This week while reading, the following quote on page 444 stood out to me. “”Why,” said Stubb . . . “you may as well begin by telling him that he looks a sort of babyish to me””, which was quickly followed by the translator’s translation, ” that only yesterday his ship spoke a vessel, whose captain and chief-mate, with six sailors, had all died of a fever caught from a blasted whale they had brought alongside.”

This quote stood out to me because it is an example of less crude comedy in the book. Through this scene Melville characterizes both Stubb and the translator, while also giving readers a chuckle. In fact, we don’t even know if the translator speaks English – he might just be using this as an opportunity to get rid of the massive carcass hanging off of the boat – one that has caused a stench, to say the least.

In this exchange, Melville showcases how miscommunication can serve both as a form of comedy and a commentary on the outside world. Whether the translator is misunderstanding, or more likely intentionally misrepresenting Stubb’s words, the result is the same, truth becomes distorted, and humor arises from said confusion. This mirrors one of the larger themes of the book – that human perception is unreliable (as seen in the opening line of the narrative), and that, filtered through bias, misunderstanding, and irony.

Stubb’s flippant and rude attitude contrasts sharply with the reality the translator has been stuck with – living with the stench of the carcass day after day, yet both perspectives reveal a kind of survival instinct. Laughter and denial are used as shields against the ever-present specter of death found on the whaling ships.