Moby Dick Analysis
Literary Analysis
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Introduction
The narrator in the beginning, Ishmael, announces his intent of becoming a whaler, and thus the story begins. Ishmael signs on to the Pequod under Captain Ahab, to hunt the legendary white whale, Moby Dick. After leaving the port in Nantucket, Ahab’s smuggled-on crew of harpooners emerge, one of which is valued for his prophetic abilities. The Pequod meets the Jeroboam, and doom is predicted for all that hunt Moby Dick. During another whale hunt, the slave boy Pip is left for dead, and goes insane, becoming the insane jester of the ship. Ahab meets a fellow victim of Moby Dick, and has a harpoon forged, baptizing it with the blood of the ship’s three harpooners. Feldallah predicts Ahab’s death by hemp rope, Ahab dismisses it, thinking he won’t die at sea. Ahab continues to push forward, and the first mate Starbuck, considers murdering Ahab in his sleep, but doesn’t. Pip is now Ahab’s constant companion. The Pequod meets two other whaling ships, being warned off Moby Dick’s trail each time and ignored. The whale is sighted, ships lowered, and Ahab’s ship is destroyed, and the second day Feldallah is killed. On the third and final day of the chase Moby Dick rams the Pequod, sinking it, and taking Ahab with it. The crew in the whaling boats are killed in the vortex created by the sinking ship and Moby Dick, and are pulled under to their deaths. Ishmael alone survives, having caught hold of the coffin life-buoy from the Pequod. This book really made me think about humanity and how easily it is damaged, and for that, I enjoyed it.
Herman Melville and his times Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819, the son of a wealthy merchant family, which later lost its money. Melville received the best education his father could afford, at the New York Male School. Melville possessed a roving disposition, and desired to support himself, independent of his family. He worked as a cabin boy on
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Introduction
The narrator in the beginning, Ishmael, announces his intent of becoming a whaler, and thus the story begins. Ishmael signs on to the Pequod under Captain Ahab, to hunt the legendary white whale, Moby Dick. After leaving the port in Nantucket, Ahab’s smuggled-on crew of harpooners emerge, one of which is valued for his prophetic abilities. The Pequod meets the Jeroboam, and doom is predicted for all that hunt Moby Dick. During another whale hunt, the slave boy Pip is left for dead, and goes insane, becoming the insane jester of the ship. Ahab meets a fellow victim of Moby Dick, and has a harpoon forged, baptizing it with the blood of the ship’s three harpooners. Feldallah predicts Ahab’s death by hemp rope, Ahab dismisses it, thinking he won’t die at sea. Ahab continues to push forward, and the first mate Starbuck, considers murdering Ahab in his sleep, but doesn’t. Pip is now Ahab’s constant companion. The Pequod meets two other whaling ships, being warned off Moby Dick’s trail each time and ignored. The whale is sighted, ships lowered, and Ahab’s ship is destroyed, and the second day Feldallah is killed. On the third and final day of the chase Moby Dick rams the Pequod, sinking it, and taking Ahab with it. The crew in the whaling boats are killed in the vortex created by the sinking ship and Moby Dick, and are pulled under to their deaths. Ishmael alone survives, having caught hold of the coffin life-buoy from the Pequod. This book really made me think about humanity and how easily it is damaged, and for that, I enjoyed it.
Herman Melville and his times Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819, the son of a wealthy merchant family, which later lost its money. Melville received the best education his father could afford, at the New York Male School. Melville possessed a roving disposition, and desired to support himself, independent of his family. He worked as a cabin boy on
Bibliography: Shmoop Editorial Team. "Moby-Dick Narrator:." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 Dec 2010. Nick Selby. “Herman Melville, Moby Dick.” Columbia University Press, 1999 William S. Gleim. “The Meaning of Moby Dick.” Kessinger Publishing, 2006