Free College Essays - Plot Sequence of Melville’s Moby Dick

666 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Whale essays

Moby-Dick, like any other novel, is complete with a plot sequence which essentially “maps” the layout of the story line. In the plot sequence, there are five major groups. Those five groups are the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and finally the resolution. Melville does an outstanding job of describing and conveying these in a flowing matter that is intense at some points, but surpassingly boring at others.

The plot sequence of Moby-Dick can be summarized easily when it is broken up and analyzed. While the exposition and rising action may be a little lengthy and at some times rather monotonous, the climax is very intense. But the reader will probably gain the most insight into what the novel means overall from the falling action and resolution.

During the exposition, Ishmael describes himself and why he plans on joining a whaling voyage at sea so as to sort of introduce us to him and to set the stage for other characters to be introduced such as Queequeg at the Spouter Inn.

As for the rising action, this takes up most of the novel, at least three fourths of it anyway. Many adventures are described to us from Ishmael as the story progresses. Some of the more notable events that take place include when Ishmael and Ahab first meet and the almost frightened feeling that takes over Ishmael, when Ahab describes the purpose of his voyage, when various ships are encountered such as the Enderby and the Rachel, and when the Pequod is overtaken by a typhoon. All these events and a few others not mentioned help to build the rising action and gain more and more interest from the reader.

The climax is definitely one of the most intense sections of the book, however not one of the longer. It lasts for a good three chapters, and keeps the reader focussed in on every detail, unlike other parts of the book that can get so repetitive and boring it’s unbelievable. The climax consists of the main chase and battle with Moby-Dick himself. In this part of the novel, each of three days are discussed. On the first day of the chase, the men spear the whale with their harpoons, but without success. Also, Ahab’s boat is crushed by the white whale. The second day proves to be a bit more successful.

Show More
Related

  • Character Analysis Of Ishmael's Lessons From 'Bra Spider'

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the book the audience has seen Ishmael go through adventure and sorrow. In the novel Ishmael is forced to go to war at age thirteen, but what keeps him going were his grandmother's wise words. His grandmother was the one who told him powerful lessons that he could use in real life. These lesson that Ishmael is keeping him grounded is not only from his grandmother but also from his friends. Lessons that were seen by the readers are “wild pigs”, “Bra Spider”, and the story about the moon.

    Read More

  • Moby-Dick: When In Doubt, It's From Shakespeare

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    Analysis: Melville's Great American Novel draws on both Biblical and Shakespearean myths. Captain Ahab is "a grand, ungodly, god-like man … above the common" whose pursuit of the great white whale is a fable about obsession and over-reaching. Just as Macbeth and Lear subvert the natural order of things, Ahab takes on Nature in his

    Read More

  • Denial and Alcoholism Exposed in The Swimmer, by John Cheever

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Swimmer by John Cheever begins at Helen and Donald Westerhazy’s pool when Neddy Merrill makes the decision to journey eight miles home by swimming through a series of pools, he calls the “Lucinda River” (297) and walking when unable to swim. While he making his way back home, he stops at fourteen old friends’ houses and drinks before continuing on if possible. By the end of Neddy’s journey, he is exhausted and comes to the realization that he has lost not only his house but also his wife and daughters, and also his so-called friends and even a mistress. Cheever suggests that alcoholism is a destruction of life through the use of symbolism, imagery, and characterization.

    Read More

  • Daughters of the Dust and Mama Day

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although their plots are divergent, Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust” and Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day possess strikingly similar elements: their setting in the islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, their cantankerous-but-lovable matriarchs who are both traditional healers, and stories of migration, whether it be to the mainland or back home again. The themes of the film and the book are different but at the same time not dissimilar: Dash’s film emphasizes the importance of retaining connections to the ancestral past, while Naylor’s novel focuses more on love, loss, and reconciliation with the past that is part of the present and will continue into the future.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Theogony and Creation in Genesis

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the world there are various cultures with varying religions and creation stories to explain the creation of the Earth and it’s inhabitants. Of these creation stories two with similar and also different characteristics is the Creation story in the book of Genesis which is a part of the 1st Testament in the Hebrew Bible and explains the creation of Earth and humans, and the Theogony which is the greek creation story that describes the origins of the Earth and the Greek Gods. Both the Theogony and the Creation in Genesis show nature as a blessing for humans but it can also affect them negatively, However the myths differ in the ways that the Earth and humans were created and how humans interact with the deities of the creation stories.

    Read More

  • From Rejection to Reverence: The Journey of Moby Dick

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moby Dick is one of the greatest books written in American literature but when it was first made, Herman Melville was shamed for writing it and hated. After a while Moby Dick was noticed from being a book everyone hated to one of the most popular pieces of literature now. The title Moby Dick is known by almost everyone in America. Originally Moby Dick was called The Whale that was originally published in 1851 but was changed to Moby Dick in a later date. The book starts out with a very famous line called “call me ishmael” which was the name of the main character/narrator who goes out to sea as a merchant and wants to go on a whale adventure. Captain Ahab gathers his crew to hunt down Moby Dick even though they were supposed to go to get oil

    Read More

  • Mythology In Mythology

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most common mythological theme across different cultures is the creation of humankind because everyone has always questioned how the earth was created and so forth. Creation myths are “usually applied to a mytho-religious story which explains the beginning of humanity, life, the earth and the universe as being the result of a deliberate act of supreme beings or being” ("Creation myths," 2007). Individuals from different cultures believe in a higher power known as God and they believe that the higher power is the creator of earth, animals and humankind, however each culture believe in different Gods but they all believe that God is the creator and that is the universal theme across different cultures.

    Read More

  • Comparing Three Creation Myths

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    A creation myth is an explanation of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. Every creation myth is different, but there is similarity in most of them. Motifs are recurring ideas that help develop a theme and these motifs are common in many creation myths. Three similar motifs are the idea of a supreme being, the idea of people being created from organic material, and the idea of rulers being overthrown. These concepts appear in the Inuit, Greek, Hindu, Chinese, Norse, and many more myths. These three motifs connect to one another and are common in many creation myths.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Melville's Moby Dick and Bartleby

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ahab is dedicated towards regaining control of his life by conquering the whale. His obsession with Moby Dick is what fuels his desire to spend months and months at sea. Ahab is so involved that he tries to get into the mind of the whale. He becomes obsessed with the whale’s every move. Similarly, the narrator is highly analytical of Bartleby’s behavior. He feels the need to know exactly what it is that makes Bartleby ‘tick’. Eventually the narrator is mentally defeated by Bartleby and is forced to change the location of his offices in order to avoid him. Ahab on the other hand is constantly chasing his antagonist and does whatever he can to get closer to Moby Dick.

    Read More

  • Myth Vs Greek Mythology

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every ancient society and civilization has creation myths that were passed down and keep alive throughout the passing of time by word of mouth. These myths are the world’s oldest stories and are vital to these cultures because they explain their beginnings and give purpose to their existence. By analyzing and interpreting different creation myths it becomes easier to understand different cultures and their connections and relationships with heir beliefs and god(s).

    Read More

  • Creation Mythology of Africa

    1639 Words  | 4 Pages

    Five myths from throughout Africa will be mentioned throughout this essay. They are from the Boshongo, Mande, Shilluk, Egyptian, and Yoruba peoples. For a brief description of these myths please see the appendix. Please remember that these myths do not represent the beliefs and stories of all of Africa.

    Read More

  • Metaphysical Ideologies in Moby Dick

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    At first glance, Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, appears to be the story of a man, his captain, and the whale that they quest to destroy.  But a closer look reveals the author’s intense look at several metaphysical ideologies.  He explores some of the most ponderous quandaries of his time, among these being the existence of evil, knowledge of the self and the existential, and the possibility of a determined fate.  All of these were questions which philosophers had dealt with and written about, but Melville took it to a new level: not only writing about these things, but also doing so in a lovely poetic language backed by a tale packed with intrigue.  He explores the general existence of evil in his antagonist, the white whale, and through the general malice that nature presents to humans throughout the novel.  The narrator, Ishmael, gains a lot of knowledge about himself through his experiences on the whaling voyage, where he also is able to learn much about the phenomenon of existence itself.  Also, through Captain Ahab, he sees more about the existence of man and the things that exist within man’s heart.  Especially through Ahab and his ongoing quest for the white whale, and also in general conversation amongst the whalers, the issue of fate and whether one’s destiny is predetermined are addressed in great detail, with much thought and insight interpolated from the author’s own viewpoints on the subject.

    Read More

  • The Myths of Creation

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the modern person ponders the formation of human beings, our mind automatically goes to Adam and Eve, whom were the first man and woman created by God according to the Book of Genesis. Before there was Adam and Eve, diverse cultures came up with myths about the construction of humans. These myths included: “The Song of Creation” from the Rig Veda, An African Creation Tale, From the Popol Vuh, and A Native American Creation Tale “How Man Was Created” Each one of these legends gives a diverse perspective on the creation of human beings.

    Read More

  • Essay On African Religion

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    A basic understanding of African religions will provide an awareness of African customs, the African view of death and life beyond death. In many cases the african religion is polytheistic on their day to day practices.However, they believe in The High God where is overriding beliefs that beyond gods, spirits one god exists. Despite the general belief in a Supreme Being, cults to the “High God” are notably absent from many African religions; prayers of petition or sacrificial offerings are directed toward secondary divinities, who are messengers and intermediaries between the human and sacred realms. In many countries in Africa people pray to different gods and goddess. In West Africa theirs a lot of animism, where they pray to the sky and the earth and the seas.

    Read More

  • African American Literature

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    African mythology play a big part in passing down values and beliefs of the African culture. African myths “include supernatural beings who influence human life” (Mythencyclopedia) and usually drive the everyday lives of the people. Myths were a direct way of teaching younger generations about the higher beliefs and religion; in most cases they will include supreme god who the tribes won’t worship directly but through other gods lesser in status. The supreme gods and goddess are also referred to as deities, which are accompanied by spirits who are “are less grand, less powerful, and less like humans than the gods, who often have weaknesses and emotions”(Mythencyclopedia). Another characteristic found in a myth would be the asking of basic questions like who created the world. Who created man? Why does man have to die? This type of myth speaks of a world before the current one, it helps teach generations how the world took its form and acquired its customs. African myths were an essential part of African literary history and a big part in preserving the culture.

    Read More

More about Free College Essays - Plot Sequence of Melville’s Moby Dick

Open Document