Discussion Questions Ch 155 + Epilogue

“Till, gaining that vital centre, the black bubble upward burst; and now, liberated by reason of its cunning spring, and, owing to its great buoyancy, rising with great force, the coffin life-buoy shot lengthwise from the sea, fell over, and floated by my side.” (427).   In the vital moment, Ishmael was saved by Queequeg’s coffin, which served as a life-buoy and buoyed up Ishmael’s body. Does it kind of symbolize cruel competition in human being’s society?

Ishmael is the only survivor while all other Pequod’s shipmen die. In the end of Moby Dick, Melville depicts how Ishmael escapes dangers before he was saved by the Rachel.  “Buoyed up by that coffin, for almost one whole day and night, i floated on a soft and dirge-like main. The unhorsing sharks, they glided by as if with padlocks on their mouths; the savage sea-hawks sailed with sheathed beaks.” (427)

How do these descriptions reflect the relationship between human being and nature? 

Do you think the end of Moby Dick is ironic? What is Melville purpose? 

Discussion Questions chapter 135-Epilogue

1. At the beginning of chapter 135 Ahab (I think, might be Starbuck) says, "Ahab never thinks; he only feels, feels, feels; that's tingling enough for mortal man! to think's audacity. God only has the right and privilege. Thinking is, or ought to be, a coolness and a calmness; and our poor hearts throb, and our poor brains beat too much for that" (419). Does this quote mean to point out Ahab's passionate madness as well as his lack of rationality? Does it mean that one can't live and think at the same time? Do emotions/feelings like passion and desire and madness forbid humans from thinking clearly?

2. Also at the beginning of chapter 135, Ahab (again I think) says, "Would now the wind but had a body; but all the things that most exasperate and outrage mortal man, all these things are bodiless, but only bodiless as objects, not as agents" (419-420). Is the whale only a symbol of Ahab's wrath? Does he perhaps seek out something else, something bodiless and abstract?

3. In the Epilogue it says, "Buoyed up by that coffin...I floated on a soft and dirge-like main"(427). What does it mean that the coffin ends up being what saves Ishmael? How does this impact the ending of the book?

Moby-Dick Discussion Questions over Chapter 135 and the Epilogue

1) Thinking

Ahab encounters a “lovely day,” what could be “a new-made world,” what could be “food for thought, had Ahab time to think; but Ahab never thinks; he only feels, feels, feels; that’s tingling enough for mortal man! to think’s audacity. God only has that right and privilege. Thinking is, or ought to be, a coolness and a calmness; and our poor hearts throb, and our poor brains beat too much for that” (419). Instead of pausing to reflect, monomaniac Ahab continues on his mindless quest. Is he discouraging readers from thinking? Should we let fate sweep us along, like Ahab, or question everything, like Ishmael?

2) Human Insignificance

The sea hasn’t changed since Ahab was a child. Indeed, Ahab proclaims that it’s “the same!--the same!--the same to Noah as to me” (420). Later, after the Pequod and its crew have disappeared underneath the waves, “the great shroud of the sea roll[s] on as it rolled five thousand years ago” (427). In Loomings, Ishmael describes the human obsession with the sea. How does the depiction of the sea in the final chapter -- as a body that will outlast any human -- help us understand our fascination with the sea? Are we drawn to it, in part, because of its immortality, because of its endlessness?

3) Mechanical Men

The journey is coming to a close. As the whale makes its final charge, “nearly all the seamen now hung inactive; hammers, bits of plank, lances, and harpoons, mechanically retained in their hands, just as they had darted from their various employments” (425). The men don’t appear to act of their own volition, instead part of a larger machine, frozen “mechanically.” How does this image, along with the image of Tashtego continuing to hammer in the flag while the ship sinks, add to Melville’s commentary on industrialism?

4) Life and Death

The “coffin life-buoy” returns as Ishmael’s savior (427). How does this impact the meaning of the symbol?

Discussion Questions Over Ch. 135 and Epilogue

1. Before Ahab lowers himself on the Third Day, he shares a special parting exchange with Starbuck:
       
        "Some men die at ebb tide; some at low water; some at the full of the flood;-and I feel now like a billow that's all one crested comb, Starbuck. I am old;-shake hands with me, man."
         Their hands met; their eyes fastened; Starbuck's tears the glue.
        "Oh, my captain, my captain!-noble heart-go not- go not!-see, it's a brave man that weeps; how great the agony of the persuasion then!"(421).

  Here, Ahab and Starbuck show a sudden and unexpected display of humanity. Indeed, throughout the text, Ahab and Starbuck have clashed constantly. Their conflicts make this exchange all the more important and exceptional. What does this resolution to their relationship mean? How does Starbuck's conceit that Ahab is a "noble heart" change their dynamic in the end?

2. What is the significance of the two "hearses" being Moby Dick and the Pequod? Both are cannibals in a way. Does that fact label Ahab as a "savage" in the end?

3. How is the end of the Epilogue significant? We once again see Ishmael identify himself as an "orphan." Why don't the sharks and sea-hawks attack him? Is it because he is "chosen" by God, or perhaps he is "orphaned" from the world itself?

Ch. 135, Epi

Moby-Dick embodies the concept of nature comprised of dual aspects. In “The Chase- Third Day,” Moby Dick reveals his masculine and feminine attributes. He is coined with the pronoun “he;” however, there are several feminine qualities to his being. For example, once he breaks the surface, the water “creamed like new milk” (422). Milk is associated with motherhood, and the newness of such milk implies a recent infancy or birth. Thus, the conventional perception of youth and maternal nature is tied to the whale’s femininity. Yet, there exists another possible layer. Milk itself is white. What does this suggest about white in relation of femininity? Also, if the feminine whale obtains the power “possessed by all the angels that fell from heaven,” what does this further imply about femininity (422)? Is there in fact a dual nature within feminine characteristics? A violent connotation to the heavenly description of both nature and the feminine?

In the impending doom of the Pequod, Melville addresses several reoccurring themes within the novel: industry, fate, mortality, and “whiteness.” The men cling onto the last moments of their lives mechanically, acknowledging their insignificant power as “mortal men” against the “predestinating head” of Moby Dick (425). If the crew represents mankind’s attempt to wield nature through industry and Moby Dick symbolizes fate itself, what does the situation imply in regards to industry’s fate? Does nature solely determine fate? Furthermore, how does the aspect of “white” fit into all of this? Because the whale is white, is nature also associated with whiteness?

In the “Epilogue,” Ishmael emerges as the sole survivor of the Fates. His peaceful surroundings contrast sharply with the black vortex of the mechanical ship and its crew. In fact, it is once the Pequod sinks that nature calms down and order is restored. A feminine ship arrives to rescue Ishmael, contrasting sharply with the robust, nature-hunting Pequod. Even the Rachel’s captain is vastly different than Ahab; his passion is not a selfish pursuit, but, rather, he is determined to find his son. In this sense, the Rachel is likened to a mother. How does the arrival of a maternal ship coincide with the peacefulness of the ocean in this moment? How does this matneral ship compare with Moby Dick’s own maternal behavior? Moby Dick was described as having a new child, while Rachel retraces her steps as if in search of her missing children. How does motherhood contrast between humans and animal? Emotion? 

DQ's 135 and Epilogue

1. On the beginning of the third day of the chase, the entire crew of the Pequod is crazed on the idea of catching Moby Dick. "The morning of the third day dawned fair and fresh, and once more the solitary night-man at the fore-mast-head was relieved by crowds of the daylight look-outs, who dotted every mast and almost every spar" (419). What does the crew's obsession with catching the enigmatic white whale say about Ahab's capabilities as a leader? With the entire crew's focus being on one whale, instead of catching as many whales as possible, what questions and concerns can be raised about Ahab's ability to be the captain of a whaling ship?

2. "'Give Way!' cried Ahab to the oarsmen, and the boats darted forward to the attack; but maddened by yesterday's fresh irons that corroded in him, Moby Dick seemed combinedly possessed by all the angels that fell from heaven" (422). In the bible, after falling from heaven for disobeying God, the angel Lucifer becomes Satan. By stating that Moby Dick was possessed by the devil, what themes is Melville referring too? Is he alluding to the theme of slavery by connecting white aspects of the whale with the cruelty and wrongfulness of Satan? Or is Melville attempting to cap off the book with the religious battle between Ahab, who see's himself as godlike and all-powerful, and Moby Dick, the whale with the power of the devil? If the latter is the case, what is Melville getting at when Ahab is slain and Moby Dick remains unbeaten?

3. In the last lines of chapter 135, Melville introduces the theme of change into the epic novel. What is Melville, or Ishmael, arguing when he says, "the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago" (427)? In the footnotes it states that by using the time frame of five thousand years, Melville is talking about the time of Noah's flood. Does knowing that this is about Noah change the message of the last few lines? What religious themes could be tied into the conclusion of this tale?

Discussion Questions Ch. 135 and Epilogue

1. Ahab constantly uses the sun as a timekeeper and looks to it as some sort of spiritual power that governs his voyage. Right before his death, Ahab states, “I turn my body from the sun” (ch. 135). What does this action signify? Has Ahab given up any hope of religious salvation by rejecting this emblem of faith?

2. Why would Melville describe the “captive” bird as the only “living part of heaven” that accompanies the Pequod’s descent into the deep (ch. 135)? Does this imply that all the whalers on the journey were bound for hell? What is the symbolism of the bird’s acting as the “helmet” of the ship? Could the bird be the saving grace that protects the whalers from damnation? How might the image of the Pequod and all her men sinking into the ocean relate to the sermon that states, “the whale…swallowed [Jonah] down to living gulfs of doom” (ch. 9). Jonah sank to the bottom of the ocean where he met God, so could Ahab and his crew actually be journeying to make the acquaintance of God?

3. What is the significance of Ishmael’s being saved by Queequeg’s mysterious coffin? Ishmael accepts the aid of the life-buoy without questioning its deeper meaning; is Melville using this action as a message that, although Ishmael stated that all things have meaning (in The Doubloon), the truths of life and death are far too transcendent for humans to even attempt to understand? Instead of always questioning, is Melville suggesting that an unexamined life is the safest, albeit unrewarding, way to live life?

Discussion Questions Ch. 132-134

1.In "The Symphony,"  Why does Ahab refuse to go home to his wife and child, even though it appears that he wants to? How does the sea and air, described as a married couple, have an effect on Ahab?

2. Starbuck seems to be the only person who could command the pequod in the event of Ahab's death. By leaving Starbuck on the ship in order to pursue Moby Dick, is Ahab accepting death and the suicidal nature of his quest? (chapter 133)

3. At the end of chapter 133, Ahab describes himself as neither a man nor a god. What makes Ahab neither natural nor supernatural?

ch. 132-134

1.

"Ahab leaned over the side, and watched how his shadow in the water sank and sank to his gaze, the more and the more that he strove to pierce the profundity. But the lovely aromas in that enchanted air did at last seem to dispel, for a moment, the cankerous thing in his soul. That glad, happy air, that winsome sky, did at last stroke and caress him; the step-mother world, so long cruel-forbidding-now threw affectionate arms  round his stubborn neck, and did seem to joyously sob over him, as if over one, that however wilful and erring, she could yet find it in her heart to save and to bless. From beneath his slouched hat Ahab dropped a tear into the sea; nor did all the Pacific contain such wealth as that one wee drop" (405).

Ahab, once a dominant and mean character, is no more. While who the true leader of the ship is right now is ambiguous, Ahab seems to feel that as if the sea is his mother and his home which comforts him and cry with him. What wealth, as seen in the quote, does Ahab's tear contain? What is the meaning of Ahab crying and seeking comfort from the sea?

2. 

"A gentle joyousness-a mighty mildness of repose in swiftness, invested the gliding whale" (409). 

Why is Melville using "joyousness" to describe the whale while he also depicted the sea's sobbing "joyously" in the previous chapter? Is he saying that in Ahab's mind, the whale equals the sea? Since the only thing Ahab has in his mind is to capture the whale, can we say that everything else is unimportant to him, thus his whole world (the sea) is simply Moby-Dick?

3.

"His ivory leg had been snapped off, leaving but one short sharp splinter" (417).

Eventually Ahab got wounded in the capture of Moby Dick, but he said "But even with a broken bone, old Ahab is untouched; and I account no living bone of mine one jot more me, than this dead one that's lost." Why does this sacrifice mean so much to Ahab? What other sacrifices did he make throughout the journey? Are they worth the prize?

Discussion Questions 132-134

Chapter 132
In this Chapter, Ahab seems to be resigning to his fate. He's been out on sea for 40 years, with little time on shore, where he's abandoned and widowed his wife. How does this relate to the description of "Masculine sea" at the start of the chapter? What does he mean calling the eye "the magic glass" (406)? What foreshadows his downfall in this chapter, besides just Ahab's words?

Chapter 133
Ahab gets in trouble with Moby Dick. He's thrown to "the bottom of Stubb's boat, like one trodden under foot herds of elephants. Far Inland, nameless wails came from him, as desolate sounds from out ravines" (411). What is the significance of the land imagery here, if Ahab is out at sea? How does this show Ahab's position at this time?

The birds have an interesting role in the chase for the whale(409). Why does Ahab seem to obtain their advanced sight? Do they represent some other force or idea at work? Does spotting the whale with this possibly divine intervention represent Ahab's fate to fight Moby Dick?

DQ's 132-134

1. On Page 405 is Ahab's joyfulness for the type of day that is occurring a foreshadow of darker things to come or is it merely a slightly different outlook from Ahab on life that we had not been able to fully see until this point in the book?

2. Is the fact that Ahab is the first member of the ship supposed to be used as a tool to show his expertise in whaling or is it used to show that he is the most blood thirsty person on the ship and is constantly thinking of the revenge he wishes to gain?

3. What would happen to Ahab if he ever successfully caught the white whale? Would that be the end of his journey? Is the whale now his final concern or could he find the drive to fish for whales once again after its capture?

Discussion Questions for Chapters 132-134

1.  In "The Symphony," Ahab realizes that his whaling voyages have consumed over 40 years of his life.  What is the significance of these "forty years of privation, and peril, and storm-time"? (405)  In the Jewish faith, 40 is a very important number, usually used as a critical division between two particular eras or periods. Rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights before the flood.  The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years after escaping from Egypt.  Assuming that Melville intended this Biblical reference, as can be assumed by his borrowing of Ahab's very name, how does this relationship affect our interpretation?  Could Ahab, like a Hebrew wandering in the desert, lost, have finally found his way?  What does this do to foreshadow the beginning of the chase of Moby-Dick in the following chapter?  What ironies is Melville pointing out, that Ahab's "Holy Grail," his "Promised Land," is killing a whale?

2.  In chapter 132, Ahab and Starbuck discuss Nantucket, the land base for the whaling crowd.  Nantucket is described in chapter 14 as "a mere hillock, and elbow of sand; all beach, without a background" (64).  Its residents, Nantucketers, have a special relationship with the sea.

The Nantucketer, he alone resides and riots in the sea; he alone, in Bible language, goes down to it in ships; to and fro ploughing it as his own special plantation.  There is his home; there lies his business, which a Noah's flood would not interrupt, though it overwhelmed all the millions in China.  He lives on the sea, as prairie cocks in the prairie; he hides among the waves, he climbs them as chamois hunters climb the Alps.  For years he knows not the land; so that when he comes to it at last, it smalls like another world, more strangely than the moon would to an Earthsman.  (65-66)

From the understanding of Nantucket we gleaned early on the book, its role is as a bridge between land and sea, and those who leave it for the ocean rarely return to stay, as it holds nothing for them.   What then, should we make of the following conversation in "The Symphony"?

Away with me!  let us fly these deadly waters!  let us home!... How cheerily, how hilariously, O my Captain, would we bowl on our way to see old Nantucket again!  I think they have some such mild blue days, even as this, in Nantucket.  (406)

These two excerpts provide conflicting views of home: the sea or the land.  This confusion shows the internal conflict within the sailors, their homelessness as well as landlessness.  Why might Melville have the two primary leaders of the ship reminisce about the life they missed on land before their great and epic pursuit of the white whale?

3.  Solipsism is a major point of consideration in Moby-Dick.  Solipsism is the belief that only one's mind, or self, can be proved true.  Much of the novel supports this theory, especially Ishmael's musings about the uncertainty of the sea and the constant elimination of clear, defining boundaries and binaries.  However, in chapter 32, Ahab has an identity crisis – questioning not only the world around him, but his role in his own self.

Is Ahab, Ahab?  Is it I, God, or who, that lifts this arm?  But if the great sun move not of himself; but is as an errand-boy in heaven; nor one single star can revolve, but by some invisible power; how then can this small heart beat; this one small brain think thoughts; unless God does that beating, does that thinking, does that living, and not I.  By heaven, man, we are turned round and round in this world, like yonder windlass, and Fate is the handspike.  And all the time, lo! that smiling sky, and this unsounded sea!... Where do murderers go, man!  Who's to doom, when the judge himself is dragged to the bar?  (407)

This is a classic moment of struggle between the conflicting notions of Free Will and Fate.  Does Melville's novel overall support Fate? Or could this just be another instance of conclusion-less questioning, as is most of the novel?  I am particularly struck by the final line of the above quotation because it brings up a good point of irony about "final judgment" as it is viewed in most religions.  If our fates are already planned out, and God rules the life of the individual, how can he ever condemn a sinner, when he lifted the sinner's hand?  Do we think Ahab believes in his own Free Will?  Does he see himself as a murderer?

 

  

DQ's chapters 97-101

Discussion questions:

In chapter 99 (335), when the crew are surrounding the doubloon, Queequeg compares some of the symbols on the coin to the symbols of his tattoos, but walks away without communicating his thoughts to the other sailors. Can we assume that Queequeg was able to make a connection to the designs on the doubloon? What was going through his head at the time? What similarities exist between the three mountain peaks and the zodiac, and Queequeg? Is there anything “cannibalistic” about the design in the coin?

At the end of chapter 99 (335), Pip approaches the doubloon after watching everyone else take a crack at it, and concludes that the doubloon will be the downfall for everyone. He says “here’s the ship’s navel, this doubloon here, and they are all on fire to unscrew it” and implies that, in doing so, they are going to destroy the ship because they are so caught up in the reward of the white whale, that they are blinding themselves to the danger of it. Is Pip right? Is the Moby Dick going to sink the ship before anyone gets a chance to claim it?

At the end of chapter 100 (340), we are reminded again of the absolute hatred that Captain Ahab feel towards Moby Dick, or what some might call insanity, by his impatience with Captain Boomer and his doctor after they tell him about how Captain Boomer lost his arm to Moby Dick. Boomer says “hark ye! he’s best let alone,” a far more appropriate and humane approach to his run-in with the whale. Is this enormous contrast between the mindsets of the two captains an attempt by Melville further emphasize the absolute insanity of Ahab?

DQ: 97-101

The Lamp: 97
       The perks of being Whalemen, is as good as "the milk of queens," however they are still thought of as dark or lonely. Is this Ishmael's way of comparing royalty and money against hardwork and sweat? Do whaler's deserve more respect for their work? (329)

The Doubloon: 99
       Is the Doubloon signifying the open-mindedness of the ship? By showing a doubloon of Equadorian descent as a reward for Ahab's most wanted "villain." Multiple people have been in awe of this coin, and while it isn't American, yet South American,  it is still desired by all people for it's beauty. Just as the harpooners from pagan areas, is this coin more valuable than it's background seems?
     

DQ's for Chapters 97-101

In the short chapter "The Lamp, " light imagery is common. What is meant by "the food of the light?" Melville  says that the oil that is burned by sailors is the purest known. What is the significance of the fact that the oil used by sailors has never been touched by light, shown in the quote "a fluid unknown to solar, lunar, or astral contrivances?" Think about relations between cannibalism and light.


Devil imagery is common when talking about the Doubloon. Ahab invokes it, as does Stubb and Starbuck. What is the significance? Could Ahab, who sees himself in the coin, be calling himself a devil? Is this true? Is Ahab conscious of this?

Ishmael tells us that "some certain significance lurks in all things, ... else just to sell by the cartload, as they do hills about Boston, to fill up some morass in the Milky Way" (331). Is Ishmael correct in this? How does this relate to themes of common man being a hero? How does it relate to America? The rest of the book? If all things have meaning, does this mean all the interpretations of the Doubloon are correct? How does this fit with previous statements of the book?

Discussion questions Ch. 97 - 101

In chapter 98, Stowing Down and Clearing Up, Melville depicts how sailors clean up the ship which is contaminated by Whales’oil and blood by using “[t]he unmanufactured sperm oil” which “possesses a singularly cleansing virtue”. (330). In here, which theme does Melville want to express? How does the comparison of cleanness and dirtiness relate to theme capitalism and Industrialism?                                                                          

        

“ [T]he image of the rounder globe, which like a magician’s glass, to each and every man in turn but mirrors back his own mysterious.” (332) In chapter 99, What does Melville attempt to imply when he exposes human being’s material desires through sailors’ reactions toward golden coin?                            

What does Melville want to tell us when Starbuck says “[n]o fairy fingers can have pressed the gold, but devil’s claw must have left their moulding there since yesterday.(333)”  Who is devil here?        

“ This coin speaks wisely, mildly, truly, but still sadly to me. I will quit it, lest Truth shake me falsely.” (333). Why he “will quit it”, what is the golden coin represent? How does Melville’s consciousness relate to Christianism principle?

Discussion Questions Ch. 97-101

1. On page 332 (Chapter 99) Ishmael describes the doubloon as "pure" and "immaculate" sacrifice that is used for a greater purpose. Obviously, Melville is alluding to the biblical death of Jesus Christ. What is Melville saying about religion by comparing the death of Jesus to Ahab's monomaniacal quest? Can the doubloon lead to some for of salvation for Ahab?

2. In chapter 100 (page 336) In his hurry to get to the English ship, Ahab steps off his boat for the first time since losing his leg. He is described as somewhat of a burden and seems to feel the full effect of his handicap. At one point Ishmael says that he is "reduced to a clumsy landsman again." Is this the beginning of the end for Ahab?

3. How  do you think meeting the English Captain, who had an extremely similar experience with Moby Dick but chose to discontinue his quest for the white whale, will have an effect on Ahab?

Discussion Questions 97-101

1. How does the line "[the whaleman] burns, too, the purest of oil, in its unmanufactured, and, therefore, unvitiated state" relate to Ishmael's notion that the best places, and things, are uncharted and uncivilized (Chapter 97)? Ishmael states that anything in its uncivilized state is pure, and how might this thought contradict Ishmael's actions and duties as a whaler promoting industrialization?

2. Melville continues to reference a worship of the sun. In Chapter 99, he writes that the doubloon is a "medal of the sun." Ahab and whales have been depicted as sun-worshippers, and Pip was compared to the sun in Chapter 93. Could there be any meaning behind all this reverence toward the sun? Is Melville suggesting a critique of religion by emphasizing a greater appreciation of natural elements during the turbulent time of industrialization and human desecration of the wild frontier?

3. Ahab states that "[the world] cannot solve itself," a statement that justifies the obsession and perseverance with which he approaches the search for Moby-Dick (Chapter 99). However, after discussing his lack of power over the signs of the zodiac and their implications, Ahab seems to accept his lack of free-will when he laments, "So be it, then. Born in throes, 'tis fit that man should live in pains and die in pangs" (Chapter 99). Ahab's search to create significance in his life leads him on the quest to kill the white whale, a mentally and emotionally excruciating endeavor. Does Ahab consider the pain of his monomania natural? It appears that Ahab has realized that his journey might be doomed, but has he really accepted his own lack of control?

Discussion questions 91-96

1. Does Melville connect the extraction of ambergris through "the inglorious bowels of a sick whale" to the "fine ladies and gentleman" to show the fine line between the the putrid bowels of a whale to the elite class in society or to show that human nature can completely change the properties of something and make it important? Are the separation of these things important to him?
2. Does Ishmael use the example of Pip as a ship keeper to prove to us that he, Ishmael, is a more important part of the ship? Does the usage of  the nickname Pip signify the lack of experience that Melville might be trying to get across to us in order to contrast with his own wisdom? Is the same idea applicable to Dough-Boy?
3. On page 323, Does Ishmael use the language that he does to not subtract from the masculinity of their accomplishment? Is this a common theme of the language used throughout the telling of this story that creates the masculine hardy image that is created of whalers in this book? Does Melville use this to affect his own image do to his whaling background?

discussion questions ch. 91-96

1. Stubb tricks the French into giving away the valuable whale in a joking but ironic way. Knowing that the  French captain had little experience in whaling, Stubb abused this naivety of the captain and 'robbed' the precious ambergris from him. Does this reflect America's imperialism that reached its peak in the 1800's and 1900's? Or, in a general sense, is this simply a part of human nature---1. meet new people 2. see what they got 3. be friends with them 4. rob them? 

2. Building on the previous question, what is Melville's perspective on this event? No bad consequences occurred to Stubb and Ahab's crew, and they successfully got the 'purse': ambergris. However, Melville doesn't openly praise Stubb's actions either. Is Melville just describing the mind tricks going on in politics and wars during his era objectively?

3. While ambergris exists only in the sickest and the most infected whales, it is the most valuable substance besides oil that can be found in whales. Does this interesting contradiction symbolize something else? Putting Moby-Dick aside, aren't old men usually the wisest? America, at Melville's time, was still a very young nation. Is Melville warning the country that they don't have enough 'ambergris' in them, that they are not steady as a nation yet?

DQ's 91-96

1. What does the "not very pleasant smell" signify? Is Melville using this smell as foreshadowing for further negative events in the novel? Or does he simply intend for it to be a bad smell?
2. "Now this ambergris is a very curious substance, and so important as an article of commerce, that in 1791 a certain Nantucket-born Captain Coffin was examined at the bar of the English House of Commons on that subject" (317). Elaborate on the importance of ambergris. Is Melville once again attempting to emphasize the vastness and importance of the whaling industry by detailing the uses of ambergris? Describe the contradictory nature of ambergris's origin and its uses.
3. What does Ishmael mean when he says, "for even blackness has his greatness" (319)? Does this alter or enrich our thoughts on Ishmael's stance on race and racism?

Discussion Questions Ch. 91-96

1. The explanation of how Ambergris is formed, on page 318, is the jumping-off-point for Melville's commentary on corruption and incorruption. The process of turning a dead animal into a perfume is much like the process of imperial colonization. Western Europe spread out to the far corners of the globe and "corrupted" the countries by making commodities out of their resources and population. Does Melville make any other connections to things being "corrupted"? Does this imagery relate to the ongoing discussion about who is the real savage?

2. Ishmael describes how to prepare a whale for the try-works in very detached, mechanical terms. He runs through the process in a strictly technical sense. How does this kind of description influence the view of their actions? Can it be that the mechanical language detaches us from the reality that they have just killed a majestic creature and are now butchering it? Does Melville intentionally present the scene from an industrialized point of view so as to comment on how beautiful things are being lost in the name of industry?

3. On page 328 we find that the author is rebuking the flames of the try-works and embracing those of the sun. Does Melville's description of the the try-works present a negative view of industry? Doesn't Melville teach us to fear nature? How are the try-works a symbol for the direction of 1850's America as a whole?

Discussion Questions for Chapters 91-96

One

Ishmael highlights the irony of ambergris when he exclaims, “Who would think, then, that such fine ladies and gentlemen should regale themselves with an essence found in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale! Yet so it is. By some ambergris is supposed to be the cause, and by others the effect, of the dyspepsia in the whale” (317). So is this luxury item, this symbol of elegance and high-fashion, the producer or the product of degradation and sickness? Is it the existence of materials items that amplifies greed, or is it the existence of greed that increases the rate of industrialization and leads to more material items? Or is materialism simply a vicious cycle with no beginning or end?

Two

To what extent does Ishmael use Pip to break down racial constructs over the course of a chapter that, on the surface, seemingly highlights the boy’s inferiority? Ishmael describes how “Pip turned his crisp, curling, black head to the sun, another lonely castaway” (321). By putting Pip in the same category as the sun, is Ishmael hinting at the boy’s underlying nature? He seems to disagree with the crew’s opinion of Pip: “from that hour the little negro went about the deck an idiot; such, at least, they said he was (321). How is Ishmael able to distance himself from the rest of the crew? Why is Ishmael, in particular, suited to break down racial constructs? What makes him such a keen observer of the underlying nature of his surroundings?

Three

In chapter 58, Ishmael discusses the terrors of the sea; he then describes, “As this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horror of the half-known world” (224). Is Ishmael hinting at the importance of exploration and risk-taking? Is he implying that a dangerous, scary, unsettling life—full of unanswered questions—is better than a placid, safe, simple life—full of questions never asked? At the end of chapter 96, is he making a similar claim? He says the following:

There is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he for ever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than other birds upon the plain, even though they soar. (328)

Could the eagle be an allegory for the person who flies wildly, who is unsure of a precise destination, who may experience the “blackest gorges” of suffering or the “sunny spaces” of joy—but who will always be better-off than the bird that only barely takes off from the ground, than the seaman who never quite ventures away from the shore, than the human who never fully embraces a risk?

1) "The manufactured sperm oil possesses a singularly cleansing virtue. This is the reason why the decks never look so white as just after what they call an affair of oil" (330).

Regarding this quote, how does Ishmael's usage of the term "white"describe the overall atmosphere of the Pequod? What does this suggest about his interpretation of the word, and how does this utilization compare and contrast to the "Whiteness of the Whale" chapter? Furthermore, does Ishmael's description of the crew as "bridegrooms" attribute a feminine quality to the men? How does gender play a role in the overall theme of "whiteness?"

2) In contrast to an earlier portion of the chapter, Ishmael explains that, once another whale is spotted, the crew renews the cycle and "the ghost is spouted up" (331). How does the ghost (a traditionally white apparition) compare to the another mentioning of white on page 330? Ishmael describes the cycle as taking a violent turn, and it becomes "man-killing!" How does the new attitude of the men shift? Does this reflect upon the theme of gender? How does gender tie into the differences in whiteness?

3) The theme of interpretation is embedded within the pages of "The Doubloon." Ishmael asserts various statements, such as:

"If we bend down our eyes, the dark vale shows her mouldy soul; but if we lift them, the bright sun meets our glance half way, to cheer" (333).

"Shall I call that wise or foolish, now; if it be really wise it has a foolish look to it; yet, if it be really foolish, then has it a sort of wiseish look to it" (334).

and finally...

"But one morning, turning to pass the doubloon, he seemed to be newly attracted by the strange figures and inscriptions stamped on it, as though now for the first time beginning to interpret for himself in some monomaniac way whatever significance might lurk in them. And some certain significance lurks in all things, else all things, are little worth, and the round world itself but any empty cipher..." (331).

Now, consider this: the zodiac cycle mentioned later on is described as being "one round chapter." Does that seem to tie into the "round world itself?" If so, what does this suggest in regards to Queequeg, with his tattoos that "look like the signs of the Zodiac?" How has his worth shifted within the chapter? Even more so, does the cycle of the zodiac reflect or connect to the cycle of the men? Are we all trapped within the same path, continuously transitioning from feminine to masculine qualities?

DQ chapter 91-96

1. In the chapter Ambergris Ishmael tells us how found in the intestines of a sick whale is a very valuable substance called ambergris that is used in perfumes. "Who would think, then, that such fine ladies and gentlemen should regale themselves with an essence found in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale!" (317). How can something so gruesome and vile also be valuable and sweet-smelling? Can this be related to the cannibal/civilized theme?

2. In the chapter The Castaway Stubb threatens Pip that if he jumps again, he will leave him in the ocean. Ishmael observes and says "perhaps Stubb indirectly hinted, that though man loves his fellow, yet man is a money-making animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benevolence" (321). Ishmael points out the terrifying fact that humans often choose money over human life. How does this relate to industrialism and racism of the era?

3. In the chapter A Squeeze of the Hand Ishmael becomes entranced in his job of squeezing lumps of sperm back into fluid. Ishmael says, "Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last i was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally" (323). What does this say about the relationships between the sailors? Does Melville mean for this to be interpreted sexually?

Discussion Questions Round III: Chapters 91-96

Question 1
Chapter 93, The Castaway, focuses on the young Negro, Pip, who is left out at sea on a whale hunt because he does not stay in the boat.  While it is assumed by Ishmael that Stubb did not really intend to abandon Pip to drown, Stubb himself says, "We can't afford to lose whales by the likes of you; a whale would sell for thirty times what you would, Pip, in Alabama" (321).  In stating this, Stubb essentially claims that Pip's life is worth less than that of a Leviathan, a beast.  How does this connect with the racial allegory that many people suppose underscores the drama of Moby-Dick?  Would Melville agree or disagree with Stubb in measuring the value of life based on the sale price at an auction?  What does this say about rising capitalist ideals in the Industrial era, that the product is worth more than its unskilled producers?  Does Melville confuse any binaries by creating a hierarchy of value amongst both people and animals?

Question 2
Though many of Melville's anatomically relevant chapters (The Fountain, The Tail, Cetology, etc.) have revealed some deeper philosophical insight about whales, the whale industry, or just about writing, Chapter 95, The Cassock, does not seem to accomplish those goals.  Why, then, would Melville include a chapter about that particular part of the whale, except in the interest of being thorough, though he has already "promised nothing complete"? (116).  However, he does compare the mincer's appearance clothed in "the cassock" to that of an archbishop, so he could be playing with the idea of religious rituals, claiming that whaling itself is a religion, or simply satirizing religion in general.

Question 3
Chapter 96, The Try-Works, illustrates the burning of the whale's corpse, run, of course, by the "pagan harpooneers" (327).  These fires help make the Pequod seem like it is "plunging into that blackness of darkness" and "the material counterpart of her monomaniac commander's soul" (327).  Even though Ishmael is supposed to be steering the helm, he is intrigued and captivated by these fires, so much so that he loses his sense of direction.  Could this hypnotic confusion of place also be a confusion of his own identity?  Does Ishmael feel his control over himself melting away and being replaced by the mob-mentality on the Pequod?  What does the association of these fires with darkness and with Ahab do to muddle the line between light and dark that has been explored other locations with respect to skin color?  Does Ishmael have any residual feelings of prejudice towards his "pagan" companions?

Chapter 42-44 DQ's

Think about what Melville says about light. He says that it remains “white or colorless in itself.” Does this match with what light actually is? If white is all colors combined, what does that mean about the whale? Light touches all things, does that mean whiteness does too?

Think about the idea of Albino people. How does it change, or not change, for the whale? Is there a significance for use of the word “Albino” in reference to the whale as opposed to white?

Ahab is referenced as Prometheus, a titan from Greek mythology. Is Melville elevating him above godly status, or subtly putting him below? What about “the vulture that feeds upon that heart forever?” How is this vulture that Ahab has created similar to the “creature” that Prometheus created, or rather enlightened, humans? How does the quest for the whale fit into these things?

discussion problems ch. 45-48

1. In Surmises, Melville quoted, "That protection could only consist in his own predominating brain and heart and hand, backed by a heedful, closely calculating attention to every minute atmospheric influence which it was possible for his crew to be subjected to." Ishmael hints that Ahab realizes the importance of the atmosphere and the crew's inner thoughts. How does this realization affect Ahab's strategy of  marking Moby-Dick as a superstitious figure afterwards? Does making the whale god-like a great solution of Ahab's case?

2. Ishmael states that "with my own hand I ply my own shuttle and weave my own destiny into these unalterable threads." While people have the "free will" to weave their own fate, the threads remain "unalterable." What does this symbolize about Ahab's voyage? Is Ahab forced by fate to pursue Moby-Dick and seek revenge or did he choose to do that?

3. Stub is described by Ishmael as "He would say the most terrific things to his crew, in a tone so strangely compounded of fun and fury, and the fury seemed so calculated merely as a spice to the fun, that no oarsman could hear such queer invocations without pulling for dear life, and yet pulling for the mere joke of the thing." In contrast to "dark" Ahab's furious and pushy tone, Stub charms the crew with the same power and dignity Ahab possesses. Why does Melville develop Stub into such a character? Is he meant to replace Ahab?

Ch. 16-18 DQs

1. In Moby-Dick, there are characters with varying degrees of commitment to their respective religions. How does religion affect one character's ability to relate to another? i.e. the Fighting Quakers. Do the religious characters come across as more sympathetic to the reader? and how is Melville intentionally using this?

2.  How does Queequeg's customs and culture affect his relationship with Ishmael? for example Yojo and his fasting/ Ramadan. Should he even try to hold onto his culture now that he is an outcast? should Queequeg try to assimilate with the other whalers?

3. Melville alludes to captain Ahab as a mysterious and heroic figure. How does the mystique of Captain Ahab have an effect on Ishmael even before their first meeting?

Questions for Ch. 45-48

1. In "The Affidavit," Ishmael says that on three occasions he saw a whale get away after being harpooned. On one occasion Ishmael says that three years later, "this man and this whale again came together, and the one vanquished the other, (171). He uses Man as a symbol of industrialism and whales as a symbol for all things natural. Is Melville/ Ishmael implying that it is impossible for Industrialism and nature to coexist and one must consume the other by telling this story?

2. In "Surmises," Ahab becomes aware that some of the crew are not in agreement with his feud with Moby Dick, especially Starbuck. Ahab knows that, "for all this the chief mate, in his soul, abhorred his captain's quest, and could he, would joyfully disintegrate himself from it, or even frustrate it," (177). Later in the chapter, Ahab makes the decision that he has to try to be a better captain to his crew. Why does he do this? Is it because he desperately wants his revenge on Moby Dick, and must maintain control of his ship by avoiding mutiny to accomplish this? Or is Ahab genuinely interested in being a good captain by not risking the safety of his crew and having a successful whaling voyage?

3. In "The Mat-Maker," Ishmael alludes to the theme of fate with the weaving of the mat. Being on a ship on the open ocean, it doesn't appear that Ishmael has any control of his life and is truly at the mercy of fate. What is Melville saying about American Society and how the average American should conduct themselves?

Discussion Questions for Ch. 45-48

1. What is the point of Ishmael noting that each whale is known by a particular name by most whalers whereas every whaler who dies is forgotten by the world? Are the whales more important or more glorified than the whalers? Ishmael's anger toward this injustice is evident when he says, "For God's sake, be economical with your lamps and candles! not a gallon you burn, but at least one drop of man's blood was spilled for it"(172).

2. Melville personifies sperm whales in more than one instance. On page 174, Ishmael recounts the story of the Commodore's ship almost sinking after an encounter with a sperm whale. How does Melville's comparison between the Commodore and St. Paul show personify or deify the whale?

3. How has Ahab transformed himself into a dictator? Melville describes Starbuck's captivation with Ahab as a "magnet at Starbuck's brain"(177). Can any comparisons be drawn between other fascist dictators and Ahab?

Chapters 45-48 Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

1.  In "The Affadavit," Ishmael claims, "So ignorant are most landsmen of some of the plainest and most palpable wonders of the world, that without some hints touching the plain facts, historical and otherwise, of the fishery, they might scout at Moby Dick as a monstrous fable, or still worse and more detestable, a hideous and intolerable allegory" (172).  While in the footnote it states that "Melville is not referring to the book Moby-Dick" but rather to the white whale itself, much of the analysis surrounding the white whale done concerns its allegory, especially in the context of slavery in America.  Knowing this, what are we supposed to do with Ishmael's warning to stray away from treating the whale as simply an allegorical figure?  Meanwhile, he also asserts that this mistake of misinterpreting Moby-Dick is a problem unique to "landsmen."  Though we ordinarily associate land with safety and knowledge, here Ishmael attributes the greater understanding to sailors and the like.  How does this fit with Melville's agenda to break down traditional viewpoints and destroy binaries?

2.  The beginning of "Surmises" offers a commentary on Ahab, noting his willingness to "sacrifice all mortal interests to [his] one passion" (177).  More miraculous than Ahab's monomania, however, is his ability to control those who do not even agree with his irrational quest.  Starbuck, his first mate, after reflecting on his disinterest in hunting the white whale in "Dawn," proceeds to go along with the mission, as his "body and [his] coerced will were Ahab's, so long as Ahab kept his magnet at Starbuck's brain" (177).  What does Starbuck's submission to Ahab's power, despite his disagreement about the fundamental principles of the voyage, say about the nature of tyrannical power and the mob mentality?  How does Ahab brainwash people who are conscious of being brainwashed?  Why is Starbuck unable to break free?

3.  In "The First Lowering," after the crew of the Pequod finally meets the stowaways, Ishmael has a strange foreboding.  He "silently recalled the mysterious shadows [he] had seen creeping on board the Pequod during the dim Nantucket dawn, as well as the enigmatical hintings of the unaccountable Elijah" (183).  Why do the new crew members resurrect the eeriness of the chapters that took place on land?  What does the reference to Elijah, the prophet, hold in terms of the success of their voyage?  Could Ishmael's instinct be connected to the conclusion of the chapter, in which Queequeg stabs a whale, but it gets away and harms their boat?  At what price will killing Moby-Dick come?

Discussion Questions for Chapters 45-48

Discussion Questions for Chapters 45-48

1. From the opening line of the novel, "Call me Ishmael," to the current moment, there has been a clear element of unreliability in the narration of the tale (18). In The Affidavit, does Ishmael's attempts to verify his story through facts foster more trust in the narration, or further sentiments of unreliability?
2. Explain why Melville chose to contrast the slow, uneventful beginning of Chapter 47 with the exciting Chapter 48. Can this contrast be related to any of the other major comparisons in the novel?
3. Ahab's devotion towards killing the white whale is made even more obvious in Chapter 48. In both his speech on the top of p. 182, and the fact that he hid a separate elite whaling crew aboard, Ahab has made it very clear that he won't stop until Moby Dick is dead. In your opinion, will Ahab's insanity lead the Pequod to it's demise or will Ahab's quest prevail?

Questions for Ch. 45-48

1. As Ishmael weaves his sword-mat, he does so "mechanically." Because Melville often links humans to machines and industry, what does this description say about the concept of carving one's own destiny? Does it allude to mankind's desire for control? The American Dream? Furthermore, how does chance come into play? If coincidence truly has the last say and overpowers free will, what is Melville saying on the matter of control and ambition?

2. Melville attributes mechanical descriptions to mankind throughout the novel, and he continues to do so with his "manufactured man" in "Surmises." However, Melville adds onto the typical description of man by making him dimensional. He suggests an additional impassioned layer underneath humans' industrial nature. The White Whale reveals this barbaric savagery and stirs emotion within the crew. After the "Whiteness of the Whale" chapter, is there any significance to the fact that the White Whale is able to influence the internal nature of humans?

3. When Tashtego cries, "There she blows," the sperm whale sighted is likened to a ticking clock. This comparison contrasts with the previous natural characteristics Melville gives the sea creature. Normally, whales symbolize natural resources, while humans represent the industrial side of the whaling business. Furthermore, Ahab thens calls for the time, which connects to the mechanical clock description of the sperm whale. What is the significance of time within this scene? Does it suggest a connection or bridge between the two natures of the whaling business?

DQ's 42-44

1. Is Ishmael's philosophical rambling supposed to confuse the reader? Is the lack of perfect logic in the chapter the Whiteness of the Whale supposed to hint at the lack of logic in racism?

2. Ishmael points out the absurdity of searching for one whale in all of the ocean, but then continues on talking about Ahab's ability to calculate latitudes and tracking where sperm whales may be at certain times of the year. Could Ishmael be justifying Ahab's quest and could he believe that Ahab is actually capable of tracking one whale?

3. As Ishmael talks about Ahab and his obsession with killing the white whale he says, "yielding up all his thoughts and fancies to his one supreme purpose; that purpose, its own sheer inveteracy of will, forced itself against gods and devils into a kind of self-assumed, independent being of its own" (170). Could Ahab's obsession, which consumes him, be even more dangerous than the whale itself? Is Ahab putting himself in more danger than its worth? And even if Ahab does kill the whale, does the whale ultimately win because Ahab has already lost control of his own self?

Discussion Questions for Chapters 42-44

1) Race

Of course, the classic question: to what extent is Ishmael discussing race in his discussion of "whiteness"? How can a reader extend his statements into allegorical commentary on American society? He says the following:

With whatever is sweet and honorable and sublime, there yet lurks an elusive something in the innermost idea of this hue, which strikes more of a panic to the soul than that redness which affrights the blood. (160)

Is Ishmael referring to the true nature of white individuals—slave owners and racists—underneath their skin?


2) Footnotes

Melville's use of footnotes has been relatively infrequent so far. In chapter 42, however, he includes an extensive footnote about Ishmael's (or perhaps his own) first sighting of an albatros:

I remember the first albatross I ever saw. It was during a prolonged gale, in waters hard upon the Antarctic seas. From my forenoon watch below, I ascended to the overclouded deck; and there, dashed upon the main hatches, I saw a regal, feathery thing of unspotted whiteness, and with a hooked, Roman bill sublime. At intervals, it arched forth its vast archangel wings, as if to embrace some holy ark. Wondrous flutterings and throbbings shook it. Though bodily unharmed, it uttered cries, as some king's ghost in supernatural distress. Through its inexpressible, strange eyes, methought I peeped to secrets which took hold of God. As Abraham before the angels, I bowed myself; the white thing was so white, its wings so wide, and in those for ever exiled waters, I had lost the miserable warping memories of traditions and of towns. Long I gazed at that prodigy of plumage. I cannot tell, can only hint, the things that darted through me then. But at last I awoke; and turning, asked a sailor what bird was this. A goney, he replied. Goney! never had heard that name before; is it conceivable that this glorious thing is utterly unknown to men ashore! never! But some time after, I learned that goney was some seaman's name for albatross. So that by no possibility could Coleridge's wild Rhyme have had aught to do with those mystical impressions which were mine, when I saw that bird upon our deck. For neither had I then read the Rhyme, nor knew the bird to be an albatross. Yet, in saying this, I do but indirectly burnish a little brighter the noble merit of the poem and the poet. 

I assert, then, that in the wondrous bodily whiteness of the bird chiefly lurks the secret of the spell; a truth the more evinced in this, that by a solecism of terms there are birds called grey albatrosses; and these I have frequently seen, but never with such emotions as when I beheld the Antarctic fowl.

But how had the mystic thing been caught? Whisper it not, and I will tell; with a treacherous hook and line, as the fowl floated on the sea. At last the Captain made a postman of it; tying a lettered, leathern tally round its neck, with the ship's time and place; and then letting it escape. But I doubt not, that leathern tally, meant for man, was taken off in Heaven, when the white fowl flew to join the wing-folding, the invoking, and adoring cherubim! (162-163)

What does this signify? Why, suddenly, does Melville provide so much detail about this single bird?


3) Conscious Analysis

When elaborating on the characteristics of "whiteness," Ishmael claims that "without imagination no man can follow another into these halls" (162). What does he mean by this? How much thought does it take to break down the context and associations of "whiteness"?

42-44 DQ's

1) Amid the numerous celebrations of the color white, Ishmael explains that it also pushes something to be more terrible or intimidating: "This elusive quality it is, which causes the thought of whiteness, when divorced from more kindly associations, and coupled with any object terrible in itself, to heighten that terror to the furthest bounds" (160). Directly referring to the Polar Bear and Great White, could Ishmael also be referring to the terribleness of his own skin? Due to meeting Queequeg and other various skin colors, could he see that, though it's well known that men are terrible, the white men are potentially the most terrible?

2) "Cough be damned! Pass along that return bucket" (166).  "Hark!" offers an interesting dialogue between a sailor who is searching for drama and rumor while the other simply wants to get his job done. Is this a depiction of the English/American desire for drama against the Peruvian (Cholo) determination to his work? Subtly pushing the question of where American dedication and passion lies?

3) "...While he himself was marking out lines and courses on the wrinkled charts, some invisible pencil was also tracing lines and courses upon the deeply marked chart of his forehead" (167). While Ahab pursues revenge against the White Whale, he doesn't realize the stress it puts on his body. As he "sleeps with clenched hands" and "wakes with... bloody nails in his palms" (169). While Moby Dick roams free, especially free of stress (as we know), Ahab is beating himself up under his own desire and pressure of finding the whale and achieving revenge, is this an image we should understand to be in effect in our lives? Is revenge really necessary? Particularly going through all the pain he has been through to get it?

Chapter 42-44 Discussion Questions

1. Why would Ishmael equate the disgusting qualities of whiteness with land in the paragraph that begins “First: …” (Chapter 42)? What comparisons can we draw between Ishmael’s view of land here and his view of land in Chapter 23: The Lee Shore? How has Ishmael’s perception of land changed?

2. Why would Ishmael/Melville follow such a pivotal and philosophical chapter with the lighthearted dialogue in Chapter 43? Does Ishmael want us to move quickly from his philosophical treatise onto the mystery regarding the stowaways? Or is he suggesting that his ramblings are relatively insignificant given the circumstances at hand?

3. In Chapter 44, is Ishmael attempting to portray Ahab as a hero for coming up with his masterful mapping system and plan to catch Moby Dick? How does the theme of fate versus free will manifest itself in the character of Ahab? In the last paragraph, is Melville detaching Ahab’s body from his soul – his desire for vengeance – when he writes, “the [White Whale] was the eternal, living principle or soul in him; and in sleep, being for the time dissociated from the characterizing mind, which at other times employed it for its outer vehicle or agent, it spontaneously sought escape from the scorching contiguity of the frantic thing, of which, for the time, it was not longer an integral” (last paragraph of Chapter 44)?