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?