Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Nantucket Commanders’ Skill

The narrative elaborates on the extraordinary navigational abilities possessed by the great whaling captains of Nantucket. These skilled hunters can observe a whale’s last known position and predict with remarkable accuracy both the direction it will continue swimming while out of sight and its probable rate of speed during that period. The author draws an extended comparison to a pilot navigating along a familiar coastline, using visible landmarks to calculate the course toward distant, unseen destinations. Like a train engineer who knows a locomotive’s every movement and can predict its arrival time, these whalemen time the great Leviathan of the deep according to the observed humor of its speed, confidently declaring that a whale will reach a certain latitude or longitude at a specific hour. However, the text notes that favorable wind and sea conditions must ally with the hunter’s skill for this expertise to prove useful in the end.

Ship Tears On

The Pequod charges forward through the ocean with tremendous velocity, leaving a deep furrow in the sea comparable to a cannon-ball that transforms from a weapon into a agricultural tool, turning up a level field. Stubb enthusiastically cries out about the swift motion that tingles through the legs and heart, declaring that the ship and he are two brave fellows. He humorously suggests launching himself spine-wise into the sea, declaring his spine to be a keel like the live-oak timbers of the vessel. Stubb celebrates their speed with boisterous laughter, noting that they travel at a pace that leaves no dust behind, capturing the exhilarating momentum of the chase.