“Moby-Dick; or, The Whale” is an 1851 novel by Herman Melville. The story follows Captain Ahab, a monomaniacal captain obsessed with hunting down Moby Dick, a giant white sperm whale who took his leg on a previous voyage. Ahab’s quest for revenge against the whale becomes a metaphor for the human struggle against fate and the unknowable forces of nature. The novel delves into themes of obsession, fate, and the complex relationship between humanity and nature, using the whale as a symbol of the sublime and the unknowable. Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling vessel, and the narrative unfolds as the crew of the whaling ship Pequod embarks on a maniacal quest for vengeance against Moby Dick.
