Herman Melville

summary

Ahab rejects instruments and reason, binds ship and crew to a monomaniacal pursuit of Moby Dick amid storms, compass failures, and portentous signs.
A prolonged three-day chase ensues in which the whale maims boats, kills or consigns several hunters (Fedallah, the Parsee among them) and shatters Ahab’s prosthetic limb.
The Pequod is ultimately destroyed and Ahab dies; Ishmael alone survives, afloat on Queequeg’s coffin, and is rescued by the Rachel.