"As bad as you think I am..."
A man, chasing a monster, seeking revenge for the theft of what was his. A man chasing death to avenge what was his. Everyone has heard of Ahab and the whale that he chased to the ends of the earth - of Moby Dick that took the Captain's leg and drove the man insane. The story is long, but the point is simple. People see the villain lose and the hero win, and they deem the story complete. But there are no sides - only players.
"As far as you think I am willing to go to protect that which I hold dear, you can't possibly fathom how deep that well of mine goes."
Is Ahab the hero? He lost a leg to a creature of the sea and he vowed to hunt the monster down - setting aside all else in his life to avenge the damage done to him. He put aside his principles, family, joy, his very life to hunt the creature that had taken from him. No one trusted him - he went mad with the actions he took; but he never regretted it.
But what if Moby Dick were the hero instead? What if Ahab took from it first? It took everything from him in the end - his wife, child, health, friends, business, sanity, life... He was hunted across the seas, left alone by all other ships save Ahab's. He turned when attacked and he destroyed all aboard the ship - left a message behind for all others to follow.
"Someone willing to burn the world down to protect the one person they care about..."
So am I the whale or the captain? The captain hunted Moby Dick relentlessly, but he failed in the end even though he found the creature. He risked all he had, and he lost it all. The whale merely existed in the seas among many others of the same, content to leave the others alone as long as the same was afforded him. When he was threatened, he turned and destroyed all that followed him.
"I believe I will always do what I have to to keep you alive."
There are few things in this world that I care about - that would affect me. It is not safe to care about others than oneself - it is only a liability and something that can be used against you. Others greedy or selfish, or seeking revenge for something taken from them use whatever means to hurt you. Death is quick and simple - pain is not. There are ways to break people without ever touching them. Some things are too precious to risk.
You could ignore them - sever all ties and never allow them close, or you could pull them closer than ever. You could guard them as if they were a priceless gem, wrapped in insurance and lined with guards. Then when others hunt the treasure down, there is something waiting for them.
"I can only lead you to the truth - I can't make you believe it."
There are few people I care about. But those I do, I keep close. I am Ahab, hunting those that would dare come against them to the end of the earth; and I am the whale in that nothing will be left when I find them.
AN: Character study again. Inspired first by the scene in the hangar when Liz is nearly killed, and then inspired by the quote in the first episode where Reddington says that he is Ahab and the blacklist is his whales. I really can't stand Moby Dick - it was a long, dull book and Ahab infuriated me to no end - but it does make for terrific correlations. Especially when I started thinking about it... 10-3-2015