Moby Dick is a novel by Herman Melville. The plot follows the sequence of events in the novel. Moby Dick tells the story of Captain Ahab’s quest to kill the white whale that took his leg. The novel follows Ahab and his crew as they sail across the ocean in search of the whale. Along the way, they encounter many challenges and adventures. The novel ends with Ahab’s final confrontation with the whale, which results in his death.
The plot sequence of Moby Dick, like any other book, contains a narrative structure that essentially traces the story line. There are five main groups in the narrative structure: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and finally resolution. Melville does an excellent job of describing and expressing these in such a way that they flow at times but are otherwise uninteresting.
The novel Moby Dick can be broken down into these five groups in the following ways:
Exposition- The exposition is the foundation for the entire story. It introduces the characters, setting, and conflict. Without the exposition, there would be no story to tell. In Moby Dick, the exposition occurs in chapters 1-4. We are first introduced to Ishmael, the narrator of the story, in chapter 1. He tells us about his life and how he has come to live at the Spouter-Inn in New Bedford. Here, we also meet Queequeg, with whom Ishmael will share a room. In chapter 2, Ishmael goes down to Peleg’s wharf to find a ship to sign up on.
He meets Captain Peleg and his partner Bildad, who own the ship Pequod. They tell Ishmael about Ahab, the captain of their vessel, and how he is seeking revenge on a white whale that took his leg many years ago. We are also introduced to Queequeg’s idol, Yojo, in this chapter. In chapter 3, Ishmael signs up to be a crew member on the Pequod and meets Starbuck, the first mate. The next day, they set sail. Finally, in chapter 4, we are introduced to Ahab and learn more about his obsession with Moby Dick.
Rising Action- The rising action is when the conflict begins to take shape and the story starts to get interesting. In Moby Dick, the rising action occurs in chapters 5-36. Chapter 5 introduces us to the harpooneers, who are a group of men aboard the Pequod responsible for hunting whales. We also learn more about Queequeg’s religion and his customs in this chapter. The next few chapters follow the ship as they sail through various islands and meet different people.
During this time, Ishmael begins to feel seasick and we see Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick starting to take over his life. In chapter 12, the first whale is caught and killed. This sets off a series of events that leads to Moby Dick attacking and sinking another ship, the Rachel, in chapter 14. Ahab’s obsession is now stronger than ever and he starts to put the lives of his crew in danger as he pursues Moby Dick.
Climax- The climax is the point of greatest tension in the story. This is when the conflict is at its highest and the reader is on the edge of their seat. In Moby Dick, the climax occurs in chapters 37-40. After months of hunting, Ahab finally catches up to Moby Dick in chapter 37.
He orders his men to kill the whale, but Moby Dick escapes. Ahab then has a confrontation with Queequeg and Starbuck in which he threatens to kill them if they don’t help him catch Moby Dick. In chapters 38-40, Ahab finally catches Moby Dick and harpoons him. However, the whale drags Ahab into the water and kills him.
Falling Action- The falling action is when the conflict starts to resolve itself. In Moby Dick, the falling action occurs in chapters 41-42. After Ahab’s death, Starbuck takes charge of the ship and they head back to home. Along the way, they encounter a French ship and learn that Moby Dick has been killed by another whale. Finally, in chapter 42, they arrive back in New Bedford and Ishmael goes ashore.
Resolution- The resolution is when the conflict is fully resolved and the story comes to an end. In Moby Dick, the resolution occurs in chapter 43. In this final chapter, Ishmael reflects on what he has learned from his experience aboard the Pequod. He comes to the conclusion that life is a mystery and that we must accept death as part of that mystery. Ishmael then goes off into the world to continue his search for answers.
When the narrative of Moby Dick is broken down and analyzed, it’s quite simple to understand. While the exposition and rising action are lengthy and at times tedious, the climax is quite exciting. However, the reader will undoubtedly gain a deeper understanding of the book’s overall significance from the falling action and conclusion.
The novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville is about a captain named Ahab who is on a quest to kill a sperm whale. The whale, Moby Dick, had previously bitten off Ahab’s leg. This story takes place mainly on board the ship Pequod. There are three main parts to this novel: the voyage out, the hunt, and the voyage home.
The voyage out is mostly exposition and rising action. We are introduced to all of the main characters including Ishmael (the narrator), Queequeg (a harpooneer from Polynesia), and Flask (the boatswain). We also learn about Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick and his desire for revenge. During this part of the novel, there is not much excitement on board the ship. However, things start to get interesting when they reach the Pacific Ocean and begin to see signs of Moby Dick.
The hunt is the second part of the novel and this is where most of the action takes place. This is also where we learn more about Moby Dick and why Ahab is so obsessed with him. The hunt itself is very suspenseful and at times even scary. We also see Ahab’s dark side during this part of the novel as he becomes more and more desperate to kill Moby Dick.
The third and final part of the novel is the voyage home. This is where we see the aftermath of the hunt and how it has affected everyone on board the ship. We also see Ahab’s final showdown with Moby Dick and how it all ends. This part of the novel is very sad and tragic, but it also gives us a lot of insight into the characters and what they have been through.
Overall, the plot sequence of Moby Dick is very well-done. It is broken up into three parts that are each distinct from each other. This makes it easy to follow and understand. The novel is also full of suspense, excitement, and tragedy. It is definitely a great read for anyone who enjoys a good story.
