More than that, the whale is symbolic of the subconscious, coming to the surface every now and then. The White Whale is Ahab's subconscious, and white is the co

More than that, the whale is symbolic of the subconscious, coming to the surface every now and then. The White Whale is Ahab's subconscious, and white is the color of sickness. His obsession, his sickness, came to the surface and killed them all except Ishmael. There's an entire chapter on "The Whiteness of the Whale." It was the hardest for me to get through, but it kind of beats you into understanding what the author is getting at.