Ishmael In The Night Sparknotes

We are introduced to Ishmael, the main character and narrator of the story. He is a bored sailor about to go on a new adventure on a whaling ship. He packs his bags and leaves home. He stops at The Spouter Inn, owned by Peter Coffin, because he likes the name of the inn, and learns that he will have to share a bed with a harpooner if he wants to stay the night. Ishmael seems to be a bit too scared to be an experienced sailor and tries to fall asleep. As he is drifting off , he hears footsteps. He learns that the harpooner he is sharing a room with is a little different. He sees Queequeg, a native of the Pacific Islands with purplish-yellow skin that is covered in tattoos, the harpooner that he is sharing a room with for the first time. They scare each other. The Innkeeper

Queequeg shaves using his harpoon as a razor, which shows how hardy and tough Queequeg is. The pair go downstairs to the main room of the inn and eat breakfast. After breakfast, Ishmael goes for a walk around town.
Ishmael returns to the inn and offers to help Queequeg read a book. After Ishmael helps him Queequeg does a strange ritual and says that he and Ishmael are lifetime friends. Then they set off for

Captain Ahab quizzes the men on what to do when they see a whale. Captain Ahab says that the first man to spot the white whale will get a gold doubloon. He describes the whale as having a crooked jaw, wrinkled head, and three holes in its right fin. The three harpooners ask Captain Ahab if the white whale has a different sort of spout and many harpoons in him and Ahab says that he does. Tashtego says that the white whale is called Moby Dick. Starbuck asks if Moby Dick was the whale that ate Ahab’s leg and Ahab yells that it was. Starbuck is worried because he has heard that Moby Dick has killed many