While the plot of this Great American Novel, the story of a sea captain's obsession with a white whale, is fairly straightforward, the possible interpretations and meanings of it are immense and unknowable in scope. With its myriad of metaphors, symbols, and characters, Moby Dick is as immense as the world itself.


CliffsNotes helps you understand the overall structure of the novel, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.