Today we will consider the most famous arbitrariness of the American writer Herman Melville, or rather its summary. Moby Dick, or White Whale, is a novel based on real events. It was written in 19651.
About the book
“Moby Dick, or the White Whale” (a summary is presented below) became the main work of G. Melville, the representative of American romanticism. This novel is replete with numerous lyrical considerations, has references to biblical subjects, is replete with symbols. Perhaps that is why it was not accepted by contemporaries. Neither the critics nor the readers understood the full depth of the work. Only in the 20s of the 20th century did the novel seem to be rediscovered, paying tribute to the talent of the author.
History of creation
The plot of the novel was based on real events, which can confirm a brief retelling. Herman Melville (“Moby Dick” became the pinnacle of his work) took as a basis for the work the incident that occurred with the ship “Essex”. This ship went fishing in 1819 in the state of Massachusetts. For a whole year and a half, the crew was engaged in whale hunting, until once a huge sperm whale put an end to this. November 20, 1820 the ship was rammed by a whale several times.
After the shipwreck, 20 sailors survived, who managed to get to the Henderson Island, which was uninhabited in those years, on boats. After some time, part of the survivors went to look for the mainland, the rest remained on the island. Travelers roamed the sea for 95 days. Only two survived - the captain and another sailor. They were picked up by a whaling ship. It was they who talked about what happened to them.
In addition, the personal experience of Melville, who went on a whaling ship for a year and a half, also got on the pages of the novel. Many of his then acquaintances turned out to be the heroes of the novel. So, one of the co-owners of the vessel appears in a work under the name Buildad.
Summary: “Moby Dick, or White Whale” (Melville)
The main character is a young man, Ishmael. He is experiencing severe financial problems, and life on land begins to gradually bother him. Therefore, he decides to go to the whaling ship, where you can make good money, and even get bored in the sea is generally impossible.
Nantucket is the oldest American port city. However, by the beginning of the 19th century it ceased to be the largest fishing center, it was replaced by younger ones. However, it is important for Ishmael to hire a ship here.
On the way to Nantucket, Izmail stops in another port town. Here you can meet the savages on the streets who moored on sea vessels on some unknown island. Buffet racks made of huge whale jaws. And the preachers in the churches climb the rope ladder to the pulpit.
At the hotel, a young man meets Qwickeg, the native harpooner. Very quickly they become good friends, so they decide to enter the ship together.
Pecode
Only at the very beginning is our summary. Moby Dick, or White Whale, is a novel set in the port city of Nantucket, where Ishmael and his new friend are hired by the Pekod ship. The whaler is preparing for a circumnavigation, which will last 3 years.
Ishmael knows the story of the captain of the ship. Ahab in the last voyage, having entered the fight with the whale, lost his leg. After this event, he became melancholy and gloomy and spends most of his time in his cabin. And on the way out of the flight, as the sailors say, he was even out of his mind for some time.
However, this and some other strange events associated with the ship, Ishmael did not attach particular importance. Having met a suspicious stranger on the wharf, who began to predict the death of Pekoda and his entire team, the young man decided that this was just a beggar and a scammer. And the obscure dark figures that boarded the ship at night, and then seemed to dissolve on it, he considered simply a figment of his fantasies.
Captain
The oddities associated with the captain and his ship are also confirmed by the summary. “Moby Dick” continues with the fact that Ahab left his cabin only a few days after the start of the voyage. Ishmael saw him and was struck by the captain's gloom and the seal of incredible inner pain on his face.
Especially so that the one-legged captain could maintain balance during a strong pitching, small holes were cut in the deck boards in which he placed his artificial leg made of sperm whale jaw.
The captain orders the sailors to look out for the white whale. Ahab does not communicate with anyone, he is closed and requires only unquestioning obedience from the team and the instant execution of his orders. Many of these teams are puzzled by subordinates, but the captain refuses to explain anything. Ishmael realizes that some dark secret lurks in the captain's gloomy reverie.
First time at sea
“Moby Dick” is a book, the summary of which tells about the feelings experienced by a person who first went to sea. Ishmael carefully watches life on a whaling ship. Melville devotes a lot of this description to the pages of his will. Here you can find descriptions of all kinds of auxiliary tools, and the rules, and the basic methods of whaling, and the methods by which spermaceti, a substance consisting of animal fat, is extracted from fish.
There are chapters in the novel that are devoted to various books on whales, reviews of the structures of whale tails, fountains, and skeleton. There are even references to made statuettes of sperm whales made of stone, bronze and other materials. Throughout the novel, the author inserts information of a different nature about these extraordinary mammals.
Golden doubloon
Our summary is continuing. “Moby Dick” is a novel that is interesting not only for its reference materials and information about whales, but also for its exciting plot. So, once Ahab collects the entire Pecoda team, which sees a gold doubloon nailed to the mast. The captain reports that the coin will go to the one who first notices the approach of a white whale. This albino sperm whale is known among whalers as Moby Dick. He terrifies sailors with his ferocity, huge size and unprecedented cunning. His skin is speckled with harpoon scars, as he often engaged in a battle with people, but invariably came out of it as a winner. This incredible rebuff, which usually resulted in the death of the ship and crew, taught the whalers not to make attempts to catch him.
A brief summary of the chapters tells about the terrible meeting of Ahab and Moby Dick. Mr. Melville describes how the captain lost his leg when, being among the wreckage of the ship, furiously rushed at the sperm whale with one knife in his hand. After this story, the captain reports that he is going to pursue a white whale until his carcass is on the ship.
Upon hearing this, Starbeck, the first mate, objects to the captain. He says that it is not wise to avenge a mindless creature for the actions that it did, obeying a blind instinct. Moreover, there is blasphemy in this. But the captain, and then the whole team begin to see in the image of a white whale the embodiment of universal evil. They send curses to the sperm whale and drink for his death. Only one young man, the Negro Pip, offers prayer to God, asking for protection from these people.
The pursuit
A brief summary of Moby Dick, or the White Whale, tells how Pecod first met sperm whales. Boats begin to descend into the water, and at that moment those same mysterious dark ghosts appear - the personal team of Ahab, recruited from immigrants from South Asia. Until that moment, Ahab hid them from everyone, holding them in the hold. Led by unusual sailors of a middle-aged sinister-looking man named Fedalla.
Despite the fact that the captain pursues only Moby Dick, he cannot completely abandon the hunt for other whales. Therefore, the ship is relentlessly hunting, and the barrels of sperm are filled. When the Pekod meets with other vessels, the captain first of all asks if the sailors saw the white whale. Most often, in response, a story is heard about how Moby Dick killed or crippled one of the team.
New ominous prophecies are heard: a distraught sailor from an epidemic-infected ship warns the team against the fate of the sacrileges, who ventured into battle with the incarnation of God's anger.
One day, fate brings the Pekod to another vessel, whose captain harpooned Moby Dick, but as a result was seriously wounded and lost his arm. Ahab speaks with this man. It turns out that he does not think to take revenge on the whale. However, he gives the coordinates of where the ship encountered a sperm whale.
Starbeck again tries to warn the captain, but in vain. Ahab orders to forge the harpoon from the hardest steel that is on the ship. And the blood of three harpoonists goes to harden a formidable weapon.
Prophecy
More and more for the captain and his team becomes a symbol of evil Moby Dick (Moby Dick). The short description focuses on events taking place with Queequeg, a friend of Ishmael. The harpoonman gets sick from hard work in damp and feels death soon. He asks Ishmael to make a funeral shuttle for him, on which his body would glide along the waves. When Qwickeg is recovering, the shuttle decide to convert it into a rescue buoy.
At night, Fedalla tells the captain a terrible prophecy. Before dying, Ahab will see two hearse: one - made by a non-human hand, the second - from American wood. And the hemp can only cause death to the captain. But before that, Fedalla himself must die. Ahab does not believe - he is too old to be on the gallows.
Approximation
There are more and more signs that the ship is approaching the place where Moby Dick lives. A chapter summary describes a fierce storm. Starbek makes sure that the captain will lead the ship to death, but does not dare to kill Ahab, trusting in fate.
In a storm, a ship meets another ship - Rachel. The captain reports that he was chasing Moby Dick the day before, and asks Ahab to help him find his 12-year-old son, who was carried away with the whaleboat. However, the captain of the Pekoda refuses.
Finally, in the distance is seen a white hump. For three days a whale ship pursues. And the Pekod overtakes him. However, Moby Dick immediately attacks and bites the captain's whaleboat in two. With great difficulty he manages to save. The captain is ready to continue the hunt, but the whale is already sailing away from them.
By morning, the sperm whale overtake again. Moby Dick breaks two more whaleboats. Sinking sailors are lifted aboard, it turns out that Fedalla disappeared. Ahab begins to be afraid, he recalls the prophecy, but he can no longer refuse the persecution.
The third day
Beckons Captain Moby Dick. A summary of all chapters draws pictures of gloomy omens, but Ahab is obsessed with his desire. Kit again destroys several whaleboats and tries to leave, but Ahab on the only boat continues to chase him. Then the sperm whale unfolds and rams the Pecode. The ship begins to sink. Ahab throws the last harpoon, the wounded whale abruptly goes into the depths and carries the captain entangled in the hemp rope. The ship pulls into the funnel, and the last whaleboat, where Ishmael is located, also pulls into it.
Denouement
Only Ishmael leaves the Melville crew alive. Moby Dick (a brief summary confirms this), wounded, but alive goes into the depths of the ocean.
The main character miraculously manages to survive. The only thing that survived from the ship was the failed and tarred coffin of his friend. It is at this building that the hero spends days on the high seas, until sailors from the Rachel ship find him. The captain of this ship was still hoping to find his lost child.