The Whale characters

Appears from the start

The novel's reflective narrator, a restless former schoolteacher who goes to sea whenever life ashore becomes oppressive. He signs on to the Pequod as an ordinary sailor and approaches whaling with curiosity and an appetite for philosophical digression.

First appears in chapter 3

A celebrated harpooner from the fictional Pacific island of Rokovoko. His tattooed appearance initially alarms Ishmael when they are made to share a bed at the Spouter-Inn, but his calm generosity overturns Ishmael's prejudices and the two become close companions.

First appears in chapter 16

A blunt, energetic co-owner of the Pequod and a retired whaling captain. He negotiates Ishmael's share of the voyage, recognizes Queequeg's skill, and speaks evasively about the captain who will command them.

First appears in chapter 26

The Pequod's first mate, a capable Nantucket Quaker with a wife and child ashore. Serious, disciplined, and cautious, he regards whaling as dangerous work to be done for a living rather than as a stage for reckless displays.

First appears in chapter 27

The Pequod's easygoing second mate. Cheerful in danger and accustomed to killing whales as routine labor, he commands one of the ship's three whaleboats and balances Starbuck's gravity with casual confidence.

First appears in chapter 27

The Pequod's short, sturdy third mate, a practical seaman from Martha's Vineyard. He treats whales chiefly as valuable quarry and commands the third whaleboat with more appetite for the hunt than reflection on its risks.

First appears in chapter 27

A young Black cabin boy aboard the Pequod who also plays a tambourine during the crew's recreation. Initially a minor member of the ship's company, he is cheerful, sensitive, and poorly suited to the violence of a whale chase.

First appears in chapter 27

A Gay Head harpooner assigned to Stubb's boat. Quick and highly skilled, he works alongside Queequeg and Daggoo as one of the three nonwhite harpooners on whom the Pequod's mates depend during a chase.

First appears in chapter 27

A towering African harpooner assigned to Flask's boat. His strength and commanding presence make him one of the Pequod's most conspicuous crewmen when the whaleboats are lowered.

Also known as Old Thunder

First appears in chapter 28

The Pequod's scarred, one-legged captain, long absent from the deck after sailing. He finally appears as a formidable, isolated figure whose missing leg has been replaced with carved whale ivory and whose fixed intensity unsettles the crew.

Also known as the White Whale

First appears in chapter 41

An immense white sperm whale already notorious among whalers for surviving attacks and destroying boats. Ahab identifies him as the whale that took his leg and turns the Pequod's commercial voyage into a personal hunt for him.

First appears in chapter 48

A secretive, turbaned harpooner whom Ahab has concealed aboard with a private boat crew. He emerges only when the Pequod first lowers for whales and appears to share a close, ominous understanding with the captain.