Chapter 109 - Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 109 - Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin
What problem does Starbuck report to Ahab at the start of Chapter 109?
The oil casks in the hold are leaking, and oil is coming up with the pumped water.
What does "up Burtons and break out" mean in this chapter?
It means to hoist the tackle (Burtons) and open the hold to access and repair the leaking oil casks.
What is Ahab studying when Starbuck enters the cabin?
Charts of the oriental archipelagoes and the eastern coasts of Japan (Niphon, Matsmai, and Sikoke).
Why is it significant that Ahab is studying charts near Japan?
Ahab expects to find Moby Dick in the waters near Japan, revealing that his true focus is the White Whale, not whaling.
What does Starbuck mean by "What we come twenty thousand miles to get is worth saving"?
He means the whale oil they have collected, which represents the commercial purpose of the voyage.
What does Ahab mean by "So it is, so it is; if we get it"?
Ahab is thinking of Moby Dick, not the oil. He agrees something is worth saving but refers to the White Whale, not the cargo.
What metaphor does Ahab use when he says "I'm all aleak myself"?
He compares his spiritual and psychological decay to the leaking casks, saying he is a leaky vessel in a leaky ship that he cannot repair.
What does Ahab say when Starbuck mentions the ship's owners?
He dismisses them, saying "the only real owner of anything is its commander" and that his conscience is "in this ship's keel."
What weapon does Ahab use to threaten Starbuck?
A loaded musket taken from the cabin rack.
What does Ahab declare while pointing the musket at Starbuck?
"There is one God that is Lord over the earth, and one Captain that is lord over the Pequod."
How does Starbuck distinguish between being "outraged" and "insulted"?
He says Ahab has outraged (wronged him by force) but not insulted him (attacked his dignity), implying Ahab's tyranny damages Ahab more than Starbuck.
What is Starbuck's parting warning to Ahab?
"Let Ahab beware of Ahab; beware of thyself, old man." He warns that Ahab's greatest enemy is his own obsession.
How does Ahab react internally to Starbuck's warning?
He is struck by it, murmuring "there's something there!" and pacing the cabin while using the musket as a staff.
What does Ahab ultimately decide about the oil casks?
He reverses his position and orders the crew to furl sails, back the main-yard, and break out the main-hold to repair the casks.
What two possible motives does the narrator suggest for Ahab's reversal?
A flash of honesty, or prudential policy to prevent open disaffection in his chief officer.
What is the central thematic conflict in Chapter 109?
The conflict between the commercial purpose of the voyage (collecting and preserving whale oil) and Ahab's obsessive quest to kill Moby Dick.
How is Starbuck's bravery described by the narrator?
His daring is "strangely respectful and cautious," seeking to avoid outward manifestation while being internally distrustful of itself.
What does Ahab call Starbuck after returning to the deck?
"Thou art but too good a fellow, Starbuck," acknowledging Starbuck's virtue even as he frames it as a limitation.
What does the Pequod's location near Formosa and the Bashee Isles signify?
The ship is approaching the Pacific hunting grounds where Ahab believes he will find Moby Dick, making his refusal to stop for repairs even more revealing.
What is the routine procedure described in the chapter's footnote about oil casks?
Casks are regularly drenched with sea-water via a hose to keep them damply tight; the character of the withdrawn water reveals any leakage.