Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Moby Dick, novel by Herman Melville published in London in October 1851 as The Whale and a month later in New York City as Moby-Dick; or The Whale. It is dedicated to Nathanial Hawthorne. Moby Dick is generally regarded as Melville's magnum opes and one of the greatest American novels.

Moby Dick famously begins with the narratoriak invocation "Call me Ishmael". The Narrator like his biblical counterparts is an outcast. Ishmael, who turns to the sea for meaning, relays to the audience the final voyage to the Pequod, a whaling vessel. Amid a story of tribulation, beauty and madness, the reader is introduced to a number of characters, many of whom have names with religious resonance. The ship's captain is Ahab, who Ishmael and his friend Queequeg soon learn is losing his mind. Starbuck, Ahab's first mate, recognizes this problem too, and is the only one throughout the novel to voice his disapproval of Ahab's increasingly obsessive Mody Dick. The Pequodsets sail, and the behavior. This nature of Ahab's obsession is first revealed to Ishmael and Queequeg after the Pequod's owner, Peleg and Bildad, explain to them that Ahab is still recovering from an encounter with a large whale that resulted in the loss of his leg. That whale's name is Moby Dick. The Pequodsets sail, and the crew is soon informed that this journey will bw unlike their other whaling mission: this time, despite the reluctance of Starbuck, Ahab intends to hunt and kill the beastly Moby Dick no matter the cost.

Ahab and the crew continue their eventful journey and encounter a number of obstacles along the way. Queequeg falls ill, which prompts a coffin to be built in anticipation of the worst. After he recovers, the coffin becomes a replacement lifeboat that eventually saves Ishmael's life. Ahab receives a prophecy from a crew member. Ahab and the crew continue their eventful journey and encounter a number of obstacles along the way. Queequeg falls ill, which prompts a coffin to be built in anticipation of the worst. After he recovers, the coffin becomes a replacement lifeboat that eventually saves Ishmael's life. Ahab receives a prophecy from a crew member informing him of his future death, which he ignores. Moby Dick is spotted and, over the course of three days, engages violently with Ahab and the Pequod until the whale destroys the ship, killing everyone except Ishmael. Ishmael survives by floating on Queequeg's coffin until he is picked up by another ship, the rachel. The novel consists of 135 chapters, in which narrative and essayistic portions intermingle, as well as an epilogue and front matter.