to seamen like Ahab and his crew.
Tashtego { Stubb's harpooneer, Tashtego is a Gay Head Indian from Martha's
Vineyard.
Flask { This native of Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard is the third mate of
the Pequod. Short and stocky, he has a confrontational attitude and no
reverence for anything.
Daggoo { Flask's harpooneer, Daggoo is a very big, dark-skinned, imperial-
looking man from Africa.
Pip { Either from Connecticut or Alabama (there is a discrepancy), Pip used
to play the tambourine and take care of the ship. After being left to oat
on the sea alone for a short period of time, he becomes mystically wise{or
possibly loses his mind.
Fedallah { Most of the crew doesn't know until the first whale chase that
Ahab has brought on board this strange "oriental" old man who is a Parsee
(Persian fire-worshipper). Fedallah has a very striking appearance: around
his head is a turban made from his own hair, and he wears a black Chinese
jacket and pants. Like Queequeg, Fedallah's character is also a composite
of Middle Eastern and East Asian traits.
Peleg { This well-to-do retired whaleman of Nantucket is one of the largest
owners of the Pequod who, with Captain Bildad, takes care of hiring the
crew. When the two are negotiating wages for Ishmael and Queequeg, Peleg
plays the generous one. He is a Quaker.
Bildad { Also a well-to-do Quaker ex-whaleman from Nantucket who owns a
large share of the Pequod, Bildad is (or pretends to be) crustier than
Peleg in negotiations over wages.
Father Mapple { The preacher in the New Bedford Whaleman's Chapel. He
delivers a sermon on Jonah and the whale.
Captain Boomer { Boomer is the jovial captain of the English whalingship
Samuel Enderby; his arm was taken off by Moby Dick
Introduction
Summary
These prefatory sections establish the groundwork for a new book about
whaling. Melville quotes from a variety of sources, revered, famous, and
obscure, that may directly address whaling or only mention a whale in
passing. The quotations include short passages from the Bible, Shakespeare,
John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), other well-known poems,
dictionaries, whaling and travel narratives, histories, and songs. The
Etymology section, looking at the derivations of "whale," is compiled by a
"late consumptive usher to a grammar school," and the Extracts section, a
selection of short quotations describing whales or whaling, by a "sub-sub-
librarian."
Melville's humor comes through in these sections, both in the way he pokes
fun at the "poor devil of a Sub-Sub" and mentions even the tiniest
reference to a whale in these literary works.
Chapters 1-9
Summary
The story begins with one of the most famous opening lines in literary
history: "Call me Ishmael." Whatever Ishmael's "real" name, his adopted
name signals his identification with the Biblical outcast from the Book of
Genesis.
He explains that he went to sea because he was feeling a "damp, drizzly
November in [his] soul" and wanted some worldly adventure. In the mood for
old-fashioned whaling, Ishmael heads to New Bedford, the current center of
whaling, to catch a ferry to Nantucket, the previous center of whaling.
After wandering through the black streets of New Bedford, he finally
stumbles upon The Spouter-Inn, owned by Peter Coffn. First passing by a
large, somewhat inscrutable oil painting and a collection of "monstrous
clubs and spears," Ishmael walks into a room filled with "a wild set of
mariners." Because the inn is nearly full, Ishmael learns that he will have
to share a room with "a dark complexioned" harpooner named Queequeg. At
first, Ishmael decides that he would rather sleep on a bench than share a
bed with some strange, possibly dangerous man. But, discovering the bench
to be too uncomfortable, he decides to put up with the unknown harpooner,
who, Coffn assures him, is perfectly fine because "he pays reg'lar." Still,
Ishmael is worried since Coffn tells him that the harpooner has recently
arrived from the South Sea and peddles shrunken heads. When the Queequeg
finally returns, the frightened Ishmael watches Queequeg from the bed,
noting with a little horror the harpooner's tattoos, tomahawk/pipe, and
dark-colored idol.
When Queequeg finally discovers Ishmael in his bed, he ourishes the
tomahawk as Ishmael shouts for the owner. After Coffn explains the
situation, they settle in for the night and, when they wake up, Queequeg's
arm is affectionately thrown over Ishmael. Ishmael is sorry for his
prejudices against the "cannibal," finding Queequeg quite civilized, and
they become fast, close friends.
The chapters called The Street, The Chapel, The Pulpit, and The Sermon
establish the atmosphere in which Ishmael sets out on his whaling mission.
Because of its maritime industry, New Bedford is a cosmopolitan town, full
of difierent sorts of people (Lascars, Malays, Feegeeans, Tongatabooans,
Yankees, and green Vermonters). In this town is the Whaleman's Chapel,
where the walls are inscribed with memorials to sailors lost at sea and the
pulpit is like a ship's bow. The preacher in this chapel, Father Mapple, is
a favorite among whalemen because of his sincerity and sanctity. Once a
sailor and harpooner, Mapple now delivers sermons. His theme for this
Sunday: Jonah, the story of the prophet swallowed by "a great fish." (Today
we talk about "Jonah and the Whale.") Mapple preaches a story about man's
sin, willful disobedience of the command of God, and ight from Him. But,
says Mapple, the story also speaks to him personally as a command "To
preach the Truth in the face of Falsehood!" with a confidence born from
knowing God's will.
Chapters 10-21
Summary
In these chapters we learn more about the relationship between Ishmael and
Queequeg. Upon third consideration, Ishmael develops a great respect for
his new friend. Although still a "savage," Queequeg becomes, in Ishmael's
mind, "George Washington cannibalistically developed." Furthermore, after
having intimate chats with him in bed, Ishmael admires Queequeg's sincerity
and lack of Christian "hollow courtesies." Quick friends, they are
"married" after a social smoke. The chapter called Biographical gives more
information on Queequeg's past, detailing the harpooner's life as a son of
a High Chief or King of Kokovoko. Intent on seeing the world, he paddled
his way to a departing ship and persisted so stubbornly that they finally
allowed him to stow away as a whaleman. Queequeg can never go back because
his interaction with Christianity has made him unfit to ascend his
homeland's "pure and undefiled throne" and so, says Ishmael, "that barbed
iron [a harpoon] was in lieu of a sceptre now."
Together, they set off with a wheelbarrow full of their things for
Nantucket. On the packet over to Nantucket, a bumpkin mimics
Queequeg.Queequeg ips him around to punish him, and is subsequently scolded
by the captain. But when the bumpkin is swept overboard as the ship has
technical dificulties, Queequeg takes charge of the ropes to secure the
boat and then dives into the water to save the man overboard. This action
wins everyone's respect.
Melville then writes a bit about Nantucket's history, about the "red-
men"who first settled there, its ecology, its dependence on the sea for
livelihood.
When the two companions arrive, they have a pot of the best chowder at the
Try Pots. Charged by Yojo (Queequeg's wooden idol) to seek a ship for the
two of them, Ishmael comes upon the Pequod, a ship "with an old fashioned
claw-footed look about her" and "apparelled like any barbaric Ethiopian
emperor, his neck heavy with pendants of polished ivory." But the Pequod is
not just exotic to Ishmael; he also calls it a "cannibal of a craft"
because it is bejeweled with whale parts. On board, he makes a deal with
Peleg and Bildad, the Quaker owners of the ship, characterized as conniving
cheapskates and bitter taskmasters. Evaluating Ishmael for his lay (portion
of the ship's proffts, a whaleman's wage), Peleg finally gives him the
300th lay. (This, Bildad says, is "generous.") At this time, Ishmael also
learns that the ship's captain is Ahab, named after a wicked and punished
Biblical king. Although Ahab has seemed a little moody since he lost his
leg to the white whale Moby Dick, Bildad and Peleg believe in his
competence. Ishmael does not meet the captain in person until much later.
Returning to the inn, Ishmael allows Queequeg a day for his "Ramadan"
ceremonies and then becomes worried when his friend does not answer the
door in the evening. When the panicking Ishmael finally gets the door open,
he finds Queequeg deep in meditation. The next day, they return to the
Pequod to sign Queequeg up. Though the owners object at first to Queequeg's
paganism, the Kokovokan impresses them with his skill by hitting a spot of
tar on a mast with a harpoon. They give him the 90th lay, "more than ever
was given a harpooneer yet out of Nantucket." Although Bildad still tries
to convert Queequeg, Peleg tells him to give up. "Pious harpooneers never
make good voyagers { it takes the shark out of 'em; no harpooneer is worth
a straw who aint pretty sharkish."
Just after signing the papers, the two run into a man named Elijah (a
prophet, or just some frightening stranger) who hints to them about the
peril of signing aboard Ahab's ship. They disregard him. For several days,
there is preparation for the dangerous voyage. When they are near the ship,
Ishmael thinks that he sees some "shadows" boarding the ship, but then
dismisses the idea. Elijah warns them again just before they board.
Chapters 22-31
Summary
At Christmas, the ship finally heaves off from the port and Ishmael gets
his first taste of the rigors of whaling life. As the boat sails away from
civilization, Bulkington, a noble sailor that Ishmael saw at the Coffn inn,
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