Chapter 99 - The Doubloon Practice Quiz — Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
by Herman Melville — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter 99 - The Doubloon
What object is the focus of Chapter 99, "The Doubloon"?
The Ecuadorian gold doubloon that Ahab nailed to the mainmast as a reward for the first man to sight Moby Dick.
What country minted the doubloon, and what city is inscribed on it?
Ecuador. The inscription reads "REPUBLICA DEL ECUADOR: QUITO."
What three images sit atop the three Andean peaks depicted on the doubloon?
A flame, a tower, and a crowing cock.
What zodiac sign is the sun entering on the doubloon?
Libra, at the equinoctial point.
How does Ahab interpret the doubloon?
He sees the tower, volcano, and cock as representations of himself. He declares the coin mirrors back each man’s own mysterious self.
What does Starbuck see in the doubloon?
He sees the three peaks as a symbol of the Trinity, and the valley between them as the vale of Death with God’s sun shining above as a beacon of hope.
How does Stubb interpret the zodiac signs on the doubloon?
He uses an almanac to read the twelve zodiac signs as a humorous allegory for the stages of human life, from birth (Aries) to death (Pisces).
What is Flask’s interpretation of the doubloon?
He sees only its monetary value: sixteen dollars, which he calculates as nine hundred and sixty cigars at two cents each.
What does the Manxman predict about the doubloon’s zodiac signs?
He predicts that the White Whale must be raised when the sun stands in one of those signs, and he identifies the lion (Leo) as the relevant sign.
How does Queequeg respond to the doubloon?
He compares the symbols on the coin to the tattoos on his own body, seemingly connecting them to his own cultural markings.
What does Fedallah do when he approaches the doubloon?
He silently bows before the image of the sun on the coin, which Stubb interprets as fire worship.
What phrase does Pip repeat when looking at the doubloon?
"I look, you look, he looks; we look, ye look, they look."—a conjugation of the verb "to look."
What does Pip call the doubloon?
He calls it "the ship’s navel" and warns that trying to unscrew it means destruction.
Why has no sailor stolen the doubloon despite it being accessible?
The mariners revere it as the White Whale’s talisman; it is set apart and sanctified to the awe-striking purpose of Ahab’s quest.
What philosophical concept does Chapter 99 dramatize?
The subjectivity of perception—that meaning is not inherent in symbols but is constructed by the observer, as each character projects his own worldview onto the same object.
What does Ahab mean when he says the coin is "like a magician’s glass"?
He means the coin acts like a mirror, reflecting each viewer’s own personality and preoccupations back at him rather than revealing any objective truth.
Who narrates most of the chapter’s observations about other crew members?
Stubb, who hides near the try-works and provides a running commentary as each character approaches the doubloon.
What does Starbuck whisper about "devil’s claws" after Ahab examines the coin?
He murmurs that no fairy fingers pressed the gold but "devil’s claws have left their mouldings there," comparing Ahab’s reading to Belshazzar’s awful writing on the wall.
What is a doubloon?
A doubloon is a Spanish or South American gold coin. Melville describes these coins as "medals of the sun and tropic token-pieces," stamped with palms, alpacas, volcanoes, and rich banners.
How does Pip’s final speech foreshadow the novel’s ending?
Pip warns that the doubloon nailed to the mast is "a sign that things grow desperate" and says the White Whale will "nail ye," foreshadowing the Pequod’s destruction.