{"id": "card_n_4404d35c817e", "kind": "note", "title": "Captain Ahab", "body": "One-legged captain pursues a single white whale across the worlds oceans; conscripts his entire crew into his monomania; refuses the help offered, refuses the sane voyage; goes down lashed to the thing he hunted.\n\nFailure mode: Personal vendetta dressed as commission; the entire crew sacrificed to one mans wound.\n\nRestoration path: Could have turned back at any port.\n\nMarkers: earlier injury becomes ruling purpose; crew conscripted into private grudge; ignores warnings from the lawful trade; other ships ignored or used; goes down still chasing\n\n— Captain Ahab, Melville, Moby-Dick (Literature)", "source": {"label": "Archetype — Literature", "url": "", "ref": "Melville, Moby-Dick", "authority_tier": "reference"}, "shelf": "reference", "box": "archetypes", "bands": ["archetype", "betrayer", "literature"], "connections": [], "author": "engine", "created_at": "2026-07-10T21:00:05.284658+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-10T21:00:05.284658+00:00", "visibility": "public", "lifecycle_stage": "public", "volatility": "permanent", "surface": "secular", "metrics": {"paperclips_count": 0, "helpful_count": 0, "not_helpful_count": 0, "cite_count": 0, "walks_through_count": 0, "flagged_count": 0}, "source_hash": "a880443f0fd06677e97b57d5697bd9ef68d0a45ed71ef902e7a8786b1abcc008"}