Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Didactics - English - Literature Works grade:
1 7 Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz language: English abstract: Moby-Dick by Herman
Melville is an epic tale of the voyage of the Pequod and the ship¿s captain Ahab who
relentlessly hunts the white Sperm Whale Moby-Dick during a journey around the world. Ever
since the whale took his leg Ahab has been seeking revenge. However the hunt ends fatally for
Ahab and his crew: Moby-Dick kills them all. The whole story is narrated by Ishmael one of the
sailors on the Pequod and the only survivor of the disaster. In a detailed and impressive way
Ishmael describes the things he experienced and witnessed the different characters he met the
friendships he formed. This paper deals with an analysis of Ishmael the first-person narrator
in Moby-Dick. Next to concentrating on several aspects it shall give an answer to the basic
question: Is Ishmael is a reliable narrator ?
