How does ch. 43 move the narrative forward?  What does it add to the novel?  In ch. 44, where is …

What is Moby Dick to Ishmael?  Why does the whiteness of the whale so appall him, and why does he …

Is the whale agent of some larger force or principal (the force itself)?  Is it consciously malign or a dumb …

What has happened to the novel’s narrator and point-of-view?  Why is Ahab “damned in the midst of Paradise”?  (p. 183 …

What happens to the narrator?  Why does the structure of the novel suddenly become like a stage play?  How does …

What three things do masthead standers look for?  What happens to you while standing on the masthead?  Why is Ishmael …

Why do chapters 33 and 34 follow immediately after the cetology chapter?  What is Ishmael classifying?  How do the mates …

What is the purpose of the cetology chapter?  Why does Melville say it is so difficult to classify whales?  By …

What brief does Ishmael make for the profession of whaling?  How does he characterize the profession?  How do you interpret …

Why is ch. 23 devoted to Bulkington (“this six-inch chapter is the stoneless grave of Bulkington” (116 [96]). What is …