Chapter 113 - The Forge Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 113 - The Forge
What is Perth doing when Ahab first approaches him?
Holding a pike-head in the coals with one hand and working the forge bellows with the other, wearing a shark-skin apron.
What does Ahab compare the sparks from Perth's anvil to?
Mother Carey's chickens -- seabirds (storm petrels) considered birds of omen.
Why does Perth say the sparks cannot scorch him?
"Because I am scorched all over, Captain Ahab... I am past scorching -- not easily can'st thou scorch a scar."
What does Ahab demand Perth should feel instead of calm sorrow?
Madness. Ahab says he is "impatient of all misery in others that is not mad" and asks why Perth does not go mad.
What is the "one" seam or dent Perth cannot smooth?
The deep wrinkle on Ahab's brow -- the visible mark of his obsession, which has "worked down into the bone of my skull."
What material does Ahab provide for forging the harpoon?
Gathered nail-stubs of the steel shoes of racing horses -- the hardest and stubbornest steel a blacksmith can work.
How many iron rods does Ahab demand for the harpoon's shank?
Twelve rods, to be wound, twisted, and hammered together "like the yarns and strands of a tow-line."
How does Ahab test the twelve rods for flaws?
He spirals each rod with his own hand around a long, heavy iron bolt, rejecting any with a flaw.
What unusual step does Ahab take during the welding?
He insists on welding the twelve rods into one himself, rather than letting Perth do it.
What does Fedallah do during the forging?
He passes silently, bowing his head toward the fire, seeming to invoke "some curse or some blessing on the toil."
What does Stubb say about Fedallah during the forging scene?
"That Parsee smells fire like a fusee; and smells of it himself, like a hot musket's powder-pan."
What does Ahab say when the hot iron scalds his face during tempering?
"Would'st thou brand me, Perth?... have I been but forging my own branding-iron, then?"
What does Ahab use for the harpoon's barbs?
His own steel razors -- "the best of steel" -- declaring he has no more need for shaving or personal grooming.
Why does Ahab refuse to temper the harpoon in water?
"No, no -- no water for that; I want it of the true death-temper." He demands human blood instead.
Which three crew members provide blood to temper the harpoon barbs?
Tashtego, Queequeg, and Daggoo -- the three harpooneers, referred to by Ahab as "pagans."
What Latin phrase does Ahab howl during the baptism?
"Ego non baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli!" -- "I baptize you not in the name of the Father, but in the name of the Devil!"
What kind of wood does Ahab choose for the harpoon pole?
Hickory, with the bark still on it.
How does Ahab test the tow-line before attaching it?
He stretches it to great tension on the windlass, presses his foot on it until it hums like a harp-string, and checks for strandings.
To what mythological figures does the narrator compare the bound pole, iron, and rope?
The Three Fates (Moirae) of Greek mythology -- suggesting the weapon carries the force of destiny.
What sound is heard as Ahab walks away with the finished harpoon?
The hollow ringing of his ivory leg and the hickory pole along the planks, followed by the wretched laugh of Pip.
What is the significance of Pip's appearance at the end of the chapter?
Pip's mad, piteous laugh mirrors and mocks the dark ceremony, his "strange mummeries" blending with "the black tragedy of the melancholy ship."
What does the forging scene symbolize about Ahab's spiritual state?
It represents Ahab's complete inversion of Christian values -- replacing baptism with blood ritual and dedicating his mission to the Devil rather than God.