Ishmael

Queequeg

Ishmael and Queequeg develop a deep, intimate, and loyal friendship after sharing a bed and becoming shipmates.

Captain Ahab

Ahab is the obsessed captain and Ishmael is a common sailor under his command, serving as the novel's narrator and observer.

Moby Dick

Ishmael is a philosophical observer both fascinated and terrified by the symbolic whale, which represents the unknowable and destructive force of nature.

Captain Bildad

Bildad is a part-owner of the Pequod who interviews and hires Ishmael as a sailor for the voyage.

Captain Peleg

Peleg is a part-owner of the Pequod who interviews, hires, and negotiates the terms of Ishmael's voyage.

Starbuck

Ishmael is a sailor and Starbuck is the first mate, his superior officer on the Pequod.

Stubb

Ishmael is a sailor and Stubb is the second mate, his superior officer on the Pequod.

Fedallah

Fedallah is a mysterious and ominous figure, the harpooner of Ahab's secret boat crew, with whom Ishmael has limited and foreboding interactions.

Queequeg

Ishmael and Queequeg develop a deep, intimate, and loyal friendship after sharing a bed and becoming shipmates.

Fedallah

Fedallah is a mysterious and ominous figure, the harpooner of Ahab's secret boat crew, with whom Ishmael has limited and foreboding interactions.

Captain Ahab

Ahab is the obsessed captain and Ishmael is a common sailor under his command, serving as the novel's narrator and observer.

Queequeg

Ishmael and Queequeg develop a deep, intimate, and loyal friendship after sharing a bed and becoming shipmates.

Loomings

Introduces himself as the narrator, detailing his melancholic temperament, philosophical musings on water and fate, and his decision to go on a whaling voyage.

II: The Carpetbag

The narrator, arriving alone in New Bedford with little money, searching for lodging and reflecting philosophically on his surroundings.

III: The Spouter-Inn

The narrator, arriving at the inn, anxious and observant of the strange surroundings and his impending roommate.

IV: The Counterpane

Narrates the intimate and comical morning scene, reflecting on his childhood fears and observing Queequeg's habits with a mix of curiosity and rudeness.

Breakfast

Narrates the scene, reflecting on the nature of humor and observing the social dynamics of the whalemen with a philosophical eye.

VI: The Street

Narrates his observations of New Bedford's streets, expressing initial astonishment at its inhabitants and reflecting on the source of the town's wealth.

The Chapel

Visits the chapel, reflects on mortality and the fate of whalemen, and observes the grieving congregation.

VIII: The Pulpit

Observes and narrates the scene in the chapel, pondering the symbolism of Father Mapple's actions and the chapel's decor.

The Sermon

The listener and narrator of the sermon; the lessons on fate, defiance, and the 'delight' of steadfastness foreshadow his own journey.

A Bosom Friend

Narrates the deepening bond with Queequeg, questioning his own religious prejudices and finding redemption from his 'wolfish world' view through their friendship.

Nightgown

Narrates the intimate, philosophical scene in bed with Queequeg, reflecting on comfort, identity, and his growing affection for his friend.

XII: Biographical

Narrates the chapter, listens to Queequeg's story, and joyously agrees to have Queequeg as his companion on the whaling voyage.

XIII: Wheelbarrow

Narrates the journey to Nantucket, deepens his bond with Queequeg, and reflects on the 'endlessness' of whaling voyages and the 'magnanimity of the sea.'

XIV: Nantucket

Narrator describing the arrival at Nantucket and delivering the extended, philosophical paean to the island and its seafaring people.

Chowder

Narrates the arrival at the Try Pots, experiments with the chowder orders, and reflects on the ominous gallows-like sign.

The Ship

Determined to go whaling to 'see the world,' he is interviewed by Peleg, feels sympathy and awe for the unknown Ahab, and, guided by Yojo's indirect decree, selects the Pequod as their ship.

The Ramadan

Narrator who observes and respects Queequeg's ritual, though he later tries to argue against its perceived absurdity. His alarm leads to the comic scene of breaking down the door.

His Mark

Advocates for Queequeg, cleverly defines a universal church to satisfy the captains, and is overjoyed when his friend is enrolled.

XIX: The Prophet

Narrator of the encounter; initially dismissive of Elijah's warnings but is left with lingering 'vague wonderments and half-apprehensions' about the Pequod and Ahab.

All Astir

Visits the ship and grows anxious about sailing without meeting Captain Ahab, revealing his internal doubts about the voyage.

Going Aboard

Narrates the eerie boarding process; is perturbed by Elijah's warnings and the ship's unnatural quiet.

Merry Christmas

Narrates the departure, pausing at his work out of fear of Peleg's piloting, receives his 'first kick' from Peleg, and finds solace in Bildad's psalmody.

The Lee Shore

Narrator and philosophical observer; reflects on Bulkington's choice and expands it into a universal meditation on the human condition.

The Advocate

Narrator and passionate advocate for the whaling profession, drawing on historical, economic, and philosophical arguments.

Postscript

Acts as the narrator and advocate, presenting a satirical argument to elevate the status of whaling by linking it to royal ritual.

Ahab

Narrator; describes his growing apprehension about the unseen captain, then his profound, shivering first impression of Ahab's appearance and demeanor.

Cetology

Acts as the narrator and self-appointed cetologist, systematically classifying whales while humorously acknowledging the limits of human knowledge on the subject.

XXXV: The Masthead

Narrates his first masthead watch, confessing to being a distracted, philosophical lookout lost in thought.

XLI: Moby Dick

Narrates the chapter, confesses his own complicity in the crew's oath of revenge against Moby Dick, and details the whale's fearsome history.

XLII: The Whiteness of the Whale

Narrator and philosophical explorer; delves into the metaphysical terror inspired by the whale's whiteness, positioning himself as an interpreter of profound horror.

XLV: The Affidavit

Acts as the narrator and compiler of evidence, drawing on his personal experience as a whaleman and citing specific historical cases to argue for the veracity of his tale.

XLVI: Surmises

The narrator who articulates Ahab's internal calculations and the philosophical underpinnings of his managerial strategy.

XLVII: The Mat-Maker

Narrator; meditates deeply on fate, free will, and chance while weaving the mat with Queequeg, seeing himself as a shuttle in the 'Loom of Time.'

XLIX: The Hyena

Narrator. Develops a 'genial, desperado philosophy' after a capsizing, questioning the dangers of whaling and drafting his will to achieve a sense of posthumous calm.

LII: The Albatross

Narrates the encounter from the masthead, describing the spectral appearance of the Goney and the silent, ominous interaction.

LIII: The Gam

Acts as the narrator and cultural anthropologist, defining the 'Gam' and contrasting the social customs of different types of ships at sea.

LIV: The Town-Ho’s Story

Narrator of the Town-Ho's story to his Spanish friends at the Golden Inn.

LV: Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales

Narrates the chapter, critiquing inaccurate whale depictions with scholarly and sardonic wit.

LVI: Of the Less Erroneous Pictures of Whales, and the True Pictures of Whaling Scenes

Acts as the critical narrator and art critic, evaluating various pictorial representations of whales and whaling scenes based on his firsthand knowledge.

LVII: Of Whales in Paint; in Teeth; in Wood; in Sheet-Iron; in Stone; in Mountains; in Stars

Acts as the narrator and observer, analyzing the cultural artifacts and natural phenomena that depict whales, and declaring his own 'savage' identity aligned with whalemen.

Brit

Narrator and philosophical observer; delivers the extended meditation on the sea's terror and its analogy to the human soul.

The Line

Acts as the narrator and technical philosopher, describing the whale-line's properties and its profound metaphorical significance for human life.

LXI: Stubb Kills a Whale

Narrates the chapter, describing the dreamy prelude to the sighting and the violent hunt from his vantage.

LXII: The Dart

Narrates the technical critique of whaling practice, drawing on personal experience ('For one, I cannot bawl very heartily and work very recklessly at one and the same time') to argue for reform.

LXV: The Whale as a Dish

The philosophical narrator who recounts historical anecdotes, personal experiences (frying biscuit in oil), and delivers the moral critique on cannibalism and civilized hypocrisy.

LXVIII: The Blanket

Acts as the narrator and natural philosopher, analyzing the whale's integument with scientific curiosity and poetic reflection, drawing moral lessons for humanity.

The Funeral

Narrates the scene, offering philosophical reflections on death, scavengers, and the birth of superstition from the whale's corpse.

LXXII: The Monkey-Rope

Narrator and Queequeg's 'bowsman'; physically and philosophically bound to Queequeg via the monkey-rope, reflecting on fate, free will, and human connection.

LXXIV: The Sperm Whale’s Head—Contrasted View

Acts as the narrator and cetological guide, leading the comparative analysis of the whale heads with philosophical and scientific curiosity.

LXXV: The Right Whale’s Head—Contrasted View

Narrator and observer; provides the detailed anatomical description and philosophical musings on the two whale heads.

LXXVI: The Battering-Ram

Acts as narrator and natural philosopher, meticulously dissecting the whale's anatomy to argue for its formidable power.

LXXVII: The Great Heidelburgh Tun

Narrates the chapter, providing a meticulous, scientific, and analogical dissection of the sperm whale's head and the process of baling the case.

LXXVIII: Cistern and Buckets

The narrator who describes the entire perilous operation and Queequeg's heroic 'obstetrics,' offering philosophical reflections on the event.

LXXIX: The Prairie

Acts as the philosophical narrator, attempting to apply the 'semi-sciences' of physiognomy and phrenology to the whale's head, while acknowledging the limits of his own and humanity's ability to decipher it.

The Nut

Narrates the chapter, presenting his anatomical and phrenological theories about the sperm whale's brain and spine.

LXXXII: The Honor and Glory of Whaling

Acts as the narrator and scholar, passionately constructing a historical and mythological defense of whaling's honor.

LXXXIII: Jonah Historically Regarded

Narrates the chapter, presenting the skeptical arguments of whalemen and the theological counter-arguments with a tone of scholarly irony.

LXXXV: The Fountain

Narrator and philosophical investigator; ponders the nature of the whale's spout, drawing scientific and metaphysical conclusions.

LXXXVI: The Tail

The narrator and observer, delivering a scientific and metaphysical meditation on the whale's tail, comparing it to elephants, Roman walls, and artistic depictions of strength.

LXXXVII: The Grand Armada

Narrates the intense, perilous journey into the herd and the serene, revealing spectacle at its heart.

Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish

Narrator and expositor of the whaling code and its universal applications.

XC: Heads or Tails

Narrates the legal treatise and anecdote, providing sardonic commentary on English law and royal privilege.

The Pequod Meets the Rose-Bud

Narrates the chapter but is not an active participant in the events described.

XCII: Ambergris

Narrates the chapter, providing detailed facts about ambergris, refuting slanders against whalemen, and offering philosophical musings on corruption and fragrance.

XCIII: The Castaway

The narrator who provides the philosophical meditation on Pip's fate, linking it to themes of madness, perception, and foreshadowing his own later abandonment.

XCIV: A Squeeze of the Hand

Narrates the profound, sensual experience of squeezing spermaceti, which leads to a philosophical reflection on human connection and felicity.

XCVI: The Try-Works

Narrates the chapter; describes the try-works and his own terrifying, disorienting experience at the helm, which leads to a profound philosophical reflection.

XCVIII: Stowing Down and Clearing Up

Acts as the narrator, providing a detailed, poetic, and philosophical account of the stowing and cleaning process. He directly addresses the reader ('Oh! my friends') and reflects on the metaphysical implications of the crew's labor.

The Decanter

Narrates the chapter, shares his historical research on whaling provisions, and recounts his personal experience of hospitality aboard the Samuel Enderby.

CII: A Bower in the Arsacides

Narrates his anatomical investigation and mystical experience in the Arsacidean whale temple; has the whale's dimensions tattooed on his arm.

CIII: Measurement of the Whale’s Skeleton

Narrates the chapter, presenting his careful calculations and observations of the whale skeleton, and reflecting philosophically on the limits of human understanding.

The Fossil Whale

Narrator and self-proclaimed geologist, who expansively meditates on the whale's fossil history and its sublime, ancient grandeur.

Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish?—Will He Perish?

Acts as the narrator and philosophical investigator, presenting geological evidence, historical anecdotes, and logical arguments to defend the whale's enduring size and species immortality.

CXI: The Pacific

Narrates the chapter, offering a meditative and awe-filled reflection on the Pacific Ocean's mystery and eternal quality.

CXV: The Pequod Meets the Bachelor

Narrates the vivid contrast between the two ships, observing the Pequod's crew casting 'grave, lingering glances' at the departing Bachelor.

CXXXIV: The Chase—Second Day

Implied narrator of the collective crew's experience; describes their unified, frenzied state as 'one man, not thirty.'

Epilogue

The narrator and sole survivor, describing his miraculous escape via Queequeg's coffin.

Endnotes

Narrates a personal memory of seeing his first albatross, reflecting on its mystical whiteness and his emotional response, and provides various technical notes on whaling.