Stubb’s Excitement
Unlike the quiet, dissatisfied Ahab, Stubb, the Pequod’s second mate, is flushed with the thrill of his successful kill, displaying an unusual but good-natured excitement that leads his superior Starbuck to cede full deck management to him temporarily. Stubb’s liveliness is partly driven by his reputation as a lover of fine food, and his strong fondness for whale meat as a delicacy; he immediately demands a steak cut from the tapered end of his dead whale for his supper.
The Shark Feast
While Stubb eats his whale steak at the capstan head under the glow of two sperm oil lanterns, thousands of sharks swarm around the moored whale carcass, feasting ravenously on its blubber. The sharks’ sharp tail slaps against the ship’s hull startle the sleeping crew below, and they can be seen wallowing in the dark water, gouging out large, symmetrical chunks of blubber from the whale’s body. The text notes that sharks are never more numerous or high-spirited than when gathered around a dead sperm whale moored to a whaleship at night.
Stubb’s Supper
Stubb eats his supper at the capstan, treating the capstan head like a sideboard, and pays no mind to the sharks’ noisy feasting nearby until he calls for the ship’s elderly Black cook, Fleece, to complain that his steak is overdone and too tender. He orders Fleece to take a lantern and go preach to the sharks, telling them they are welcome to eat from the whale but must quiet their noise so Stubb can hear himself think.
The Shark Sermon
The limping, elderly Fleece reluctantly goes to the bulwarks and delivers a rambling, heavily accented sermon to the assembled sharks, first scolding them for their loud smacking and tail slapping, then urging them to eat civilly and not steal blubber from each other. When Stubb interrupts to tell him not to swear while preaching, Fleece adjusts his tone, framing the sharks’ natural voraciousness as something to be governed, and noting that even angels are just well-governed sharks. Fleece eventually concludes the sharks are too ravenous to listen to reason, and delivers a final benediction urging them to eat their fill until their bellies burst, then die, which Stubb enthusiastically approves.
The Old Cook
After his sermon, Fleece returns to Stubb, who interrogates him playfully about his age, birthplace, and cooking skills, teasing him for being nearly 100 years old, born in a ferry boat on the Roanoke, and still unable to properly cook a whale steak. Stubb also teases Fleece about his religious beliefs and afterlife expectations, joking that he would have to climb the ship’s rigging to reach heaven rather than taking the “lubber’s hole” before giving him detailed orders for preparing whale meat cuts for future meals, including pickling fin tips and sousing fluke ends. Fleece limps away grumbling that Stubb is more of a shark than the sharks themselves.
CHAPTER 65. The Whale as a Dish.
This chapter explores the curious practice of consuming whale meat and its byproducts, presenting it as both a historical delicacy and a philosophical meditation on the nature of cannibalism and civilized hypocrisy. The narrator examines why the whale, despite being a valuable source of oil and sustenance for whalers, remains largely unappetizing to land-dwellers, while also questioning the moral consistency of those who criticize unconventional eating habits.
Eating the Whale by Its Own Light
The opening section introduces the central paradox that frames the chapter: the peculiar notion of consuming a creature by the light of its own rendered oil. This practice, exemplified by Stubb, strikes the narrator as remarkably outlandish, necessitating a deeper examination of the historical and philosophical context surrounding whale consumption. The chapter thus embarks on a journey to understand why this seemingly unnatural act occurs and what it reveals about human appetite and civilized sensibilities.
Historical Delicacy of Whale
Historical records indicate that whale tongue, particularly from the Right Whale, commanded premium prices in France three centuries ago during the reign of Henry VIII. A court cook reportedly received substantial reward for creating an innovative sauce specifically designed to accompany barbecued porpoises, a species of whale. These examples demonstrate that whale consumption has a distinguished pedigree in European gastronomy, challenging modern assumptions about the unconventionality of such dietary practices.
The original text of this work is in the public domain. This page focuses on a guided summary article, reading notes, selected quotes, and visual learning materials for educational purposes.