The physeter and the great white whale : the influence of Rabelais on Moby-Dick

Herman Melville's debt to Rabelais's Gargantua and Pantagruel has often been given critical mention but never fully discussed. In Moby-Dick the Rabelaisian motif permeates the novel.

The most obvious expression of Rabelaisian thought may be found in Melville's treatment of: religion, women, the quest voyage in mock epic form, folk legend, and in his style. Both writers reject Calvinism, while favoring religious reform. Both writers express the attitude toward women of their time; that is, young women are depicted as sexual objects, usually promiscuous, and all other women as ugly old crones. Both writers use the quest-voyage motif, the object of Rabelais's voyage being consultation of the Oracle of the Holy Bottle to determine if Panurge's marriage would result in cuckoldum for him. The object of Melville's voyage is of course Moby Dick, the great white whale. An epic convention in both Gargantua and Pantagruel and Moby-Dick is the storm at sea, resulting in loss of direction for both ships. Another common theme in both books is the use of folk legend; Gargantua and Pantagruel, like Moby-Dick, are derived from folklore. Finally, there are similarities in style--the use of the narrative persona reciting the oral tale; dialogue; and verbal echoes. All these elements converge to show Rabelais and Melville as kindred spirits.