The character Ahab's pursuit for Moby Dick is similar to society's pursuit for Hester's as a symbol of their passion for (and against) sinfulness. For Ahab, Moby Dick is a desire that has turned into a passion because its elusiveness; his not being able to capture the great whale became a source of frustration from him. Passion eventually develops as a result, where Ahab does not care anymore whether he lives or not, just as long as he lives long enough to capture Moby Dick. As Ahab tells Starbuck, his pursuit for Moby Dick is guided by his own passion, claiming that he is "Fates' lieutenant."

Poe in the Imp of the Perverse is perhaps the perfect example of Hawthorne's and Melville's interpretation of the "great blackness" embedded within works of literature. In Imp, the narrator talks about his passion for secrecy, death, and insanity, forbidden concepts and behavior that...
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