July 29, 2019 - Chapter Eighty-seven (pp. 376-382)


In this longish chapter, the narrative picks up again, with us first being reminded of where the Pequod is, i.e., in the seas around Indonesia, heading toward the eastern coast of Japan for whaling season. Two curiosities struck me in reading these pages. First is that the Pequod does not to stop at ports to provision itself for food or water because it carries no cargo and only crew. Therefore, much of the space on the ship that would be occupied by cargo can hold sufficient board for everyone. Second is the footnote on the word gally provided in this chapter, which just struck me as odd given how many other words are used in the novel that are not explained.

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