In "The Club Dumas," the protagonist, after reading a friend's novel, realizes that his memories of a past event starkly contrast with those of Ishmael, the narrator in "Moby Dick." This leads him to write his own interpretation of the tale, which he titles "A Whale." Through this narrative, he presents the harpooner's perspective, portraying Ishmael as overly scholarly and exaggerating events. Rather than depicting Moby Dick as a monstrous foe, he suggests that the whale is just another creature.

Furthermore, the protagonist shifts the blame from the whale to the incompetence of Captain Ahab, who is driven by personal vendettas rather than the pursuit of whaling. He questions the significance of Ahab's injury, emphasizing the captain's failure and delusional motivations instead. This retelling invites readers to examine the nature of storytelling and the subjective truths that arise from different perspectives.