Moby Dick is an epic work of the 19th century, not just in its length or its geographical vastness, but also in the way the main characters, Ahab and Ishmael, are presented to the reader. Ahab is, in true classical tradition, a larger-than-life, almost mythical individual, beyond the reach of the reader's experience. In contrast, Ishmael is a more ordinary character, one to whom the reader can relate. As such, he can narrate the story and also interpret the thoughts and actions of the more grandiose and less accessible Ahab.