| Moby Dick is a huge white whale. He was responsible for Captain Ahab losing his leg. Now Ahab is obsessed with destroying him. Despite being written during a time when whaling was acceptable in the western world Melville shows a distinct sympathy for the whales who were destroyed in their thousands by the whaling industry. The protagonist in this novel is Ishmael, an ex-schoolteacher who arrives in the coastal town favoured by whalers and signs up as a deckhand. He befriends Queeqeg, a harpooner, who helps him adapt to life aboard ship. Melville describes his subjects down to the very last detail so this book is almost as good as a text book on the whaling industry and the whales themselves. Ahab is one of those dark and brooding characters familiar in literature who is prepared to risk his ship, his crew and his life to capture his prey. Moby Dick, however, thinks differently and evades Ahab till the end. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1600-1899 Internal struggle/realization? Yes Struggle over Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Exploring into the wild Yes kind of story - hunting animal Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes Eccentric: Setting Water? Yes Water: - drowning - sail boat Writing Style Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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