Chapter 50 - Ahab's Boat and Crew. Fedallah Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 50 - Ahab's Boat and Crew. Fedallah
Why are Stubb and Flask amazed at the start of Chapter 50?
They are amazed that Captain Ahab, despite having only one leg, personally goes out in a whaleboat to hunt whales.
What is Flask's argument for why Ahab can manage in a whaleboat?
Flask argues that since Ahab's leg was not cut off at the hip and he still has one knee and part of the other, the disability does not truly disable him.
What joke does Stubb make about Ahab's leg?
When Flask says Ahab has one knee, Stubb replies: "I don't know that, my little man; I never yet saw him kneel."
What general debate among "whale-wise people" does Melville reference?
Whether it is right for a whaling captain to jeopardize his irreplaceable life in the active perils of the chase.
What historical comparison does Melville draw to the debate about a captain joining the hunt?
He compares it to Tamerlane's soldiers arguing, with tears in their eyes, whether their invaluable leader's life should be carried into the thickest of the fight.
Did the joint-owners of the Pequod intend for Ahab to hunt as a headsman?
No. They never intended for Ahab to have a boat apportioned to him or five extra men as a crew. Ahab took "private measures" without their knowledge.
What are thole-pins and why was Ahab making them?
Thole-pins are pegs set in the gunwale of a boat to serve as oarlocks. Ahab was making them to outfit his own personal whaleboat for the hunt.
What is a "thigh board" or "clumsy cleat"?
A horizontal piece in the boat's bow for bracing the knee against when darting or stabbing at the whale. Ahab carefully shaped one to fit his ivory leg.
Why did Ahab add an extra coat of sheathing to the bottom of his boat?
To make it better withstand the pointed pressure of his ivory limb while he stood bracing himself during the hunt.
What did the crew assume Ahab's boat preparations were for?
They supposed his careful preparations were only in preparation for the ultimate chase of Moby Dick, not for regular headsman duty with a full crew.
Who is Fedallah?
The leader of the five mysterious stowaways Ahab secretly brought aboard. He is a Parsee (Zoroastrian) who serves as Ahab's harpooner and seems to hold an eerie influence over the captain.
How does Melville describe Fedallah's appearance?
He is described as "hair-turbaned" and a creature that civilized, domestic people only see dimly in their dreams.
How does Fedallah differ from the other members of Ahab's secret crew?
While the subordinate phantoms eventually found their place among the regular crew, Fedallah "remained a muffled mystery to the last" and maintained a distinct, otherworldly presence.
What kind of influence does Fedallah seem to have over Ahab?
Melville describes it as "some sort of a half-hinted influence" that might even be authority over Ahab, connected through an "unaccountable tie" to Ahab's peculiar fortunes.
Why does the Pequod's crew accept the phantom stowaways without much alarm?
Because whalers routinely encounter strange people from the far corners of the earth, picking up castaways from wreckage, canoes, and junks. Melville says even Beelzebub could board without causing much excitement.
What does Melville mean by "the ghostly aboriginalness of earth's primal generations"?
He refers to ancient, unchanging civilizations in Asia and the Oriental isles that preserve the mystery and strangeness of humanity's earliest ages, suggesting Fedallah belongs to this primordial world.
What biblical and mythological allusions close Chapter 50?
Melville references Genesis, where angels consorted with the daughters of men, and adds (from the "uncanonical Rabbins") that devils also indulged in earthly love affairs—associating Fedallah with the demonic.
What does Beelzebub represent in the context of Chapter 50?
Beelzebub (a name for the devil) is invoked to show how accustomed whalers are to strange encounters—even Satan himself could board without causing alarm—while also hinting at the demonic nature of Ahab's crew.
What is a headsman in whaling terminology?
A headsman is the officer (mate) who commands a whaleboat during the hunt and delivers the killing lance to the whale.
What word does Melville use to describe Fedallah's relationship with Ahab?
A "muffled mystery"—Fedallah is linked to Ahab's "peculiar fortunes" through an unexplained, seemingly supernatural bond.