Moby Dick; Or, The Whale

Polar Citadels

Whale-bone whales possess two impregnable fortresses—their Polar citadels. When hunted from the middle seas, they retreat to polar regions, diving beneath icy barriers to emerge among floes in a “charmed circle of everlasting December” where they defy all human pursuit. These refuges will apparently remain inaccessible to hunters forever.

Whale Longevity

The probable great longevity of whales—likely exceeding a century—means that several distinct adult generations coexist at any given time. To comprehend this, one must imagine all graveyards and family vaults releasing the bodies of everyone alive seventy-five years ago, adding that countless host to the present human population.

Species Immortality

The chapter concludes that the whale is immortal in species though perishable in individuality. He swam before the continents broke water, swam over sites now occupied by the Tuileries, Windsor Castle, and the Kremlin. He despised Noah’s Ark during the Flood, and will survive any future world flood—rearing upon the topmost crest of the equatorial deluge, spouting defiance to the skies.

第一百零六章 Ahab’s Leg.

This chapter explores the damage and history of Captain Ahab’s ivory prosthetic leg, revealing both the physical deterioration of the limb and the deeper philosophical darkness of Ahab’s character concerning grief and suffering.

Ahab’s Leg Injury Departing the Samuel Enderby

When Captain Ahab departed the Samuel Enderby of London, he did so with violence to his own person. He had lighted with such energy upon a thwart of his boat that his ivory leg received a half-splintering shock. Later, when he wheeled around with an urgent command to the steersman about not steering inflexibly enough, the already shaken ivory received such an additional twist and wrench that though it still appeared entire and lusty, Ahab did not deem it entirely trustworthy.