# The Ship explained — Moby-Dick > Chapter companion for Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. ## What happens Ishmael, determined to go whaling, visits the Pequod to sign on. He is interviewed by the part-owner Captain Peleg, who questions his motives and warns him about Captain Ahab's missing leg and moody temperament, while also defending Ahab's essential humanity. Following the decree of Queequeg's god Yojo, Ishmael selects the Pequod from among three ships, captivated by its ancient, weathered, and grotesquely decorated appearance, which reflects its long history in the savage whaling trade. ## Themes in this chapter ### Interpretation and Perception Ishmael's perception of Ahab is shaped entirely by Peleg's contradictory account—both fearsome and human. The selection of the ship is governed by divine interpretation (Yojo's decree) and Ishmael's own reading of the Pequod's ominous, trophy-laden appearance. ### Fate, Free Will, and Predestination Yojo's prophecy dictates the ship selection, suggesting a preordained path. Ishmael's 'chance' lighting upon the Pequod is presented as the working of this design, intertwining choice with destiny from the voyage's outset. ### The Limits of Knowledge Ishmael is confronted with the mystery of Ahab, feeling 'impatience at what seemed like mystery in him, so imperfectly as he was known.' His understanding of whaling and its dangers is also theoretical until Peleg's vivid warnings. ## Character check-ins ### Ishmael Determined to go whaling to 'see the world,' he is interviewed by Peleg, feels sympathy and awe for the unknown Ahab, and, guided by Yojo's indirect decree, selects the Pequod as their ship. ### Captain Peleg Co-owner and agent of the Pequod. He interrogates Ishmael's resolve, gives a cryptic warning about Ahab's leg and character, but ultimately agrees to ship him, defending Ahab as a 'moody good captain.' ### Captain Ahab Discussed but not seen. Peleg reveals he lost his leg to a monstrous whale, is moody and sometimes savage, but is fundamentally a good man with a wife and child, inspiring a complex awe in Ishmael. ### Queequeg Remains at the inn, fasting and consulting his god Yojo, who has decreed that Ishmael alone must select their ship, a plan Ishmael reluctantly follows. ### Yojo Queequeg's 'black little god,' whose judgment and forecast are trusted. Yojo insists the ship selection be left to Ishmael, having already chosen the vessel. ### Captain Bildad Mentioned as the other principal owner and co-agent of the Pequod, seated in the cabin during Ishmael's visit. ## Key lines > Want to see what whaling is, eh? Have ye clapped eye on Captain Ahab?... thou wilt find that he has only one leg... it was devoured, chewed up, crunched by the monstrousest parmacetty that ever chipped a boat! Peleg challenges Ishmael's romantic notion of whaling by pointing him toward Captain Ahab, whose missing leg, bitten off by a whale, is a brutal testament to the reality of the trade. _Introduces the central trauma and motivating force for Ahab, and the physical danger of whaling._ > it’s better to sail with a moody good captain than a laughing bad one... Ahab has his humanities! Peleg argues that Ahab's grim demeanor, born of suffering, is preferable to a cheerful but incompetent leader, and insists that Ahab possesses essential human qualities, like his love for his family. _Presents the first moral defense of Ahab, complicating his initially fearsome image._ > She was a cannibal of a craft, tricking herself forth in the chased bones of her enemies. The Pequod is described as a ship that decorates itself with the remains of the whales it hunts, making it a predator that wears the trophies of its kills. _Establishes the ship itself as a symbol of the violent, consuming nature of the whaling quest._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xvi-the-ship - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters