Blehhh, I do hate the summer.

I apologize for the lack of a chapter last week, I was defeated by the heat. Even with a chapter this slim, I couldn’t muster up any cogent thoughts, so I left it alone. There are some more extremely short chapters in the offing, I may do some multiple-chapter weeks comin’ up.

Summary

Ahab takes the helm of the Pequod. Starbuck advises caution, and taking down some of the sails that are still in danger of being destroyed. But Ahab won’t have it, and insists that everything be left as it is, and lashed in place.

After Starbuck departs, Ahab mocks him for his cowardice.

Analysis

How do you follow up that last chapter? Well, by going small once again. Much like the aftermath of Ahab’s initial declaration of his true mission of vengeance, we’re gonna get a little bit of a zoom-in here. The focus of the story will stay in this moment, seeing exactly how the crew and especially the officers are reacting.

First up is… Ahab! How is he feeling after feeling the burning pulse of the pale fire running through his very veins?

Absolute Confidence

Well, it looks like he’s feelin’ pretty dang good, to me.

Ahab has taken the turn of events in the last chapter, where he felt that power pass through him without killing or maiming him, as an endorsement of his quest by the forces of nature. This has restored his confidence, banished those lingering doubts we’ve seen in recent chapters.

The rubber has met the road. This is, effectively, the point of no return. The storm is pushing against them, back towards Nantucket, as powerfully as it can, but he will not be denied. Truly, now, his soul is set on iron rails!

But really, the biggest difference is that he is now not tortured by his mission, but glorying in it. He’s making jokes, he’s giving orders, he’s acting with real confidence once again. The careful old man locked away in his cabin is gone now, Ahab has been unleashed.

Gambler’s High

Ahab in this chapter really reminds me of the feeling when you take a big chance and it pays off. Personally, I don’t have a lot of experience with actual gambling, but I know it from many other sorts of games.

Deciding to just say “fuck it” and rolling with what you have, instead of playing it safe, and then that working out in your favor always makes one feel a certain giddy sort of invulnerability. Well, I suppose it can engender different feelings in different people and under different circumstances, of course, but in the life-or-death stakes that Ahab is playing with, it only makes sense that he has gone manic.

At this point, after literally being struck by lightning and being completely unharmed, Ahab is convinced of his invincibility. But, it is still… somewhat tenuous. This is why he’s so insistent about not striking anything, not taking down any sails, not moving any ropes, don’t change anything about the ship.

Everything needs to be how it was at that moment, when he succeeded. Think of a sports fan always wearing a lucky sock, the sock that they wore when their team last won the championship. It’s impossible to say what about the current circumstance added up to things going in his favor, but he won’t risk ruining it.

The thing that makes this so recognizable is the heady mix of fear and happiness. Ahab is confident, but knows that this is a delicate business. He has been holding himself back, but now he’s moving into action, so he may as well do it.

---

Not a ton to say about this one. We’ve been looking closely at Ahab a lot lately, I suppose I’ve said what I need to say. There’s some weird, archaic language in this chapter, but it really just adds up to him being suicidally confident. It’s the sort of thing you could read a lot into, thematically, but not along the lines I’ve been taking things. Good grist for the mills of the people who think this is some sort of elaborate allegory for consciousness or whatever.

Until next time, shipmates!