Moby Dick ili Bijeli kit

The author began Moby Dick with the intention of writing an adventure-sea tale in which autobiographical data would be suppressed by an imaginative, partly comical depiction of the fate of the narrator Ishmael (the namesake of the biblical disinherited outcast) and his friend, the brave, good-natured Queequeg from the Polynesian islands. They are at the center of all events until chapter 22, and from that chapter the character of the book changes…

Ishmael joins the crew of the whaling ship Pequod, where he meets a diverse crew, including the harpooner Queequeg, with whom he develops a deep friendship. Captain Ahab, dark and charismatic, discovers that his goal is not just whale hunting, but a fanatical search for Moby Dick, whom he sees as the embodiment of evil. His obsession leads the crew on a dangerous journey across the world's seas, filled with dramatic clashes with nature and inner demons.

The novel is rich in symbolism, exploring themes of fate, man's struggle against nature, and metaphysical questions about good and evil. Melville interweaves an adventurous plot with encyclopedic chapters on whaling, whale anatomy, and seafaring life, creating a unique blend of fiction and documentary. Ishmael's introspection and Ahab's tragic monomania form the core of the story, while characters like Starbuck, the sensible first mate, highlight the moral dilemmas.