Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Mast-head Cry

The long-awaited cry finally rings out from the mast-head: “There she blows—she blows—she blows! right ahead!” Stubb recognizes the announcement with satisfaction, having anticipated the sighting, and taunts the whale mercilessly, declaring that it cannot escape despite its spouting and trumpeting. He calls upon Ahab himself to dam off the whale’s blood like a miller shutting his watergate, showing how deeply the frenzies of the chase have consumed the entire crew, transforming them into a unified force of determination and aggression.

Chase Frenzy

The frenzied excitement of the chase has worked upon the crew like old wine fermented anew. Whatever pale fears or forebodings some men may have felt earlier have been completely overwhelmed by the growing awe of Ahab and the stirring perils of the previous day. The crew moves as a single entity rather than thirty separate individuals, unified by the ship’s construction of contrasting materials—oak, maple, pine, iron, pitch, and hemp—all running together into one concrete hull directed by the central keel. Their hearts are bowled along by the wild craft’s reckless approach toward its mark, while an invisible wind fills their sails with irresistible force, symbolizing the unseen agency that has enslaved them to the pursuit.

Rigging Manned

The rigging comes alive with activity as the mast-heads, resembling the tufted tops of tall palm trees, become covered with sailors clinging to the spars. Some men reach out with impatient wavings while grasping a spar with one hand, others shade their eyes from the brilliant sunlight while sitting far out on the rocking yards. Every spar bears its full complement of mortals, all ready and prepared for whatever fate awaits them, as they strain through the infinite blueness of the sky and sea to spot the creature that might destroy them.