Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Ahab Confronts Carpenter and Pip

Ahab notices Pip following him and sends the boy away, promising to return shortly. He then approaches the carpenter and comments on the coffin near the hatchway, warning “Beware the hatchway!” before noting how conveniently it sits near the vault. When the carpenter misunderstands, Ahab clarifies his morbid observation about the proximity of the coffin to danger.

Ahab Teases Carpenter Over His Trades

Ahab questions the carpenter about his various trades, recognizing the leg he lost was made by this same craftsman. He points out the contradiction of a man who makes legs one day, coffins to put them in the next, and then life-buoys from those same coffins. Ahab calls him an “arrant, all-grasping, intermeddling, monopolising, heathenish old scamp” and “jack-of-all-trades.” The carpenter remains unruffled, explaining simply that he “does as he do.”

Carpenter Remarks on Ahab’s Fiery Temper

The carpenter observes to himself that Ahab’s sudden mood shifts remind him of sudden squalls in hot latitudes. He compares Ahab to the Isle of Albemarle in the Galapagos, cut by the Equator in its middle, noting that “some sort of Equator cuts yon old man too, right in his middle.” The carpenter views Ahab as perpetually “fiery hot,” likening himself to a professor of musical glasses tapping with his caulking mallet while the captain watches.

Ahab Questions Carpenter on Work Songs

Ahab asks if the carpenter ever sings while working on coffins, invoking the Titans who hummed while chipping out volcanic craters, and the grave-digger from Hamlet who sings spade in hand. The carpenter explains that the caulking mallet is full of music because the coffin lid serves as a sounding-board, and “there’s naught beneath.” Ahab then asks if he has heard a coffin knock against a churchyard gate when carrying a bier, and the carpenter begins to respond but is interrupted when Ahab asks about his use of the word “faith.”