The narrator, Ishmael, declares his intention to embark on a whaling ship. While he has sailed many times as a sailor, he has never been on a whaling expedition before.
Upon arriving in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Ishmael finds lodging in a crowded whalers’ inn. Due to limited space, he is required to share a bed with Queequeg, a harpooner hailing from the South Pacific. Initially taken aback by Queequeg’s peculiar customs and shocking appearance, Ishmael gradually develops an admiration for the man’s generosity and kind nature. Consequently, they form a bond and decide to pursue employment on a whaling vessel together.
Journeying via ferry to Nantucket, the historical epicenter of the whaling trade, Ishmael and Queequeg secure positions on the Pequod. This imposing ship is adorned with the bones and teeth of sperm whales, giving it a menacing appearance.
Peleg and Bildad, the owners of the Pequod who are Quakers, are tough negotiators when it comes to salary. Additionally, they mention the ship’s enigmatic captain, Ahab, who is still recovering from the loss of his leg in an encounter with a sperm whale on his previous journey. The Pequod departs from Nantucket on a cold Christmas Day with a diverse crew consisting of men from various countries and races. Soon, the ship enters warmer waters and Ahab emerges on deck for the first time, carefully balancing on his prosthetic leg made from a sperm whale’s jaw. He proclaims his desire to pursue and kill Moby Dick, the notorious white whale that took his leg, as he believes this whale represents pure evil. Ahab firmly affixes a gold doubloon to the mast, declaring it as the reward for the first crew member to spot the elusive whale.
While the Pequod is on its way to the southern tip of Africa, they spot whales but are unable to catch them. Meanwhile, a group of unfamiliar men, led by a unique-looking man named Fedallah, emerge from the ship’s hold. These individuals are Ahab’s secret harpoon crew, discreetly brought on board without the knowledge of Bildad and Peleg.
Ahab’s aspiration is that their expertise, combined with Fedallah’s gift of prophecy, will aid him in his pursuit of Moby Dick. The Pequod navigates around Africa and enters the Indian Ocean, capturing and extracting oil from a few whales. Periodically, the ship comes across other whaling ships.
Ahab always demands information about Moby Dick from their captains. The ship Jeroboam has Gabriel, a crazed prophet who predicts doom for anyone who threatens Moby Dick. His predictions seem to carry weight, as those aboard his ship who have hunted the whale have met disaster. While attempting to drain oil from the head of a captured sperm whale, Tashtego, a harpooner from the Pequod, falls into the whale’s extensive head, causing it to detach from the ship and slowly sink. In order to save Tashtego, Queequeg dives into the ocean and cuts into the sinking head.
Pip, the black cabin boy of the Pequod ship, goes mad after getting abandoned in the ocean during a whale hunt. Despite his insanity, he becomes a prophetic and deranged jester for the crew. Shortly after, the Pequod encounters the Samuel Enderby, a whaling ship whose captain, Captain Boomer, lost an arm during a confrontation with Moby Dick. The two captains engage in a conversation about the whale; however, Boomer, content with having survived the encounter, fails to comprehend Ahab’s desire for revenge.
Shortly after, Queequeg becomes sick and requests the ship’s carpenter to create a coffin for him as he believes he will die soon. Miraculously, he recovers and the coffin is repurposed as a life buoy for the Pequod. Ahab, anticipating a confrontation with Moby Dick, orders a harpoon to be made and consecrates it by smearing it with the blood of the ship’s three harpooners. The Pequod continues to hunt and kill multiple whales. Fedallah issues a prophecy about Ahab’s demise, stating that he will witness two funeral processions, with the second one being crafted from American wood, and that Ahab’s life will ultimately be claimed by a rope made of hemp.
Ahab believes that these words mean he will not die at sea, where there are no hearses and no hangings. The Pequod is hit by a typhoon, which lights it up with electrical fire. Ahab sees this as a sign of impending confrontation and success, while Starbuck sees it as a bad omen and contemplates killing Ahab to end his crazy pursuit. After the storm, one of the sailors falls from the ship’s masthead and drowns, foreshadowing the grim future. Ahab’s intense desire to find and destroy Moby Dick continues to grow, and the deranged Pip remains by his side constantly.
The Pequod reaches the equator, where Captain Ahab anticipates encountering the great whale. The ship encounters two other whaling ships, the Rachel and the Delight, both of which have recently had deadly encounters with the whale. Eventually, Ahab spots Moby Dick. The crew launches the harpoon boats, and Moby Dick attacks Ahab’s boat, destroying it.
The following day, the Pequod spots Moby Dick once more and the crew lowers the boats. They manage to harpoon the whale, but Moby Dick retaliates by attacking Ahab’s boat. Unfortunately, Fedallah becomes ensnared in the harpoon line and is pulled overboard, resulting in his demise. Starbuck must navigate the Pequod between Ahab and the enraged whale. On the third day, the crew resumes their pursuit of Moby Dick, only to be faced with another assault from the formidable creature.
The lifeless body of Fedallah, bound to the whale by the line of the harpoon, is observable by the men. Moby Dick charges at the Pequod and causes it to submerge. Ahab persists in pursuing the whale without surrendering. Despite the boat sinking, Ahab hurls another harpoon at the whale. Concurrently, he becomes entangled with the rope around his neck and is mercilessly pulled to his demise. The swirling whirlpool formed by the sinking Pequod ensnares all the remaining whaleboats and men, drawing them beneath the surface to their untimely ends.
Ishmael, who was thrown from a boat during the chase, managed to avoid the whirlpool and is the only one who survives. He is found floating on top of Queequeg’s coffin after it resurfaces from the wreckage. Eventually, Ishmael is rescued by the Rachel, which is still looking for its crew members who were lost in a previous encounter with Moby Dick.
