Rhetorical Devices in Moby Dick

The structure of this opening chapter is as much expository as narrative. While setting the story on its feet, Ishmael is most concerned with the construction of an argument about the deep philosophical importance of water to humans. Pay attention to Ishmael's rhetorical tendencies throughout the novel. You may find that a great many of the novel's chapters step away from the plot and into a space of intellectual reflection.