The whaling captain had the choice of weapons. He chose harpoons. ... Stand ready to reel the lubber in."

Good story, Faldage.

Reminds me of the relationship between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick which can be seen as a "duel", of sorts.

Others see even deeper meaning in this relationship:

"Kenneth J. Atchity, in Masterplots, noted that Moby-Dick did symbolize evil, but that Ahab's obsession to kill Moby-Dick was evil as well (pgs. 3994-3996). This harkens back to the words of Todorov and Kristeva, who both say that there is very little distance between the self and the other. Again, it seems evident that the other resides within the self. The evil that Moby-Dick appears to have is the evil within Captain Ahab. Ahab projects his own feelings and instincts onto Moby-Dick, as it is too difficult for him to accept himself as he is.

To that extent, the stigma of Moby-Dick was created, to some degree, by Captain Ahab. Rene Girard said that "despite what is said around us, persecutors are never obsessed with difference but rather by its unutterable contrary, the lack of difference" (The Scapegoat, p. 22). This lack of difference is dominant in Ahab's relationship to the whale. While Ahab may try to establish himself as a hero, he too, deep down, is evil. It is this sameness that is problematic. When it becomes too obvious that the other is no different from the self, the other becomes a scapegoat of sorts.
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Ahab had to "create" Moby-Dick in order to justify his own hatred and tendency toward evil. Furthermore, Moby-Dick had to be made into a formidable opponent, so as to explain Ahab's failed attempts at destroying it. By creating Moby-Dick in this manner, Ahab created himself. The self and the other are inextricably linked ... .

In Melville's book, Ahab played the role of hunter and Moby-Dick became the hunted.
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The self/other relationship can be far more complicated than what has been presented here. --- Ahab and Moby-Dick are a special case of the relationship, and they are one that deserve consideration."

Captain Ahab and Moby Dick: A Study in the Self and the Other
Cleveland Lawrence III
American Literary Traditions
Professor Bass - May 2, 1997

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