How is Moby Dick connected to In the Heart of the Sea? Explained 

In the Heart of the Sea is a 2015 movie directed by Ron Howard and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It boasts a star-studded cast including Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson, and Cillian Murphy. The movie is based on the book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick.

Philbrick's book is a non-fiction based on the true events of the sinking of the whaling ship Essex in the Pacific Ocean in November 1820 after it was attacked by a sperm whale. Survivors were rescued the following year and recounted tales of the harrowing ordeals they had to endure while they were lost at sea.

In the Heart of the Sea, which describes the sinking of the Essex, is the inspiration behind Herman Melville's epic novel Moby Dick. The official synopsis of the movie on Netflix reads:

In this adventure-drama, a New England whaling crew wages a desperate battle to survive when a giant whale capsizes their ship. Inspired by a true story.

*Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the movie

---

In the Heart of the Sea - Moby Dick connection explained

Ben Whishaw portrays the role of Moby Dick author Melville in the movie (image via Warner Bros. Pictures)

As mentioned before, Melville used the events outlined in In the Heart of The Sea as inspiration for his legendary novel Moby Dick. However, it must be noted that he was also inspired by other similar whaling disasters along with his own experiences at sea.

The film's narrative portrays Melville as a character within the film who is interviewing one of the survivors, Thomas Nickerson, almost thirty years after the disastrous sinking of the Essex. The events are narrated by Nickerson to Melville, who is later shown penning down the beginning of his famous novel after listening to Nickerson's tale.

Owen Chase was the ship's first mate and one of the survivors. He published his experience in 1821 under the name The Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex, of Nantucket: Which Was Attacked and Finally Destroyed by a Large Spemaceti-Whale in the Pacific Ocean.

According to the Center for Fiction, Melville had met Owen Chase's son and read this book, which inspired him to write in his journal:

"The reading of this wondrous story upon the landless sea, & close to the very latitude of the shipwreck had a surprising effect upon me"

Melville also claimed to have met Owen Chase at sea. Years after publishing Moby Dick, Melville had visited Nantucket, where he had met George Pollard, the surviving captain of the Essex.

---

Plot overview

The film begins with Melville (Ben Whishaw) visiting an old Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) in 1850 to hear a firsthand account of the Essex's sinking. Nickerson, who had been a cabin boy aboard the ship, recounts that the Essex had set sail in 1820 with first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker) to retrieve whale oil.

In the Heart of the Sea follows Nickerson's narration as he explains the rifts between Chase and Pollard until they come across a white sperm whale in the Pacific, where they sail despite warnings. Chase injures the whale with his harpoon, but it still destroys their smaller whaling ships, followed by the Essex, forcing the crew to flee in three small cedar boats.

Of the three boats, one gets lost while the other two are adrift for 90 days before being rescued, one on Henderson Island and one near Chile. Nickerson breaks down while admitting to resorting to cannibalism to survive at sea with no hope of rescue. The movie ends with Melville's character starting his renowned novel.

---

In the Heart of the Sea is now streaming on Netflix.