Herman Melville’s stories of Moby Dick and Bartleby share a stark number of similarities and differences. Certain aspects of each piece seem to compliment each other, giving the reader insight to the underlying themes and images. There are three concepts that pervade the two stories making them build upon each other. In both Moby Dick and Bartleby the main characters must learn how to deal with an antagonist, decide how involved they are in …showed first 75 words of 544 total…

…showed last 75 words of 544 total…life’s work unsettled. The focus of his life, the whale, overcomes him in the end. This is because Ahab is completely unwilling to settle for anything less than a fight to the death with Moby Dick. Although the two stories have such a different subject matter, it is quite remarkable that such parallels exist. The fact that such universal themes exist in both stories is what makes them such an important part of literature.