Or, The Whale
by Herman Melville
Edition: Barnes & Noble Classics, paperback.
Pros: Readable, affordable, nice cover picture, has an adapted version of Richard Henry Dana, Jr.'s Dictionary of Sea Terms.
Cons: It would be nice to read an edition with illustrations, diagrams, or stuff like that. I would've also rather read a version without the footnotes, because whenever Ishmael says or quotes something in Latin, it's his way of censoring something.
{This is an abridged version of a very, very long book review. Let me know if there are any typos or anything.}
Moby-Dick as a story
When Ishmael, the narrator, joins the crew of the Nantucket whaling ship, Pequod, he doesn't quite know what to expect. A newbie to whaling, he finds a whaler's life a whole different world; and the Pequod itself--surrounded by foreboding and under the command of a mysterious captain--is not a typical whaling ship. Once out at sea, Captain Ahab makes his agenda plain to everyone: he's sworn not to return home unless he kills Moby-Dick, the monstrous white whale who injured Ahab on his last voyage. And so, imprisoned on the Pequod and to Ahab's reckless command, the crew begin their maddened hunt, around the globe and with the ever-growing premonition that they'll never make it back.
As I soon learned during my first attempted reading of Moby-Dick, this book is far from what I'd call a swashbuckling sea story...on the contrary, the book is long and very slow. The characters are what mostly drives the story (if this book could be considered as driven by anything!). Captain Ahab, the main protagonist, is insane and obsessed with his revenge; Ishmael implies that this insanity began right after Ahab's leg was severed by Moby-Dick. But not only that, Captain Ahab is also very evil. Within the last 100 pages or so of the book, this aspect of him get so bad that at times it's unreadable (I recommend skipping the chapter called "The Forge"). And then, in contrast, we also get a few glimpes of Ahab's sanity (and cunning), and even moments where he seems close to repenting of his vengeance. As much as Ishmael writes about him, I was never able to fully understand this character...it's one of the many mysteries in this book.
But it is Ahab's remarkable charisma that wins over most of the crew to his cause. The crew is made up of men from all over the world...most notable are Queequeg, the harpooner whom Ishmael befriends; 2nd mate Stubb, who tends to view everything in a humorous light; and 1st mate Starbuck, who is second-in-command, after the captain. Starbuck is the only character on the whole ship who seems to have much of a conscience. From the very first time he hears of the captain's plan, Starbuck is outspokenly opposed to it, and throughout the voyage he struggles between his sense of justice, duty, and moral principles as he tries to do the right thing. He's the best character and I only wish he were in the book more (as opposed to Ishmael, who is incredibly annoying).
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