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?
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