Moby Dick is a novel written by Herman Melville in 1851. The story follows the journey of the whaling ship Pequod, and its captain Ahab, who seeks revenge on a giant white sperm whale. Moby Dick is considered to be one of the great American novels, and has been adapted into numerous films and stage productions.
The novel is divided into five parts, or “books.” Book one follows the crew of the Pequod as they set out on their voyage to find Moby Dick. Ahab, who is obsessed with revenge, has convinced the crew that the whale is responsible for the death of his son. As the novel progresses, the crew becomes increasingly aware of Ahab’s madness.
In book two, Ahab finally comes face-to-face with Moby Dick and suffers a devastating injury. The ship’s first mate, Starbuck, unsuccessfully tries to stop Ahab from continuing his pursuit of the whale.
Book three finds the Pequod in a state of disarray. The sailors are growing tired of Ahab’s obsession, and many of them are beginning to doubt that Moby Dick even exists. Ahab, however, is determined to see the voyage through.
In book four, Moby Dick finally attacks the Pequod, sinking the ship and killing most of its crew. Only Ahab and Starbuck survive.
In the final book of the novel, Ahab and Starbuck track Moby Dick down to his underwater lair. Ahab finally achieves his revenge, but dies in the process. Starbuck is left to mourn his captain and friend.
The plot of Moby Dick is often seen as a metaphor for the human search for meaning in life. The novel is full of religious allusions, and its characters are symbols of various aspects of the human experience. Moby Dick is a complex and multi-layered work that is still studied and enjoyed by readers today.
If you’re looking for an intense and rewarding read, Moby Dick is a great choice. The novel can be challenging at times, but it’s well worth the effort. Be prepared for some suspenseful scenes, interesting characters, and lots of whale hunting action!
The plot sequence of Moby-Dick is nearly identical to that of any other work, with the exception of a few modifications. The exposition is the first group in the plot sequence, which describes and conveys events slowly enough that they can be read without being confused while appearing interesting. Melville’s writing style varies greatly during this portion of the story, as he describes and communicates these events in a flowing manner that is exciting at some points but exceptionally tedious at others.
The exposition is where the reader meets the characters and sets of the story. In Moby Dick, this is introduced through the character Ishmael who tells the reader about his current situation before introducing Captain Ahab. This section also introduces the plot line, or quest, that Ahab is on to seek revenge on Moby Dick. The rising action is where tension begins to build in the story. Moby Dick has not been seen for some time and now that Ahab has a crew together, they are all anxious to find him. This section also introduces Moby Dick himself along with the conflict between man and beast.
The climax is essentially the turning point of the story. Here, Ahab finally finds Moby Dick and there is a battle between the two. Moby Dick gets away, but not before Ahab loses his leg. The falling action is where the story begins to wrap up. Moby Dick has been sighted again and this time, Ahab and his crew are successful in killing him. The resolution is the final outcome of the story and includes Ishmael’s return home as well as Captain Ahab’s death.
Melville does a wonderful job of setting up the plot sequence in Moby Dick so that readers can follow along with ease. While there are some slower parts to the novel, the parts that are important to the story line move along quickly and keep readers engaged. Moby Dick is a classic novel that is definitely worth reading for its historical and literary value.
Ishmael explains his goals and character in the opening paragraph of Chapter 1, before describing himself and why he wishes to embark on a whaling expedition at sea.
The story proper starts with the Pequod setting sail from Nantucket. Ahab, Starbuck, and the mates discuss Moby Dick. Queequeg is introduced as a harpooneer. The ship meets another whaling ship, the Rachel, which has lost its entire crew to Moby Dick.
Ahab orders the harpoons to be brought out. Pip, an ill cabin boy, sees a ghostly white whale in the water. Moby Dick breaches and destroys the ship’s lower boats. The men unsuccessfully try to catch up to him in their whaleboats.
Ishmael and Queequeg are saved by a passing ship, the Bachelor. They sign on as crew and are brought to the Spouter Inn in Manhattan. There, Queequeg meets the harpooner Tashtego and the ship’s cook Daggoo.
The three men sign on to Ahab’s ship. Ahab orders the four boats to be cut away from the Pequod so that he can pursue Moby Dick alone. Starbuck tries to stop him, but Ahab strikes him with his cane.
The chase continues, and Moby Dick leads them to a sperm whale fishery near Japan. Moby Dick destroys two of the ships, killing all of their crew. The survivors are brought back to Nantucket where they tell their story. Moby Dick is sighted one more time, but is not caught.
Ahab dies, and the novel ends with Ishmael’s return to Nantucket. Moby Dick was an enormous sperm whale that caused a lot of destruction to multiple boats and their crews. Ahab, the captain of one of the boats, became obsessed with killing Moby Dick after his son died on one of the previous expeditions. The novel follows the final expedition where Moby Dick is finally killed.
Moby Dick is a novel by Herman Melville that was published in 1851. Moby Dick, the title character and antagonist of the story, is an enormous sperm whale who causes destruction to boats and their crews. The novel follows Ahab’s final expedition where Moby Dick is finally killed after he spends years obsessing over Moby Dick’s death. Moby Dick has been heralded as one of America’s greatest novels for its historical value as well as its literary merit. If you’re looking for something new to read or want some insight into American literature from 150 years ago, this may be just what you need!