What battering-ram does Ishmael here describe? Why is this possibly important for the plot of the novel? Why is this …

Summarize Stubb and Flask’s impressions of Fedallah. Explain why they think this way. Why does the Pequod hunt the right …

Describe the ways in which Gabriel is a foil for Ahab In what ways does Ishmael see his position with …

What color is the stripped whale? Could that relate symbolically to Moby-Dick? Explain. Comment on Ishmael’s exclamation: “Oh, horrible vulturism …

What strikes you most about the process of cutting in? Describe the impression you think Melville wants you to have …

What does Ishmael say in this chapter that sounds like modern environmentalism? Why does he say this? What observation does …

Explain how the cook’s “sermon” to the sharks is an  analogy for Father Mapple’s sermon earlier. What does the analogy …

What is Ishmael’s attitude toward harpooners in this chapter? What is his attitude toward the conventions of whaling? What seems …

Near the end of the chapter, Ishmael makes a metaphor about the whale’s “innermost life.” Explain why he makes such …

What mistake occurs in this chapter? Why? Why might Melville mention that the sperm whale alone “obtains his whole food …