Character List
Ishmael - The
narrator, and a junior member of the crew of the
Pequod. Ishmael
doesn't play a major role in the events of the novel, but much of
the narrative is taken up by his eloquent, verbose, and extravagant
discourse on whales and whaling.
Ahab - The
egomaniacal captain of the
Pequod. Ahab lost his leg
to Moby Dick. He is single-minded in his pursuit of the whale, using
a mixture of charisma and terror to persuade his crew to join him.
As a captain, he is dictatorial but not unfair. At moments he shows
a compassionate side, caring for the insane Pip and musing on his
wife and child back in Nantucket.
Moby Dick - The
great white sperm whale. Moby Dick, also referred to as the White
Whale, is an infamous and dangerous threat to seamen, considered
by Ahab the incarnation of evil and a fated nemesis.
Starbuck - The
first mate of the
Pequod. Starbuck questions Ahab's
judgment, first in private and later in public. He is a religious
man who believes that Christianity offers a way to interpret the
world around him, although he is not dogmatic or pushy about his
beliefs. Starbuck acts as a conservative force against Ahab's mania.
Queequeg - Starbuck's
skilled harpooner and Ishmael's best friend. Queequeg was once a
prince from a South Sea island who stowed away on a whaling ship
in search of adventure. He is a composite of elements of African, Polynesian,
Islamic, Christian, and Native American cultures. He is brave and
generous, and enables Ishmael to see that race has no bearing on
a man's character.
Stubb - The
second mate of the
Pequod. Stubb, chiefly characterized
by his mischievous good humor, is easygoing and popular. He proves
a bit of a nihilist, always trusting in fate and refusing to assign
too much significance to anything.
Tashtego - Stubb's
harpooner, Tashtego is a Gay Head Indian from Martha's Vineyard,
one of the last of a tribe about to disappear. Tashtego performs
many of the skilled tasks aboard the ship, such as tapping the case
of spermaceti in the whale's head. Like Queequeg, Tashtego embodies
certain characteristics of the “noble savage” and is meant to defy
racial stereotypes. He is, however, more practical and less intellectual
than Queequeg: like many a common sailor, Tashtego craves rum.
Flask - A
native of Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard and the third mate of the
Pequod. Short
and stocky, Flask has a confrontational attitude and no reverence
for anything. His stature has earned him the nickname “King-Post,” because
he resembles a certain type of short, square timber.
Daggoo - Flask's
harpooner. Daggoo is a physically enormous, imperious- looking African.
Like Queequeg, he stowed away on a whaling ship that stopped near
his home. Daggoo is less prominent in the narrative than either Queequeg
or Tashtego.
Pip - A young
black boy who fills the role of a cabin boy or jester on the Pequod. Pip
has a minimal role in the beginning of the narrative but becomes
important when he goes insane after being left to drift alone in
the sea for some time. Like the fools in Shakespeare's plays, he
is half idiot and half prophet, often perceiving things that others
don't.
Fedallah - A
strange, “oriental” old Parsee (Persian fire-worshipper) whom Ahab
has brought on board unbeknownst to most of the crew. Fedallah has
a very striking appearance: around his head is a turban made from
his own hair, and he wears a black Chinese jacket and pants. He
is an almost supernaturally skilled hunter and also serves as a
prophet to Ahab. Fedallah keeps his distance from the rest of the
crew, who for their part view him with unease.
Peleg - A
well-to-do retired whaleman of Nantucket and a Quaker. As one of
the principal owners of the Pequod, Peleg, along
with Captain Bildad, takes care of hiring the crew. When the two
are negotiating wages for Ishmael and Queequeg, Peleg plays the
generous one, although his salary offer is not terribly impressive.
Bildad - Another
well-to-do Quaker ex-whaleman from Nantucket who owns a large share
of the Pequod. Bildad is (or pretends to be) crustier
than Peleg in negotiations over wages. Both men display a business sense
and a bloodthirstiness unusual for Quakers, who are normally pacifists.
Father Mapple - A
former whaleman and now the preacher in the New Bedford Whaleman's
Chapel. Father Mapple delivers a sermon on Jonah and the whale in
which he uses the Bible to address the whalemen's lives. Learned but
also experienced, he is an example of someone whose trials have
led him toward God rather than bitterness or revenge.
Captain Boomer -
The jovial captain of the English whaling ship the Samuel
Enderby. Boomer lost his arm in an accident involving Moby
Dick. Unlike Ahab, Boomer is glad to have escaped with his life,
and he sees further pursuit of the whale as madness. He is a foil
for Ahab, as the two men react in different ways to a similar experience.
Gabriel - A
sailor aboard the Jeroboam. Part of a Shaker sect, Gabriel
has prophesied that Moby Dick is the incarnation of the Shaker god
and that any attempts to harm him will result in disaster. His prophecies
have been borne out by the death of the Jeroboam's
mate in a whale hunt and the plague that rages aboard the ship.
