What's the Point of Moby Dick?

Two-thirds of whalers who left the island of Nantucket a year before died horrific deaths on the water. The destruction of the Essex inspired the climax in Herman Melville's Moby Dick, which is all the fun stuff that Melville crammed into the inn after making people read hundreds upon hundreds of pages about satology and coins and endless fucking gams. A gam is a whaling when two whaling ships meet each other on sea. And they all trade stories. So when's the last time you saw a whale? Oh, I say a whale three weeks ago. Let's just say that sperm whale is running a little low. Sucking dick.