In the first paragraph Ishmael makes  an observation about people, in general. Summarize it. Do you agree? Explain. In what …

What idea about whales does Ishmael attempt to convey here? Historically, is Ishmael right? Describe Ahab’s accident before the Pequod …

Why does Ishmael suggest that the whale’s skeleton gives an inaccurate sense of the whale? Explain the philosophical implications of …

Compare the passage in this chapter about weaving with the one in chapter 47. How do they differ? How is …

Captain Boomer is another foil for Ahab. What does this encounter add to the ideas you have about Ahab? What …

How do the various characters interpret the doubloon? Does each interpretation shed more light on the subject or the viewer? …

To what is whale oil compared at the end of the chapter? What do the whalers do with it? What …

Explain the analogy in this chapter between Ahab and the Pequod. What passages suggest this most strongly? What are some …

What does Ishmael’s state of mind seem to be in this chapter? What puts him in that frame of mind? …

What about the final use of ambergris is ironic? How might the situation be interpreted, as Ishmael suggests, symbolically? What …