June 22, 2019 - Chapter Thirty-six (pp. 159-163)


Finally we learn the name of our whale and why the book is titled as it is. We also begin to learn the depth of Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick and why he so badly wants to kill the white whale. Among the several curiosities of this chapter, two stand out the most. First, it is the first of several chapters that are introduced with the type of stage directions one would be accustomed to seeing in Shakespeare or other dramatic authors but not in a novel; in this chapter, part of Ahab’s dialogue is even set off with a stage direction of “Aside,” to indicate he’s talking to himself.

Second is the curious ceremony by which Ahab swears in the crew to the task of hunting Moby Dick. It bears all the markings of a religious rite, down to the drinking of alcohol. The thing that struck me the most was Ahab asking the harpooners to remove the tips of their harpoons before him, presumably to indicate their submission to him – a laying down of arms. Finally, obviously essential is Starbuck’s reluctance to go along with Ahab’s pursuit of the whale, which likely has repercussions for later in the novel.

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