Ishmael, the narrator of the story, boards a whaling vessel named the Pequod in Nantucket. Prior to boarding the ship Ishmael meets Queequeg at the inn. He must share a room with him. Queequeg is from a South Pacific island and is the son of a king. He is an expert harpooner. At first his exotic ways and appearance frighten Ishmael, but he is soon won over by the kindness of Queequeg. They board the old wooden vessel who is owned by Peleg and Bildad. The captain of the ship is Ahab. He is a large man looking to avenge the loss of his leg to the great white whale, Moby Dick. As the ship sets sail the captain arrives on deck. He announces his intent to find and kill Moby Dick and nails a gold doubloon to the wooden mast which will serve as the …show more content…
The ship sails into the Indian Ocean. They catch and kill several whales to use their blubber for oil but none are the great Moby Dick. The Pequod meets many other whaling ships in their travels and the captain requests information from the other crews as to the whereabouts of Moby Dick. At times the captain is warned of the doom they will face by prophets from the other vessels. In an ironic event one of the crew, Tashtego ,almost meets his demise when he falls overboard in the head of a slain whale, but thankfully is rescued by Queequeg. Some time later the crew meets Captain Boomer who also has survived an unfortunate encounter with Moby Dick as well ,losing his arm. Later Queequeg falls ill with a terrible fever and requests the ships carpenter build him coffin. Fortunately, Queequeg makes a full recovery and no longer requires the coffin but later in the story it becomes a life buoy for Ishmael as the ship sinks. Fedallah, one of the crew members, shares his visions with Captain Ahab regarding his predictions of his death, but the captain refuses to believe him and mockingly informs him he is to live