Similarities between the creatures and the crew in Moby Dick When you look at the cycle of life you see that creatures usually hunt others that are opposite to them . The relationship between cat and mouse is the apotheosis of this idea, a classic case of one preying on the other where the two are considered complete opposites. In Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" the whalers hunt the white whale. So, according to what was stated above, this should make the members of the crew of the "Pequod" the absolute negation of Moby Dick. At first glance it may seem so, but in reality the two are very similar. From the moment the crew members choose to embark on the journey, they become more creatures of the sea than inhabitants of the land. As the story evolves, the reader begins to discover more and more similarities between the creatures aboard the ship and those in the ocean. Furthermore, as the characters progress and become more like their fellow ocean dwellers, they begin to display character traits similar to those of Moby Dick himself. Before affiliating the crew aboard the ship with Moby Dick, there are some comparisons to be made between them and ocean dwellers in general. Living in the ocean environment, humans begin to acquire the same survival techniques as some ocean organisms. The way whalers slaughter whales is very similar to the way sharks react to whale carcasses held stagnant in the water. “…for such incalculable hosts of sharks gather around the moored carcass, that if it were left thus for six hours, say, at a stretch, little more than the skeleton would be visible in the morning” (Melville 328). These sharks are wild in the face of sustenance. In most cases, the size of the whale prevents it from being caught and consumed by sharks. The only chance they have against these enormous beasts is when they are thrown alongside whaling ships. Once they open themselves up to this plethora of meat, it becomes a barbaric feeding frenzy. These actions of sharks reflect the actions of whalers when they take part in killing a whale. "Soon running along his side, Stubb, planting his knee firmly in the clumsy cleat, hurled dart after dart into the flying gish.