Omar: The author of the article omits to make a point about the biblical names, Ahab being one of the kings of Israel and Ishmael the first Arab. What is the purpose of telling the story from Ishmael's perspective, other than the technical one that the narrator neeeds to survive the tragedy ?
Melville's notion involves casting Ishmael as an outsider, which is a narrative trope derived from a misreading of Galatians 4:21-31. (Genesis makes it plain that God ultimately blessed Ishmael and gave him twelve children.) As an "outsider," Ishmael can best serve as the (non-seafaring) reader's eyes to the world of whaling.
Many other characters could have survived the disaster, but they would probably not have been able to recount the "fusion of creative and murderous urges" in the voyage. Nor would they have been positioned to recount the many non-dramatic parts of the novel, the pure exposition of whaling. However again, as in most great literature, the intent is to be empty enough to serve any number of eyes.
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