I begin with what is often called the first great American novel, Moby Dick.
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago--never mind how long precisely--having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my
Oops, how dare someone write an entire novel in first person perspective; what arrogance to flaunt writing convention by doing so. However, the opening here shows the focus of the writing on the protagonist by describing the feelings of Ishmael as to why he wants to chase whales despite the dangers he already begins to enumerate.
"I want to see the world," he says. Thus the Hero's Journey is begun by a Call to Action from within, though more a call to avoid a lack of action.
