You may have noticed, but the the crew-members of the Pequod all have carefully-chosen character names:
Ishmael: The name has come to symbolize orphans, exiles, and social outcasts — in the opening paragraph of Moby Dick, Ishmael tells us he has turned to the sea out of a feeling of alienation from human society.
Elijah: Issues the prophetic warning before Ishmael sails on the Pequod; named for the Biblical prophet, Elijah. Famous line: "A soul's a sort of a fifth wheel to a wagon."
Ahab: See 1 Kings 16:28. Introduced as "a grand, ungodly, godlike man," Ahab is the monomaniacal one-legged captain of the Pequod Although he's a Quaker, he seeks revenge on the whale in defiance of his religion's pacifism. He is our tragic hero: great heart and tragic flaw.
Consider what the significance (symbolically) might be of some of the others: Gabriel, Prometheus (nickname for Perth), Pip, Starbuck, Queequeg (the "cannibal"), etc.
NB. The screenplay for Moby Dick was written by Ray Bradbury!
I thought I saw that Ray Bradbury wrote it in the opening credits but I was unsure. That is interesting.
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