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I personally love this book. When I read it in college, we really got to analyze different theories. One that I enjoyed entertaining was imagining the entire book about racism. The White Whale represents an over-arching 'whiteness'. This type of mind set challenges the way you analyze each term or phrase and contemplating what Herman Melville was thinking. Was he saying that we need to change our views? Are we racist? Is that racism 'eating' at us? (For the time period) Of course, many other ideas and theories were also presented but each one works in its own way. This is something unique to the style of writing. We can question different things within books to represent different meanings. This is one of the main reasons why I love the book. The characters are also unique which makes for a good read as it breaks the traditional characters within classical books.

bookworm1990 wrote:I just finished this book and I have to admit that I was disappointed. It started strong with the story of Ishmael joining the whaling crew but the book lost me when it began to sound more like an encyclopedia than a novel. At one point the author states that no books have been written about whales or whaling, hence his decision to write the book but I wanted more story. At the time of publication this book was probably controversial and exciting because it discussed a crucial but misunderstood vocation but to a modern reader the information about whales is largely inaccurate and whaling is considered cruel. This book may have been a classic a century ago but I'm not sure if I would consider it a must read for modern readers.

Actually, when Moby Dick was first published it was considered a huge flop. Most of Mellville's readers wanted an adventure story and not a allegory on God, sex and, above all else, desire. It wasn't until the 1920's, if I'm not mistaken, that the book started to gain its reputation as the masterpiece it is when Modernism started to take main stage in the literary world. And thank God that it did; not a day goes by that I can't in some way relate Moby Dick to my own life as, and here is one of the reasons the novel is one of the greatest works of fiction ever written, the whale is created in such a way that it can nearly symbolize anything.

I recently read this book for a class. It is a wonderful work and I find the symbolism so appealing. You get to find connections all over the place between the characters names and people in the bible. My favorite character has to be Ahab because of this alluding. He is referenced by a king in the bible and he displays the kings values so well in Moby Dick. The chapters about the sperm whales history can be a bit boring at times but the story makes the book good. It is a nice piece to have read.

I first read it in high school -- and hated it! I re-read it during my Masters and was shocked that it had so much depth and content that I didn't remember. Now I've re-read it twice, and I find new depth and insight each time...in my mind, THAT is what makes it a classic!

teacherlady11 wrote:I first read it in high school -- and hated it! I re-read it during my Masters and was shocked that it had so much depth and content that I didn't remember. Now I've re-read it twice, and I find new depth and insight each time...in my mind, THAT is what makes it a classic!

I completely agree! I haven't read it in several years, and I think it's time for a re-read. One of my favorites.

It's been years since I last read Moby Dick, great book, been thinking of rereading it for some time. Now I believe I will wait until after the new Ron Howard movie In The Heart of the Sea comes out next month. It's based (loosely, I would imagine) on the true story of the sinking of the whaling ship Essex in the early 1800's which was said to be the real life inspiration for Moby Dick.

I have read it for my uni and I loved every page of it. Moby Dick is magically filled with symbolism, allegories, references to the Bible etc. There is so much of life in this book, it's simply brilliant. I would recommend it to everyone. Actually, been thinking of rereading it for a while now.

It's hard to ever label a book as a "must read," because the value and importance of a book is always influenced very much by the individual reading it, but Moby Dick comes close. Especially if you're interested in American Fiction. It's up there with Huckleberry Finn in terms of permanent cultural relevance. It is, admittedly, difficult to get through, since a large chunk of it is written like a text book about whales and knots and other seafaring things, but Ahab is such an incredible figure to read and the book's final showdown is magnificent.

The writing can be difficult at times, but is, for the most part, the books most striking quality. It is Shakespearean and Biblical and captivating at its best, and is probably the real reason that the book has persisted.

A Classic for sure! But I really hard sell to get teens to read. I feel like the the more instant gratification with technology their is the less students are willing to persevere through books that might be a little different.

There is a scene in Moby Dick where Ishmael and Quequeg are sitting in a chowder restaurant on Martha's Vinyard. The Melville describes the soup and how delicious it was inspired me to make a pot of cod chowder that day.

I didn't read Moby Dick until I was in my 30s and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Although I enjoyed the story, the anticipation of the hunt is with you from the beginning and I found that the actual confrontation was less dramatic than I had imagined. But that is the trouble with reading a classic from which you expect much. Sometimes too much.

Moby Dick is one of those books that have been on my "To Read" list forever. This summer, I have finally gotten around to starting it. Though I am just a few chapters in, I am finding it intriguing. Here's to hoping the rest of the book is great!

I did a report on Moby Dick in college. I remember being drawn to Quequeg because of his kindness and strength of character.

Honestly, still afraid of this one. Not because the writing style or its length scares me, but because I just can't force myself to care about boats.

It's okay, jfaisman. While there is a lot of technical jargon involving whaling and boats, the actual story is pretty good. But I guess it can get a little bit tedious at times.