This paper attempts to find an answer to the question “how could Ahab lead his subordinates to the destruction by Moby Dick?” It also checks if Ahab can be called a charismatic leader as many critics have done so, in most cases, without a clear understanding of the concept of charisma. It focuses on the critical scenes of Chapter 36 “The Quarter-Deck” in which he succeeds in securing the supports of the sailors of the Pequod. Using Robert J. House’s much-cited foundational Charismatic Leadership theory in which he introduces four characteristics—dominance, self-confidence, n Influence, and moral conviction—that a charismatic leader has, the paper investigates whether those characteristics are found in the depiction of Ahab in the chapter. Ahab seems to show those charismatic characteristics there more than any other parts in the novel, which suggests that he is behaving temporarily like a charismatic leader particularly in this chapter in order to get what he needs.
I. Introduction
II. The Theory of Charismatic Leadership
III. Ahab, a Leader with Temporary Charismatic Characteristics
IV. Conclusion
Works Cited