Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling
vessel. He has made several voyages as a sailor but none as a whaler. He
travels to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he stays in a whalers' inn.
Since the inn is rather full, he has to share a bed with a harpooner from
the South Pacific named Queequeg. At first repulsed by Queequeg's strange
habits and shocking appearance (Queequeg is covered with tattoos), Ishmael
eventually comes to appreciate the man's generosity and kind spirit, and
the two decide to seek work on a whaling vessel together.