Chapters 36-40 Summary
Ahab calls all the crew to the upper deck, nails a gold coin to the mast, and offers it as a reward to the first person who spots a white whale with a distinct, wrinkled forehead and a crooked jaw. He explains that this whale is the infamous and elusive Moby Dick—the whale responsible for Ahab’s lost leg and the ruination of his previous vessel—and declares that their journey's goal is to hunt and kill it. All of the crew, with the exception of Starbuck, rally behind Ahab's mission, cheered by the promise of gold and adventure.
The responses to Ahab’s announcement vary: Ahab himself struggles to relish the beauteous scenes before him, feeling beset by deities that drive him forward, only to be once more defeated; Starbuck ponders the control that Ahab holds over him, feeling similarly bound to the determined older man; and Stubb argues that everything is predetermined, so the best course of action is to laugh at its absurdity.
The sailors engage in various activities, such as drinking, dancing, singing, and fighting. When a storm approaches, the festivities come to an end, and they must quickly reduce the sails. Meanwhile, the scared cabin boy, Pip, pleads to the powerful and benevolent "big white God" to show mercy towards him, a small black child.
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