Beginning of Essay
JMZ There are numerous characters in Moby Dick, but only a few of them have any impact on the story. A common sailor named Ishmael is the narrator. The book, however, focuses on Captain Ahab, the one-legged commander of the whaling ship Pequod. Ahab has sworn ....

Middle of Essay
.... Peleg and Bildad say that he is a good man, but because of some strange illness, he is confined to his cabin. On Christmas day, and with Ahab still in his cabin, the Pequod sets sail in the Atlantic. As the weather begins to warm up (several months after leaving port), Ahab is finally seen on deck. The strangest thing about Ahab is his leg. Instead of flesh and bone, he has a white ivory peg leg. As the weeks wear on, Ahab starts to become friendlier. One day, he calls the crew before him. He tells them that the sole mission of the Pequod is to kill Moby Dick. Moby Dick is a gigantic sperm whale with a crooked jaw and a deformed forehead. H ....