Moby Dick – Character List
In 1851, Moby Dick was written by a novelist named Herman Melville. The novel is about the adventures of Ishmael, a wandering sailor, who joined the voyage of Pequod, a whaling ship commanded by Captain Ahab. Ismael later learned that his captain is obsessed with taking revenge on Moby Dick, a gigantic sperm whale who had caused the loss of the ship and the captain’s leg.
Here is the Moby Dick character list:
1. Captain Ahab
He is the dominant captain of the Pequod whaling ship. He has an obsession to kill the great sperm whale known as Moby Dick. It’s Moby Dick that made him lose his leg. Ahab claims that he is the ruling god of Pequod, but his character shows a more diabolical figure due to his unholy goal of capturing Moby Dick.
2. Ismael
He is the narrator of the novel. Ismael is a sailor from Pequod and travels the sea for his love. His main role is to be an observer of the things around him, especially the conflicts on Pequod. He develops a close friendship with Queequeg. Also, he is the only survivor of Pequod because he is on a whaling boat when Moby Dick destroys Pequod and is rescued by another ship. Thus, Ismael lives to tell the story of Moby Dick.
3. Queequeg
He is a pagan harpooner from the land of New Zealand. He is the son of the king but renounces his throne to travel the world and understand Christianity. He chooses to join the voyages of the whaling ships.
4. The three companions
For. Starbuck
He is Pequod’s first mate. It’s from Nantucket and Quaker. He has a slim build and shows practicality. In the novel, he is portrayed as a defender of human imperfections and that such imperfection can be kept in check. Starbuck has the ability to show opposition against Captain Ahab, especially in the captain’s mission to get revenge on the sperm whale.
B. Stubb
He’s Pequod’s second mate. He is from Cape Cod and has a laid back character. He manages to sound funny even when he’s speaking in front of the sinister captain, Ahab. Although he is always full of humor, he is a talented whaler. Stubb is the man who kills the first whale during Pequod’s journey.
vs. Flask
He is Pequod’s third mate. He is from Martha’s Vineyard and has a less important role than the other two companions. Flask is a man who is never satisfied. The more you fill with food, the hungrier you are.
5. Pippin
Replaces a Stubb rower. Pippin is young and black. He almost goes insane when he still cannot face a whale a second time and when he realizes that his crew will let him die because of his cowardice.
6. Fedallah
He is the mysterious member of Ahab’s whaling crew. It is sometimes believed to be a demon in disguise who wishes to ensnare Ahab. He dies on the second day of chasing Moby Dick because he got caught in the whale bait.
7. Peter Coffin
He is the innkeeper at the Spouter Inn, where Ishmael has stayed when he was going to Nantucket.
8. Father Mapple
He left navigation to join the ministry. He is a famous preacher. In one of his sermons attended by Ishmael, he uses the story of Jonah and the whale
9. Hosea Hussey
She owns the Try Pots Inn, where Ishmael and Queequeg stayed on Nantucket. She is Peter’s cousin.
10. Peleg
He is retired and was captain of Pequod. He and Bildad own Pequod. He is the first person to speak of the darkness within Ahab comparing him to the well-known vile king of the same name.
11. Bildad
He is one of the owners of Pequod. He reproached Pequod’s crew for blasphemy and regrets having left Pequod on his long and uncertain journey.
12. Elijah
Ismael and Queequeg met him on Nantucket. He asks if they have already met Captain Ahab and if they sold their souls to the devil by joining the Pequod crew.
13. Bulkington
A sailor from Pequod who loves danger and the sea so much that he immediately embarks on another voyage, even if he has just finished his four-year adventure at sea.
14. Tashtego
He’s the Indian harpooner from Stubb from Martha’s Vineyard.
15. Daggoo
It is the giant Flask harpooner of Africa.
16. Dough-Boy
He is Pequod’s butler and prepares dinner for the crew. He feels nervous around Tashtego and Queequeg.
17. Perth
He is the Pequod blacksmith who created Ahab’s harpoon.
18. Captain Mayhew
He is the captain of a Nantucket ship, Jeroboam, who became the prey of a troublemaker’s mutiny.
19. Gabriel
He is Jeroboam’s agitator who proclaimed himself the Archangel Gabriel and provokes the riot.
20. Macey
He is a member of Jeroboam’s crew who was killed by the great Moby Dick.
21. Derick De Deer
He is the captain of the Jungfrau, a German ship. He pleads with the Pequod’s crew for oil, but then competes with them for sperm whale hunting.
22. Dr. Bunger
He is the doctor and surgeon of the British ship Samuel Enderby. Warn Captain Ahab to forget his pursuit of Moby Dick.
23. Captain Gardiner
He is Rachel’s captain who pleads for the help of Captain Ahab to find one of his lost boats that has her son. He gives Captain Ahab important information about the Moby Dick sighting. It is Rachel, his ship, that saves Ismael.
Critics have described the characters in Moby Dick as having their own universe. Each Moby Dick character best portrays human behaviors and habits. Some of the characters are also inspired by characters from the Bible.