How Would the Characters of "The Scarlet Letter" See the White Whale of Melville's "Moby Dick" In Melville's Moby Dick our narrator, Ishmael, has a unique view on the great white whale. "...all these are but subtle deceits, not actually inherent in substances, but only laid on from without; so that all deified Nature absolutely paints like the harlot, whose allurement's cover nothing but the charnel-house within..." By examining his remarks, we can tell he is a very down-to-earth man; however, Melville uses a common theme of "how do you know for sure".