{"id":{"repo_id":"utc","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1659"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/utc/oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1659","repository":{"repo_id":"utc","name":"University of Tennessee - Chattanooga","base_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"“I must turn idolator”: religious inversion and the quest for genuine faith in Moby-Dick","abstract":"This thesis explores the major religious themes of repentance, redemption, and expiation in Moby-Dick. While critics have examined some of these themes in isolation, my thesis will demonstrate how Melville takes these Christian doctrines and inverts them in order to display a shift from traditional religious practice to a genuine faith for those outside of God's covenant people. Using Father Mapple's sermon on Jonah as a paradigm through which to see the other religious inversions, I will explore how Ishmael repents of a false view of immorality, finds redemption through an immoral union, and follows a wicked captain who offers the hope of expiating spiritual guilt. When seen together, these inverted religious themes help us understand the cohesive nature of Melville's religious allusions in Moby-Dick, and also explains how Melville can express in a letter: \"I have written a wicked book and feel spotless as the lamb.\"","abstract_html":"This thesis explores the major religious themes of repentance, redemption, and expiation in Moby-Dick. While critics have examined some of these themes in isolation, my thesis will demonstrate how Melville takes these Christian doctrines and inverts them in order to display a shift from traditional religious practice to a genuine faith for those outside of God's covenant people. Using Father Mapple's sermon on Jonah as a paradigm through which to see the other religious inversions, I will explore how Ishmael repents of a false view of immorality, finds redemption through an immoral union, and follows a wicked captain who offers the hope of expiating spiritual guilt. When seen together, these inverted religious themes help us understand the cohesive nature of Melville's religious allusions in Moby-Dick, and also explains how Melville can express in a letter: "I have written a wicked book and feel spotless as the lamb."","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dragoo, Will Marler"],"institution":"University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Shaheen, Aaron","Jordan, Joseph; Stuart, Christopher","College of Arts and Sciences"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":null,"date_issued":"","date_published":null,"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:51Z","subjects":["Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 -- Moby Dick; Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 -- Criticism and interpretation"],"languages":["English","eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/496","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Shaheen, Aaron","Jordan, Joseph; Stuart, Christopher","College of Arts and Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dragoo, Will Marler"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2017-05-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"]},{"key":"dc:relation","label":"Dc Relation","values":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Masters theses","Text"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 -- Moby Dick; Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 -- Criticism and interpretation"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/496"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Dept. of English","M. A.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis explores the major religious themes of repentance, redemption, and expiation in Moby-Dick. While critics have examined some of these themes in isolation, my thesis will demonstrate how Melville takes these Christian doctrines and inverts them in order to display a shift from traditional religious practice to a genuine faith for those outside of God's covenant people. Using Father Mapple's sermon on Jonah as a paradigm through which to see the other religious inversions, I will explore how Ishmael repents of a false view of immorality, finds redemption through an immoral union, and follows a wicked captain who offers the hope of expiating spiritual guilt. When seen together, these inverted religious themes help us understand the cohesive nature of Melville's religious allusions in Moby-Dick, and also explains how Melville can express in a letter: \"I have written a wicked book and feel spotless as the lamb.\""]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["“I must turn idolator”: religious inversion and the quest for genuine faith in Moby-Dick"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Shaheen, Aaron","Jordan, Joseph; Stuart, Christopher","College of Arts and Sciences"],"dc:creator":["Dragoo, Will Marler"],"dc:date":["2017-05-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description":["Dept. of English","M. A.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts."],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis explores the major religious themes of repentance, redemption, and expiation in Moby-Dick. While critics have examined some of these themes in isolation, my thesis will demonstrate how Melville takes these Christian doctrines and inverts them in order to display a shift from traditional religious practice to a genuine faith for those outside of God's covenant people. Using Father Mapple's sermon on Jonah as a paradigm through which to see the other religious inversions, I will explore how Ishmael repents of a false view of immorality, finds redemption through an immoral union, and follows a wicked captain who offers the hope of expiating spiritual guilt. When seen together, these inverted religious themes help us understand the cohesive nature of Melville's religious allusions in Moby-Dick, and also explains how Melville can express in a letter: \"I have written a wicked book and feel spotless as the lamb.\""],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/496"],"dc:language":["English","eng"],"dc:publisher":["University of Tennessee at Chattanooga","Chattanooga (Tenn.)"],"dc:relation":["Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations"],"dc:rights":["https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en"],"dc:subject":["Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 -- Moby Dick; Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 -- Criticism and interpretation"],"dc:title":["“I must turn idolator”: religious inversion and the quest for genuine faith in Moby-Dick"],"dc:type":["Masters theses","Text"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:46:51Z"}