Moby Dick or White Whale :: essays research papers

Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling vessel. He has made several voyages as a sailor but no(prenominal) as a huntr. He travels to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he stays in a whalers inn. Since the inn is rather full, he has to dispense a bed with a harpooner from the South Pacific named Queequeg. At first repulsed by Queequegs strange habits and shocking appearance, Ishmael eventually comes to estimate the mans generosity and kind spirit, and the two decide to seek work on a whaling vessel together. They take a ferry to Nantucket, the tralatitious capital of the whaling industry. There they secure work on the Pequod, a savage-looking ship adorned with the bones and teeth of sperm whales. Peleg and Bildad, the Pequods Quaker owners, drive a hard bargain in terms of salary. They also mention the ships mysterious captain, Ahab, who is still recovering from losing his leg in an encounter with a sperm whale on his last voyage. The Pequod leaves Na ntucket on a cold Christmas Day with a crew made up of men from many distinguishable countries and races. Soon the ship is in warmer waters, and Ahab makes his first appearance on deck, balancing gingerly on his false leg, which is made from a sperm whales jaw. He announces his desire to pursue and kill Moby Dick, the legendary great white whale who took his leg, because he sees this whale as the embodiment of evil. Ahab nails a princely doubloon to the mast and declares that it will be the prize for the first man to sight the whale. As the Pequod sails toward the southern tip of Africa, whales are sighted and unsuccessfully hunted. During the hunt, a group of men, none of whom anyone on the ships crew has seen before on the voyage, emerges from the hold. The mens leader is an exotic-looking man named Fedallah. These men constitute Ahabs private harpoon crew, smuggled aboard in defiance of Bildad and Peleg. Ahab hopes that their skills and Fedallahs prophetic abilities will help h im in his hunt for Moby Dick. The Pequod rounds Africa and enters the Indian Ocean. A few whales are successfully caught and processed for their oil. From time to time, the ship encounters other whaling vessels. Ahab always demands information about Moby Dick from their captains. One of the ships, the Jeroboam, carries Gabriel, a crazed prophet who predicts doom for anyone who threatens Moby Dick.