After what felt like forever, I’ve finally finished reading Moby Dick. Honestly, this was one of those classics that really tested my patience. The story kicks off with Ishmael, a guy looking for adventure, deciding to join a whaling ship called the Pequod. He’s heard stories about this legendary white whale named Moby Dick, who has attacked a bunch of sailors and sunk ships. So naturally, he’s intrigued.
The Pequod is captained by Ahab, who’s totally obsessed with hunting down Moby Dick because the whale bit off his leg. Throughout their long journey at sea, you keep hearing stories and legends about this fearsome whale—ships he’s destroyed, sailors he’s injured—and it builds up this sense of dread and anticipation.
My favorite character was definitely Queequeg (or Q-Peg, as I like to call him). He’s this Polynesian harpooner covered in tattoos who’s tough but also pretty funny. He has these odd habits, and his friendship with Ishmael is really genuine. Queequeg brought a lot of warmth and laughs to a book that was otherwise pretty heavy.
Even though the story had some interesting moments, it felt way too complicated. Melville loves going off-topic with stories inside stories, and long discussions about whaling, religion, and philosophy. It made reading this book feel like trudging through mud. Every time the story got interesting, Melville would go off on another tangent, and I’d lose focus again.
It all ends tragically when, after years at sea, the Pequod finally encounters Moby Dick.
I get that Moby Dick is considered a classic, and I can see why—it’s very well-written. But the old-fashioned language makes it really tough to read, and honestly, I wouldn’t pick this book up again. For me, it’s a solid 1 out of 5 stars. Shout out to Queequeg, though—he was definitely the best part.
0 Comments