But I thought the story was excellent, and if it was some parallel allegory, I missed it.
I see Ahab as a classical tragic figure whose fatal flaw is his obsession with revenge. So obsessed is he that he denies God, forges his harpoon in the name of the devil, and damns his soul before he will relinquish his obsession.
The ships they meet as they persue his quest do have Biblical parallels.
One had been commandeered by a man claiming to be the Angel Gabriel, who commands Ahab to abandon his quest--and to no avail. Perhaps it was a madman. Perhaps it was the Angel Gabriel.
And then there's the ship whose crew had burned up all their whale oil--like the Foolish Virgins.
And then there was the ship's captain who had been injured as severely as Ahab was but who wisely wanted no part of revenge.
I think Melville's prose is beautiful, e.g. the lines I posted post #14.
I think it's a rich book and a good story.
What do you think?
I agree with you. And its a great book too. I think Melville actually served on a whaler. His description of processing a slaughtered whale is so vivid and hellish he must have seen it personally.