Either I am confused or this book is confused, but there is no way around it, confusion is present.
This is a great story with powerful themes and ideas written in a surprisingly interesting style. It is unfortunately undermined by pages upon pages of what could only be described as dry encyclopedic exposition about everything whale. I suppose Melville was also confused by the objective of his writing, considering that the book has two titles which carry two distinctly different emphases. Was he writing about Moby Dick, a symbol to be used to explore more complex themes, or was he writing about "the Whale", so we ought to also be educated on everything whale?
Confusion aside, this book probes some ideas quite neatly, such as diversity, hierarchy, and obsession - choosing to focus on exploring the mind and consequences of one's fixation on things outside their own control.