Moby Dick

Moby Dick

• Genre: Fiction; literary
• Originally Published: 1851
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1230L; grades 10-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 135 chapters with epilogue; approximately 544 pages; approximately 23 hours, 41 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The central conflict in the story revolves around Captain Ahab’s relentless pursuit of the white whale, Moby Dick, who previously destroyed Ahab’s ship and severed his leg. Narrated by Ishmael, a young sailor who joins Ahab’s whaling expedition, the novel presents the psychological and philosophical depths of the characters as they embark on a dangerous and obsessive quest. The story explores revenge, obsession, the human condition, and the power of nature.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Graphic descriptions of whaling and violence; complex language and symbolism; revenge, mortality, religion, mysticism; dated, insensitive language; mental health; outdated terms for mental illness/health conditions

Herman Melville, Author

• Bio: Born 1819; died 1891; American novelist, short story writer, and poet; best known for Moby Dick, which was initially met with mixed reviews but has since become a classic work of American literature; often explored philosophical and existential themes; influential in the development of American literature and the exploration of the human psyche
• Other Works: Typee (1846); “Bartleby, the Scrivener” (1853); Billy Budd, Sailor (1924, posthumously published); Omoo (1847); The Confidence-Man (1857); Redburn (1849); White-Jacket (1850)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Supremacy of Nature
• Individual Versus Collective Responsibility
• “Hypos”

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the novel’s literary context with regard to Melville’s place in the American Renaissance and historical context with regard to whaling as an early American industry.
• Discuss paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Supremacy of Nature, Individual Versus Collective Responsibility, and “Hypos.”
• Think creatively and critically about relationships in the novel by writing a letter from Ahab to his family.
• Evaluate the themes, symbols, and motifs of the novel in structured essay responses on the role of humor, characters’ interpretations of the white whale, and other topics.