of Being. Its major premise was that every existing thing in the universe had its "place" in a divinely planned hierarchical order, which was pictured as a chain vertically extended. ("Hierarchical" refers to an order based on a series of higher and lower, strictly ranked gradations.) An object's "place" depended on the relative proportion of "spirit" and "matter" it contained--the less "spirit" and the more "matter," the lower down it stood. At the bottom, for example, stood various types of inanimate objects, such as metals, stones, and the four elements (earth, water, air, fire). Higher up were various members of the vegetative class, like trees and flowers. Then came animals; then humans; and then angels. At the very top was God. Then within each of these large groups, there were other hierarchies. For example, among metals, gold was the noblest and stood highest; lead had less "spirit" and more matter and so stood lower. (Alchemy was based on the belief that lead could be changed to gold through an infusion of "spirit.") The various species of plants, animals, humans, and angels were similarly ranked from low to high within their respective segments. Finally, it was believed that between the segments themselves, there was continuity (shellfish were lowest among animals and shaded into the vegetative class, for example, because without locomotion, they most resembled plants).
Found at: http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/ren.html
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