Chapters 41-42 Summary

Ishmael admits to being one of the crew who made its vow to Ahab to hunt and kill the whale because, he says, of the dread in his soul. At this point, he tells the story of the whale, Moby Dick. According to whaling lore there is one white whale in particular that was larger and more powerful than any other in the ocean. Any crew who had tried in the past to kill this beast had encountered all sorts of calamity during the chase. At the end of their efforts, the whale would completely escape them. Therefore, it was during Ahab's experience with the whale. In fact, Ishmael explains, the ways of life at sea had made the stories and rumors of Moby Dick to become so inflated that few crews wanted to meet up with the this whale, much...