Moby-Dick discussion questions Chapter 80 “The Nut” and Chapter 81 “The Pequod Meets the Virgin”
What is phrenology? How does it relate to Ishmael’s assertion that, “The whale, like all things that are mighty, wears a fake brow to the common world”?
How does this relate to the surface/depth theme? Does it connect to any others?
What is the tone of this chase and kill? What does the inclusion of the Jungfrau and its captain add?
Does anything in this chapter (any passage) speak strongly toward environmentalist ideals?
Describe the tone of the chapter’s end? Does the final sentence seem true to you? Explain?
