AI Overview

"Thus I give up the spear" means a complete and final surrender, not to the opponent, but to the destructive obsession and vengeance that has driven the character. In the context of Moby Dick, it signifies that Captain Ahab abandons his life's purpose to chase the whale, ultimately leading to his own death and causing no harm to Moby Dick.

Explanation
Context:
This phrase is from Captain Ahab's final moments in Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

Meaning of the Spear:
The "spear" symbolizes Ahab's unwavering hatred and all-consuming quest for revenge against the white whale.

Giving it Up:
When Ahab "gives up the spear," he is not surrendering to Moby Dick but to the inescapable nature of his own hatred and obsession.

Symbolic Death:
By "giving up the spear," he is symbolically giving up his life, not in a physical sense but in the cessation of his driven hatred.

Irony:
The phrase is ironic because Ahab's act of giving up his hatred is also the act that directly leads to his death and causes him to fail in his goal.