Tragedy Of Whaleship In Herman Melville's Moby Dick

Herman Melville’s years of experience in whaleships and the tragedy of the Essex inspired him to write Moby Dick. Commencing with, Herman Melville had many financial problems when he was young, because his father’s business had failed. Therefore, he became a sailor at the age of 19. In 1844, he began his writing career, writing about his experience in the voyages. In 1851, he wrote Moby Dick, also known as ‘The Whale”, which became his most famous work. This story is based on both Herman Melville’s years of experience in whaleships and most importantly the tragedy of the whaleship Essex. In November 1820, the Essex was hunting for whales in the pacific until a sperm whale attacked and destroyed their ship. The crew went to their whale boats searching for something to hold on. At the same time, the crew faced deadly storms, starvation and thirst. On account of, the survivors of the Essex were found in South America, were they told their story and spread rumors to many people of the tragedy of what had happened.
To Begin with, Herman Melville had difficulties finding a job; he instead followed Gansevoort's suggestion to work as a crew member on a boat. In 1839, he signed on as a cabin …show more content…
The Essex and the Pequod had the same goal; this was to hunt for whales and take as much oil from them. Let’s start with, Ishmael, whom is the narrator of the story. Ishmael has made many voyages as a sailor, but none as a whaler. He stays in a Whalers Inn, were he meets Queeueg; At first, he is repulsed by his appearance. Eventually he gets to know him better and both end up seeking work on a whaling vessel. Afterward, they take a ferry to Nantucket and meet the captain who is Ahab. The voyage of the Pequod begins on Christmas Day. After that, Ahab comes out on the deck and states very clearly that he is searching for vengeance against the legendary whale who took his leg, Moby