《白鯨》（Moby Dick）或《鯨魚》（The Whale）是梅爾維爾的長篇小說，於1851年出版。這部關於捕鯨航行的現實故事對人類與命運之間的衝突進行了象徵性的描述。亞哈船長宣稱，「眼睛所能見到的一切東西,都不過是硬紙板做的面具。」持有這一論點的梅爾維爾，通過冒險敘事的表現方式，形成了善、惡白鯨的概念，並將其寓意深深地嵌入相關事件中。
被遺棄的年輕人伊什梅爾（Ishmael）在靈魂深處感到「11月，細雨蒙蒙」，他前往新貝德福德，在那裡，他在佩奎德（Pequod）號捕鯨船上籤下了一次航行任務，並拉上魁魁格，（Queequeg）作為他的室友。他的室友是一位波利尼西亞王子，兩人成為了同志。伊什梅爾調查了小鎮並聽了馬普爾神父的象徵性佈道後，倆人登上捕鯨船，在聖誕節離開南塔克特。
船長亞哈是一個偏執狂，他的唯一目的是捕捉兇猛狡猾的白鯨，因為白鯨在他們最後一次相遇時咬掉了他的腿。他在甲板下靜處了一段時間後，最終宣布了自己的目的，並在桅杆上張貼了一個斗蓬，作為對首先發現白鯨的人的獎勵。水手們的性格從他們的反應中可以看出。大副星巴克，認真、謹慎、煩躁，不喜歡這種做法。二副斯塔布，運氣好，遇到危險有冒險精神。三副弗拉斯克遇事缺乏思考，對他來說，捕殺鯨魚只是一種職業。船員中的其他人包括費達拉和他的神秘亞洲人；美國印第安魚叉手Tastego；非洲人，Daggoo；還有黑人小木屋男孩皮普。佩奎德號的這次航跡幾乎環繞世界，其間對鯨魚的本性、與鯨魚有關的科學和藝術史以及捕鯨業的事實進行了全面的討論。
在追捕過程中捕獲到了鯨魚，但情況似乎對亞哈不利：風暴、閃電、指南針丟失、一個人溺水，以及亞哈最愛的皮普已精神錯亂。白鯨終於被發現了，在第一天的追逐中，它擊碎了一艘捕鯨船。第二天，另一艘船被掀翻，船長的象牙腿被折斷。第三天，鯨魚被用魚叉叉起來，但亞哈被困在釣線上，被纏到白鯨身上，白鯨向著佩奎德號衝過來。船被擊沉，當最後的桅杆沉入水中時，其中一名男子曾在桅杆上釘的一隻天鷹啄食着信號旗。唯一的倖存者伊什梅爾被另一艘捕鯨船拉結號救起。
Moby-Dick，or The Whale, novel by Melville ， published in1851.Within this realistic account of a whaling voyage is set a symbolic account of the conflict between man and his fate.Captain Ahab declares, 'All visible objects are but as pasteboard masks,' and Melville, holding this thesis, strikes through the surface of his adventurous narrative to formulate concepts of good Moby-Dick and evil deeply imbedded as allegory in its events.
The outcast youth Ishmael, feeling 'adamp, drizzly November' in his soul,goes to New Bedford, where he signs for a voyage on the whaler Pequod, drawing as his roommate Queequeg,a Polynesian prince. The two become comrades, and, after Ishmael investigates the town and hears a symbolic sermon by Father Mapple, they join their ship,which leaves Nantucket on Christmas Day.
The captain, Ahab, is a mono-maniac whose one purpose is to capture the fierce, cunning white whale, Moby-Dick, which had torn away his leg during their last encounter. He keeps below deck for some time, but finally declares his purpose and posts a doubloon on the mast as a reward for the man who first sights the white whale. The characters of the sailors are revealed by their reactions.The chief mate, Starbuck,earnest, prudent, and fretful, dislikes it.Stubb, the second mate, is happy-go-lucky,and takes perils as they come. Flask, the third mate, is incapable of deep thought and for him killing whales is simply an occupation. Others in the crew include Fedallah and his mysterious Asiatics; the American Indian harpooner, Tashtego; the African, Daggoo;and the Negro cabin boy, Pip. Thrugh the plot of the voyage, which carries the Pequod nearly around the world, runs a comprehensive discussion of the nature of the whale, the history of science and art relating to the animal, and the facts of the whaling industry.
Whales are captured during the pursuit, but circumstances seem to conspire against Ahab:storms, lightning, loss of the compass,the drowning of a man, and the insanity of Ahab's favorite, Pip. The white whale is finally sighted, and in the first day's chase he smashes a whaleboat. The second day, another boat is swamped, and the captain's ivory leg is snapped off.On the third day the whale is harpooned, but Ahab, fouled in the line, is pinioned to Moby-Dick, who bears down on the Pequod. The ship is sunk and, as the final spars settle in the water, one of the men nails to the mast a sky-hawk that pecks at the flag he is placing as a signal. Ishmael，the only survivor，is rescued by another whaler，the Rachel.
