Within Moby Dick, Melville created his own microcosm, in which to stage a tale of adventure and philosophy. This microcosm came in the form of a whaling ship, The Pequod, and her crew represented the many races, cultures, and backgrounds present in the world. Throughout the novel, Melville contrasted the various ways in which different crew members interpret the "world" -- within the bounds of the Pequod and, philosophically, on a higher level to represent the entire human society.
Ishmael, and hence Melville, placed the objects on the Pequod under close scrutiny, for as Ishmael said, "som…
