Plot Summary
In Chapter 18, Ishmael brings Queequeg to the Pequod to sign on as a crewmember, but the ship's Quaker co-owners, Captains Peleg and Bildad, immediately object. Peleg loudly declares he allows no cannibals aboard unless they can produce proper papers, while Bildad demands proof that Queequeg has converted to Christianity and is in communion with a Christian church. Ishmael initially claims Queequeg belongs to the First Congregational Church, but when pressed by Bildad's pointed questions, he pivots to a grander argument: all human beings belong to the same great "First Congregation" of the worshipping world, regardless of their particular creeds.
Peleg is so impressed by Ishmael's sermon-like speech that he relents. But it is Queequeg's extraordinary demonstration of skill that truly seals the matter. Without speaking, Queequeg leaps into a whale-boat, identifies a tiny spot of tar floating in the water, and hurls his harpoon across the entire deck to strike it perfectly. Stunned, Peleg immediately orders Bildad to fetch the ship's papers and offers Queequeg the ninetieth lay—an unusually generous share for a harpooneer.
When the time comes to sign the documents, Queequeg cannot write his name. Instead, he copies onto the paper a queer round figure that matches one of the tattoos on his arm. Peleg, who persistently mangles Queequeg's name into "Quohog" and "Hedgehog," records it accordingly. Meanwhile, Bildad presses a religious tract entitled "The Latter Day Coming; or No Time to Lose" into Queequeg's hands, earnestly beseeching him to abandon his pagan ways. The chapter closes with Peleg and Bildad debating whether piety helps or harms a harpooneer, with Peleg recounting how a devout young whaler named Nat Swaine lost his nerve after converting, and Bildad countering with a memory of a deadly typhoon they survived alongside Captain Ahab.
Character Development
Queequeg emerges in this chapter as a figure of quiet dignity and supreme competence. He says almost nothing yet commands attention through action—his breathtaking harpoon throw speaks louder than any argument Ishmael could make. His decision to sign with a tattooed symbol rather than a written name underscores his refusal to abandon his cultural identity even as he enters a Western institution.
Ishmael reveals his growing role as Queequeg's advocate and cultural translator. His improvised speech about the universal church demonstrates both his philosophical depth and his willingness to bend the truth in service of friendship.
Peleg proves himself a pragmatist who values competence over convention. Though initially hostile, he quickly reverses course once Queequeg demonstrates his value as a harpooneer, even joking about Ishmael's missionary potential.
Bildad represents religious orthodoxy carried to the point of obsession. His concern for Queequeg's soul is sincere, but his inability to look beyond doctrinal boundaries makes him appear small-minded beside his partner's practical wisdom.
Themes and Motifs
Religious Universalism vs. Exclusivity: The central conflict of the chapter pits institutional Christianity against Ishmael's expansive vision of a universal human congregation. Melville uses the Quaker owners' demand for Christian credentials to expose the arbitrary nature of religious gatekeeping.
Prejudice and Merit: Queequeg faces racial and cultural prejudice but overcomes it entirely through demonstrated skill. The chapter argues that competence is the only credential that truly matters aboard a whaling vessel.
Identity and the "Mark": The chapter's title carries a double meaning—Queequeg's tattooed signature on the ship's papers and the "mark" he makes as a harpooneer. Both forms of marking assert his identity outside Western conventions of literacy and naming.
Literary Devices
Dramatic Irony: The Quaker owners demand Christian conversion while themselves embodying the very un-Christian qualities of prejudice and exploitation. Bildad's frugality and Peleg's gruffness undercut their moral authority.
Comic Mispronunciation: Peleg's repeated mangling of Queequeg's name—"Quohog," "Hedgehog"—serves as both comic relief and a subtle commentary on the refusal of Western characters to engage seriously with non-Western identity.
Foreshadowing: Peleg's anecdote about surviving a typhoon with Captain Ahab is the first direct account of Ahab's seamanship and courage, building anticipation for the captain's eventual appearance. Bildad's mention of "Death and the Judgment" foreshadows the darker themes to come.
Juxtaposition: Melville contrasts Bildad's bookish religiosity with Peleg's experiential pragmatism, the silence of Queequeg's harpoon throw with the verbosity of the owners' interrogation, and the formality of written contracts with the authenticity of a tattooed mark.