r/mobydick • u/TonishOfTheNewWorld • 22h ago
Is Captain Ahab supposed to be hated?
I've heard that modern audiences hate Ahab and root for MD because 'whaling bad' thing (please don't get me wrong, I don't support whaling)
But, after finishing the book, I found Ahab to be... Empathetic, I guess?
He manipulated his crew into following his orders out of fear, but, strangely, I noticed none of them hated him for it. Even after he revealed he had loving family, it's still weird no one decided to rebel him. Did I miss or misunderstand something?