What is the significance of Captain Peleg’s quote “'Can’t ye
see the world where you stand?'” (chapter 16). Could this line be interpreted
as an allegory for the general perspective of “civilized” US citizens at the
time? How does Ishmael’s view of the sea on the horizon in Chapter 16 relate to his
commentary on water in Chapter 1?
Taking into consideration Captain Peleg’s description of
Captain Ahab as a “grand, ungodly, god-like man,” how does the line “all mortal
greatness is but disease” relate to Captain Ahab (chapter 16)? Does the use of
the words “ungodly” and “god-like” reveal something about Captain Ahab’s
character? Could the meaning of Ahab’s name—the same name as an idolatrous
Biblical king—foreshadow some sort of “savage” act in his future?
Why would Ishmael refer to Queequeg’s religious experience
as his “Ramadan” even though Ishmael knows that Queequeg is from Kokovoko, far
from the Islamic Middle East (chapter 17; chapter 12)? Could Ismael be not as open-minded
as he thinks himself to be? Or should we interpret Queequeg’s character as a
representation of all non-white, non-Christian, non-American people?
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