June 19, 2019 - Chapter Thirty-four

In this chapter, we get the details on the eating habits of the officers and harpooners. Ahab and the three mates eat first, after which the three harpooners gather and eat, which is a far more informal and earthy affair. With the officers, there is a clear hierarchy, right down to the order in which they are called into the meal: Ahab is first down to Flask, who is last. With the harpooners, it is far more egalitarian, in keeping with the division in the crew already established. What’s curious is that Ishmael does not tell us how or when the sailors eat, although that information could presumably come later.

A small issue that arises here is Ishmael comparing the meal of the officers to the German Emperor in Frankfurt eating with the prince electors. The Holy Roman Empire was abolished in 1807, so there was no longer any such ceremony when this novel was written. Whether ignorance of this fact is Ishmael’s, Melville’s, or their both is not clear.