Melville's sprawling book encompasses a myriad of themes, such as the tension between nature and civilisation, between good
and evil,
knowing and not knowing, self and other. The protagonist, Ishmael (the name means: God will hear), is an Everyman figure who embarks on a great exploratory journey, abandoning home and hearth to set out onto the wild ocean of the world.
Aboard the Pequod, a whaling vessel, he meets Captain Ahab, a tragic figure who has the stature of a doomed Shakespearian hero. Ahab is obsessed with the White Whale - Moby Dick - who has taken his leg, and seems to both embody, and provide a focus for, Ahab's massive existential rage.
Ahab cannot triumph against his own ravaged soul, or this mysterious beast who seems to be animal,
mystery and spirit all bound together. On this ultimately doomed voyage, it is Ishmael who emerges both wiser and more wondrous for the experience. It is not just a sea journey but a journey into the interior of the mystery at the centre of man and of the universe. Rich in allegory and symbolism, it is an ambitious work, one that will remain a great American classic and a wonder-full journey for the reader.