Many people completely misread this book.
It is not a book about a sea captain seeking revenge against the whale who dismembered him.
It is about an erudite, depressed and rootless school teacher with a wry sense of humor who encounters a number of extraordinary people and situations. One of those encounters is with a sea captain seeking revenge against a whale who dismembered him.
Melville was Fellini way before Fellini.
Melville got the ending for Moby Dick from the sinking of the whale ship Essex in 1822. She was rammed twice by a big sperm whale bull, and sank. Melville got a copy of the book written by Owen Chase, 1st mate on Essex, from Chases’ son.
Yes, Ishmael was the main protagonist of the story and a witness to Ahab’s vengeance and blasphemy, which was shared by the entire crew and was actually explained by Starbuck in one scene, also by Stubb who forced Ishmael to share in it as a condition of sailing with them.
I just thought it sucked that the cabin boy got killed too... I forget his name... I was about his age when I saw the movie.
That's probably why I couldn't get through the book. I just found it boring and uninteresting. I'm a voracious reader, but Moby Dick quickly fell off my reading bucket list.