Chapter 63 - The Crotch Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 63 - The Crotch
What is the crotch on a whaleboat?
A notched stick about two feet long, inserted vertically into the starboard gunwale near the bow, used as a rest for the harpoons.
Where on the whaleboat is the crotch placed?
It is perpendicularly inserted into the starboard gunwale near the bow.
What analogy does Ishmael use for snatching a harpoon from the crotch?
He compares it to a backwoodsman swinging his rifle from the wall.
What are the first and second irons?
The two harpoons that customarily rest in the crotch, both connected by separate cords to the whale line.
Why are two harpoons darted at the same whale?
So that if one iron pulls free during the whale's drag, the other may still retain a hold — "a doubling of the chances."
What makes it difficult to throw the second iron into the whale?
The instantaneous, violent, convulsive running of the whale after receiving the first iron makes it nearly impossible for the harpooneer to pitch the second.
Why must the second iron be thrown overboard if it cannot be darted into the whale?
Because it is already connected to the running line, keeping it in the boat would create the most terrible jeopardy for all hands.
What are "spare coils of box line"?
Extra lengths of line mentioned in a preceding chapter that make it prudently practicable to toss the second iron overboard safely.
How does Ishmael describe the loose second iron once it is overboard?
As a "dangling, sharp-edged terror, skittishly curvetting about both boat and whale."
What damage can a loose second iron cause?
It can entangle or cut the lines and cause the saddest and most fatal casualties among the crew.
When can the loose second iron be secured again?
Generally not until the whale is fairly captured and a corpse.
How many loose irons could be dangling around one whale if four boats engage it?
Eight or ten loose second irons could be simultaneously dangling about the whale.
Why does each boat carry several extra harpoons?
To bend on to the line should the first harpoon be ineffectually darted without recovery.
What metaphor opens Chapter 63?
"Out of the trunk, the branches grow; out of them, the twigs. So, in productive subjects, grow the chapters."
What does the opening tree metaphor suggest about the novel's structure?
That technical digressional chapters grow naturally from the main narrative, like branches and twigs from a trunk.
What does Ishmael foreshadow at the end of Chapter 63?
He says these details will elucidate important passages in scenes "hereafter to be painted," pointing to the climactic chase of Moby Dick.
What word does Ishmael use to describe the loose iron's movement?
"Curvetting" — meaning prancing or leaping about erratically.
What is the tone of Chapter 63?
It is primarily expository and technical, but shifts to ominous when describing the dangers of loose irons and foreshadowing future events.