Captain Ahab

My feelings toward Captain Ahab have actually changed after finishing the novel.  I think the main reason is that he finally acknowledges that he has been driven mad by Moby Dick, and that he's aware of how insane his mission is.  He went from being crazy and vindictive to tortured and paranoid.  He was clearly traumatized when Moby Dick took his leg, and his resulting madness is a product of that.  I think that, like with many things, Ahab's main motivation is fear.  Yes, he wants revenge on the creature that has maimed him and consumed his thoughts for years, but I think that he is also extremely frightened by the thought of this monster waiting for him out in the ocean.  As a whaler, he can't be afraid to go out on the water, and so he has to conquer the whale in order to conquer his fear.  Unfortunately, I think it's safe to say that he underestimated Moby Dick's tenacity.  The mission seemed pretty hopeless from the get-go but Ahab stuck with it, forcing his crew along, willing or not, to aid him in his quest.  The final three chapters of the novel were definitely the most cinematic and intense, and I can see how that could be translated into a thrilling film sequence.  There is definitely an element of frustration when Moby Dick ends up living up to his reputation and killing everyone, despite all of Ahab's furious efforts.  His mission ended up being the fate of the entire crew (except for Ishmael), and people who weren't even that invested in the quest lost their lives.  Without Captain Ahab's new-found self-awareness towards the end of the novel, it would be easy to be angry with him for the outcome of the mission, but instead it comes across more as the downfall of an extremely haunted man, and how destructive his fear and obsession proved to be.

Moby Dick

To be completely honest, I'm having a little bit of trouble getting through the novel so far.  In the parts where there's actually a plot or character development it's really interesting, but all of the background information is putting me to sleep.  I'm trying to get into the story, but the novel is really making me work for it.  I'm not quite caught up on the reading so far, but here are some things that have stuck out to me:
-The relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg.  We've touched on this in class, but I've really enjoyed the companionship that these two have developed.  There is the question of how intimate of a relationship it really is, but my first thought is just that it's good for Queequeg to have a companion in a situation where he might otherwise remain very solitary, and I think that Ishmael can also learn from Queequeg.
-The narrative.  In the plot-focused parts of the novel, I've been drawn in and feel invested.  I have a picture in my head of what the town and the inn look like, what it's like to be out on the water on the ship, and the overall grimy yet adventure-fueled mood of the voyage.  The characters we've been introduced to so far are interesting, and I'm eager to learn more about Ahab and see more of the dynamic between him and Starbuck.
-The Legend.  One of the things that I find really exciting and I think drives the action is the legend of Moby Dick.  I like getting the snippets of history about run-ins with this mythical, monstrous whale that has so far eluded capture.  It really does have the sense of an epic seafaring journey, and I think that part of it remains relevant today with movies like Pirates of the Caribbean.  Having the whale constantly in the back of you mind and wondering when it's going to turn up definitely keeps me turning pages (when we're actually reading about the action on the ship).

Jean

I thought that our discussion of Jean's character in Behind a Mask was really interesting.  I think that how you view the character is all about perspective.  Some people liked her and some didn't, but most everyone could agree that she was manipulative and/or at least a little bit crazy.  Relating to her from our time and place and thinking about if we were ever to come into contact with a person like this, I think that would definitely have a negative effect on our opinion of them.  If we were to be duped like the characters in the story were, I'm sure there would be some very strong feelings.  Personally, I thought that Jean was a great character.  I really enjoyed the story.  My impression of her is formed in relation to other female characters in literature of the period.  A good example of this character type would be Bella or Lucia.  Bella is young, impressionable, dependent, and prone to fits of emotion.  Lucia is haughty, withdrawn, and has very little to offer in the way of intellectual insight.  To have a character like Jean be placed in this stuffy, boring environment made for compelling reading.  She may have been manipulative, sneaky, and yes, a little bit cruel, but it wasn't without just cause.  She was not dealt the best hand in her life.  She is not a woman of rank, and is destined to spend the rest of her days in governess purgatory - not a maid, but not on the same level as the family she serves.  A family, it should be noted, who were none too welcoming upon her initial arrival.  I like that she took her destiny into her own hands and created a life for herself.  Comparisons were also drawn between Jean and a witch.  While I agree that the scene in which she takes of all her makeup, her wig and fake teeth, I was a little bit taken aback (this might be random, but I immediately thought of the movie Hocus Pocus) - but overall I think it was a clever way for Alcott to satirize the notion that once a woman reached a certain age she was not longer marriage material and was doomed to live out the rest of her days as a spinster.  Jean was 30 - gasp! - and therefore needed to make herself up to be more appealing to the rather creepily youth-obsessed men of the time.  Jean beat the odds and I applaud her - and Alcott as well, for that matter.  

Zenobia

"Her sobs were the only sound; she did not groan, nor give any other utterance to her distress.  It was all involuntary." (Hawthorne, 223)

For me, Zenobia was the most interesting character in The Blithedale Romance.  When we first meet her, she seems to be a lively and vital woman who is essential to the community.  Her great spirit and welcoming nature is what brings everyone together on that first night.  As we get further into the novel, however, it becomes less clear whether Zenobia's strong personality and colorful appearance is a blessing or a curse.  We learn that she was born into wealth and has lead a life that, if not well chronicled, seems to have been full of adventure.  It's when we read about her interactions with men that the veneer begins to crack.  First with Westervelt, who seems to be someone with whom she has a history and is immune to the exoticism that enraptures other men upon first meeting her.  Then, for reasons unknown to the reader, she forms a connection with Hollingsworth.  She retains her strong personality, but seems to have met her match in a way.  In my opinion, her final undoing was when Hollingsworth chose Priscilla over her.  He is the last in a string of men who have abandoned her.  First was her father (who professed Priscilla was his favorite, but Zenobia wouldn't have known that), then Westervelt, whose only interest seemed to be in how she could help him make money, and then Hollingsworth, in whom she saw the opportunity to finally settle down.  She had fought all her life to maintain her essence as a lively, vivacious woman, and has been shot down at every turn.  The men of the time simply didn't want that in a wife.  They wanted someone like Priscilla, who would serve, obey and adore them.  Zenobia's outward appearance belied the fact that she wanted to be loved as much as the next person.  When it is denied yet again by Hollingsworth, the years of grief break free uncontrollably.  It is then that she decides that she can't go on living only to be disappointed yet again.  She is like the exotic flowers that she always wore in her hair - admired for her beauty, but unable to survive in the environment in which she's been placed.