Chapter 98. Stowing Down and Clearing Up
“Already has it been related how the great leviathan is afar off descried from the mast-head; how he is chased over the watery moors, and slaughtered in the valleys of the deep; how he is then towed alongside and beheaded; and how (on the principle which entitled the headsman of old to the garments in which the beheaded was killed) his great padded surtout becomes the property of his executioner; how, in due time, he is condemned to the pots, and, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, his spermaceti, oil, and bone pass unscathed through the fire;—but now it remains to conclude the last chapter of this part of the description by rehearsing—singing, if I may—the romantic proceeding of decanting off his oil into the casks and striking them down into the hold,”
Musings:
Just in case you missed any of the steps as to how a whale is caught, killed, stripped, and burned down for oil, Ishmael recaps it in this chapter. Then he tells us how the casks of oil are placed in the ship’s hold.
It is a lot of work and that seems to be the point here. For us to learn about what a noble job these whalers have. How difficult their work is and how nice it is when the job is complete and the deck is clean and the oil is put away. Until the men in the mast shout “Whale Ho!” and it all begins again.
I don’t think there are any moral lessons in this chapter. Ish is just bringing his world to life. I actually like how I can pretty much picture the entire process.
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