Difference between revisions of "Moby-Dick"

Latest revision as of 13:51, August 23, 2026

This article is about the references to Moby Dick in The Simpsons. For the book that exists within The Simpsons universe, see Moby Dick. For the character, see Moby Dick (character).

Moby-Dick is a novel by Herman Melville published in 1851. The book is told from the point of view of the sailor Ishmael on the ship Pequod, and details his captain Ahab's desire for revenge on the white whale Moby Dick, who bit off his leg.

References to Moby-Dick in The Simpsons[edit]

Episodes[edit]

Season	Episode number	Episode name	Reference
1	2	"Bart the Genius"	One of the books seen in the classroom in the Enriched Learning Center for Gifted Children is Moby Dick.
2	14	"Bart Gets an "F""	Martin is seen reading Moby-Dick.
4	76	"Last Exit to Springfield"	Before he deactivates all of the town's power, Mr. Burns comments "from Hell's heart I stab at thee", a quote made by Captain Ahab to the white whale.
7	143	"Bart the Fink"	When talking on the phone, Captain McCallister says "Call me back, Ishmael". This is a reference to the famous opening line of Moby-Dick, "Call me Ishmael".
10	211	"Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble""	The Call Me Delish-Mael taffy shop is a reference to the line "Call me Ishmael".
12	251	"Insane Clown Poppy"	Among the large selection of "For Dummies" books is Moby Dick for Dummies. Bart looks at the book's intro, which reads "Call me Ishmael, dummy".
14	307	"'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky"	Captain McCallister signs Lisa's petition with a picture of the Pequod being destroyed by Moby Dick.
15	318	"The Fat and the Furriest"	Lisa tells Homer that the point of Moby-Dick is that revenge can't be brought on an animal, which Homer was planning on doing to a bear. However, Homer believes the point of the book is to "be yourself".
323	"Diatribe of a Mad Housewife"	The painting of the ship behind the couch is revealed to be called "Scene From Moby-Dick". Marge looks at the painting and is motivated to write a novel about whaling, which she thinks hasn't been done before.

Comics[edit]

Picture	Comic issue	Story name	Reference
Simpsons Comics
	Simpsons Comics #62	Bart Simpson's Bible Stories	In the "Abraham's Sacrifice" segment, Homer shouts "Call me, Ishmael!" to his brother.
	Simpsons Comics #134	In the Swim	Mr. Burns tells Homer, "I'll tell you what I told Melville...I'm not interested in your silly whale stories," referencing the author of Moby-Dick, Herman Melville.
The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror
	Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #1	Call Me Homer	The plot is based on Moby-Dick, where Grampa tells the story of his great-great grandfather, Homer Simpson, an adventurer on the seas who caught the white whale Moby Dick.

Books[edit]

Picture	Book	Reference
	Bart Simpson's Guide to Life	Moby Dick is included in the "Wonderful World of Monsters" section.

Video games[edit]

Picture	Game	Reference
	The Simpsons: Road Rage	If the player picks up Captain McCallister and takes a long time to reach his intended destination, one of his possible comments is "Call me Ishmael. And late."
	The Simpsons: Hit & Run	After completing the mission "Fishy Deals", Lisa refers to Captain McCallister as a "stupid Ahab".
	If the player runs over Captain McCallister, one of his possible comments is "Call me PO'd".

External links[edit]

Moby-Dick at Wikipedia

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