Melville

MelvilleBillyBuddy比利·巴德•BillyBuddisthetypicalHandsomeSailorof18th-centuryballadry,andbecauseofhisincenceandbeautyishatedbyClaggart,adark,demon-hauntedpettyofficer.Inhissimplicity,BillycannotunderstandwhyClaggartshouldhatehim,whyevilshoulddesiretodestroygood.•Claggartconcoctsafantasticstoryofmutiny哗变supposedlyplottedbyBilly,whomheaccusestothecaptain.Billy,unabletospeak,inhisonlyactofrebellionstrikesClaggartafatalblow.•CaptainVere,whosympathizeswithBillyandrecognizeshisessentialinnocence,isneverthelessforcedtocondemnhim,andthoughBillyishangedhelivesonasalegendamongsailors.BookSummary•CallmeIshmael,thenarratorbegins,inoneofthemostrecognizableopeninglinesinAmericanliterature.•ThisobservantyoungmanfromManhattanhasbeentoseafourtimesinthemerchantservicebutyearnsforawhalingadventure.•Onacold,gloomynightinDecember,hearrivesattheSpouter-InninNewBedford,Massachusetts,andagreestoshareabedwithastranger.•Bothmenarealarmedwhenthebunkmate,aheavilytattooedPolynesianharpooner鱼叉手namedQueequeg,returnslateanddiscoversIshmaelbeneathhiscovers.•ButthetwosoonbecomegoodfriendsanddecidetosailtogetherfromthehistoricalportofNantucket.•InNantucket,theysignonwiththePequod,••Theship'scaptain,Ahab,isnowheretobeseen;nevertheless,theyhearofhim.Heisagrand,ungodly,god-likeman(Chapter16),accordingtooneoftheowners,amanoffewwordsbutdeepmeaning,whohasbeenincollegesaswellasamongthecannibals.•Theship'sofficersdirecttheearlyvoyage.Thechiefmate,Starbuck,isasincereQuakerandfineleader.SecondmateisStubb,apranksterbutanableseaman.ThirdmateisFlask,dullbutcompetent.•WhenAhabfinallyappearsonhisquarter-deck上层后甲板区onemorning,heisanimposing,frighteningfigurewhosehauntedvisagesendsshiversoverthenarrator.Awhitescar,reportedlyfromathunderbolt,runsdownhisfaceand,theysay,thelengthofhisbody.•Hehasagrim,determinedlook.Onelegismissingandreplacedbyaprosthesis假体fashionedfromaspermwhale'sjaw.•Ahabfinallygathersthecrewmentogetherand,inarousingspeech,solicitstheirsupportinasinglepurposeforthisvoyage:huntingdownandkillingtheWhiteWhale—MobyDick,averylargespermwhalewithasnow-whitehead.•OnlyStarbuckresiststhecharismatic,monomaniacalcaptain;thefirstmatearguesrepeatedlythattheship'spurposeshouldbetogatherwhaleoilandreturnhomesafely.Eventually,evenStarbuckacquiesces.•Queequegbecomesdeathlyillandordersacanoe-shapedcoffinfromtheship'scarpenter.Justaseveryonehasgivenuphope,theislandaboriginedecidestoliveandsoonrecovers.•Thecoffinservesashisseachestandlateriscaulked以密封材料填嵌andpitched用沥青涂、覆盖，tobecometheship'slifebuoy.•Queequegheroicallyrescuestwodrowningmeninthenovel;hiscoffinwillsaveathird.Therearenumerousgams海上捕鲸船船员之间的访问，会谈inthenovel,socialmeetingsoftwoshipsontheopensea.•Crewsnormallyvisiteachotherduringagam,captainsononevesselandchiefmatesontheother.Newspapersandmailareexchanged.•Thementalkofwhalesightingsorothernews.ForAhab,however,thereisbutonerelevantquestiontoaskofanothership:HastseentheWhiteWhale?Somehave.•ThecaptainoftheSamuelEnderbylostanarmtotheleviathan.TheRachelhasalsoseenMobyDick.Asaresult,oneofitsopenboatsismissing;thecaptain'ssonisaboard.•ThecaptainoftheRachelbegsAhabtoaidinthesearch,butthePequod'scaptainisresolute.HeisveryneartheWhiteWhalenowandwillnotstoptohelp.•AhabisthefirsttospotMobyDick.Forthreedays,thecrewpursuesthegreatwhale,whorepeatedlyturnsonthePequod'sboats,wreakingdestructionandkillingFedallah,sinkingthePequod,anddraggingAhabintotheseaandhisdeath.•OnlyIshmaelsurvives,clingingtoQueequeg'scoffin.HefloatsforadayandanightbeforetheRachelrescueshim.Chapter41•ThenovelreturnsinthischaptertoIshmael’sfirst-personaccountofthevoyageofthePequod.•Ishmaeltellsusthathe,liketherestofthecrew,istotallyreadytojumpontheswearing-revenge-on-Moby-Dickbandwagon.•MobyDickhasbeenaroundforawhile,apparently,butwhalingshipsgoonsuchlongvoyages,andthey’reoftensofarapart,thatit’stakensometimeforhislegendtospread.•Plentyofshipshavefoughthimwithoutrecognizinghimasonespecificlegendarywhale.•Itusedtobethecasethat,evenwhenspermwhalehuntersheardthelegendofMobyDick,itdidn’tstopthemfromhuntinghimiftheycameacrosshim.•Overtime,however,MobyDickhasbroughtaboutsomanyaccidentsandcatastrophesthateventhebravestdon’twanttoattackhimanymore.•Now,therumorshave,naturally,beenembroideredbysuperstitiousclaimsthatthere’ssomethingsupernaturalaboutMobyDick.•Still,evenleavingMobyDickasaparticularlyviciouswhaleaside,spermwhaleshavealwayshadareputationforbeingwaymoretoughthanotherkindsofnormal,wimpy懦弱的whalesliketherightwhale.•Somewritersevenclaimthatspermwhalesarethevampiresofthesea,constantlyoutforhumanblood.vampiresofthesea•Theresultofallthisisthatmostoftheguyswhohavegottenaccustomedtohuntingrightwhales露脊鲸absolutelyrefusetohuntspermwhales.•Afewofthem,however,arestillwillingtohuntspermwhales,evenMobyDick,mostlybecausethey’reprettyfardownthegrapevine不知情andhadn’theardallthestoriesyet.•Atonepoint,saysIshmael,whalersactuallybelievedthatMobyDickwaseverywhereatonce,andthatdifferentshipscouldhunthimindifferentplacesatthesametime.•IshmaelthinksthisisprobablyjustbecausewhalesknowaboutsomekindofArcticPassagethatshipshaven’tfound