While the film presents fragments of the essay, the full text as recited and referenced in the movie is as follows:
And then they go on a boat and they meet Ahab. Ahab has a leg made of bone. Ahab is crazy. He wants to kill the whale because the whale bit off his leg. He is very sad. He thinks the whale is the devil. He thinks he will be happy if he kills it. But he won't. The Whale 2022.1080p.WEB.h264-Dual.YG
: Charlie reveals that the essay was written by his daughter, Ellie, when she was in the eighth grade. He kept it because it was the most honest piece of writing he had ever read. While the film presents fragments of the essay,
"In the amazing book Moby-Dick by the author Herman Melville, the author tells the story of being at sea. In the first part of the book, the author, calling himself Ishmael, is in a whaler bar and he meets Queequeg. He doesn't know how to feel about Queequeg, but they have to sleep in the same bed. They eventually become best friends. He wants to kill the whale because the whale bit off his leg
: The essay reflects the film's core themes of honesty, the struggle for redemption, and the human tendency to project our own pain onto others (as Ahab does with the whale).
This book made me think of my own life. It made me feel glad for my own life, because it's so sad. And I felt sad for the whale because he has no feelings. He is just a giant animal. And I feel bad for Ahab, because he thinks his life will be better if he kills the whale, but it won't. It won't help him. I was very sad when I read this book. And I felt a lot of things for the characters. But I felt the most sorry for the whale, because the whale doesn't have any emotions. It’s just a big, dumb animal. And it’s so sad." Context in the Film
The filename refers to a digital copy of the 2022 film The Whale , directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Brendan Fraser.