Chapter 80: A Whale’s Uniqueness for Profit

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This section from chapter 80 made me step back to really look at how vast this whale truly is, as it described how large the head of this creature is. Though the brain does not fill the entire cavity, these whales are still very intelligent. These whalemen could tell these creatures’ intelligence by how the creatures might have grouped in formations and more, yet they still hunted them down. These whales were killed for money and were drained of what makes them unique for profit. Their profit from the whale’s communication and life is a big factor in their industry.

“The brain is at least 20 feet from his apparent forehead in life; it is hidden away behind its vast outworks, like the innermost citadel within the amplified fortifications of Quebec. So like a choice, casket is the secreted in him, that I have known some whalemen who peremptorily deny the sperm whale has any other brain than that palpable semblance of one formed by the cubic yards of his sperm magazine. Lying in strange folds, courses, and convolutions, to their apprehensions, it seems more in keeping with the idea of his general might to regard that Mystic part of him as the seat of his intelligence.”

Melville uses particular words to describe the vast leviathan creature and even to tell us how small the brain is amongst the massive skull. He exaggerates his description by telling us that the head of the whale is so big that the brain is so far back in its melon. The brain is very safe in that massive skull of the sperm whale; it is almost hidden in a way. He tells us it is like a very important part of a city being protected by thick walls surrounding it. Melville uses his own scientific knowledge of whales to show us that these creatures are immense but have a small brain compared to their large body.

The use of the word “casket” is not used how you might think; Melville is using it as a case, as the very valuable oil which they hunt for is in their braincase. These very smart creatures were used for their own gain. The sperm magazine is a description of where the spermaceti is stored, as they saw these whales as their money source. That is the substance which they use for candles, lubricants, and more. These whale heads were very important to the sailors, as that is where their money source comes from.

Again, the very large head of the whale is seen as their money source; they might not take into account how important these whales are to the ocean and how smart they are, as they do have large brains. These whales are killed for profit in the end, and were close to extinction during the worldwide whaling from the 1800s to the 1980s. Profit or the extinction of a majestic creature?

Chapter Seventy-Nine

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In Chapter 79, “The Prairie”, Ishmael decides to examine the head of the sperm whale from a physiognomic approach, the art of judging human character from facial features. Physiognomy is a race science theory, one that campaigns for the justification of slavery and the barbaric treatment of colonized people. This practice was used to develop proof of the superiority of Europeans over others, justifying their dominance. Melville exposes the absurdity of physiognomy by having Ishmael equate physiognomic analysis with the practice of old religions deifying animals through their physical features. Ishmael narrates “They deified the crocodile of the Nile, because the crocodile is tongueless; and the Sperm Whale has no tongue, or at least it is so exceedingly small, as to be incapable of protrusion. If hereafter any highly cultured, poetical nation shall lure back to their birth-right, the merry May-day gods of old; and lovingly enthrone them again in the now egotistical sky; in the now undaunted hill; then be sure, exalted to Jove’s high seat, the great Sperm Whale shall lord it.” (Melville 380) Through this irony, Melville uses a consistency argument through Ishmael’s narrative to argue that we might as well treat the sperm whale as a god if we are going to believe in something as ridiculous as physiognomy; Melville plays on the idea that modern society is no better than people before us who thought the crocodiles in the Nile were a divine creature. 

Melville’s irony emerges in this passage’s tone. Ishmael speaks with a mock seriousness, slowly drifting into absurd conclusions. His proposal that the whale might one day be “exalted to Jove’s high seat” taunts the claims of theology and science. Ishmael stating that “the Sperm Whale has no tongue” becomes a metaphor for the silence of nature. Whales can’t “speak” their truth, every human attempt to interpret it becomes an act of projection. Melville turns this into a critique of arrogance, the desire to know and name the environment around us as a form of domination. The same impulse that once justified deifying animals now justifies hierarchies among people. In exposing this continuity, Melville dismantles the illusion of progress and underscores the enduring arrogance of human knowledge.

Chapter 64 Supper? I hardly even know her

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Most of us can agree that this is a tough chapter to talk about. Obviously, times were different back then, and because it did happen, it’s still worth talking about, even if it may be tough to ingest. Setting aside race, these two individuals (Stubb and Fleece) are the product of their upbringing. Stubb in this scene is viewed as a pompous god fearing dick, hold the Moby, and Fleece, and an elder man who has accepted his fate that his life is just a ticking clock, for it to strike 12 and “some pressed angel will come and fetch him.” There is some beauty in it when Fleece says, “he himself won’t go nowhere,” because he himself is deserving of more. Though he himself may have been dealt a terrible hand, he has accepted that and is patiently waiting for a halo to defy gravity about his head.


This chapter is reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, especially in the dialect of the black cook, which is also featured in Huck Finn, appearing in both white and black characters. I was reading online about how this language could dehumanize those of a certain race, especially with one where, at that time, they were mostly uneducated. I say uneducated, not intelligent, because there’s a huge difference. My father doesn’t have a high school diploma, and some of his skill sets are far below average compared to those of his peers. Still, what he lacks, he makes up for in blue-collar work, such as construction, and exact measurements. He can look at something and know the precise measurement of fiberglass insulation piping offhand. Additionally, he can mathematically add fractions without missing a beat. I feel that even though Fleece may not be educated in the sense of a white gentleman, particularly as seen in Stubb, he has still lived and seen a world that doesn’t make him less than.


“Don’t be tearin’ de blubber out your neighbours mout, I say.” On page 321, we see Fleece, for lack of a better word, impart this moral lesson on helping one’s neighbor. It bears a striking similarity to the America we live in today, especially in terms of white privilege. To use an analogy, if there were a subdivision and a house were on fire. The fire department wouldn’t show up and start putting water on all the houses because all houses matter. They would show up, and they would turn their water on the house that was burning because that’s the house that needs the help the most. I did let out a little chuckle when Stubb cried out, “That’s Christianity.” We see a sailor like Stubb, who doesn’t practice what he preaches, yet mocks the elderly cook. There’s even a small banter about the birthplace of Fleece, where Fleece explicitly said he was born in Roanoke, and when asked, Fleece reminds him that he had already told him. Stubb, hard of hearing, denounces that Fleece ever said that, and in the same breath, that he must go home and be born again because his sole purpose in life should be that of a cook, and if he cant even cook a whale steak correctly, what good is Fleece to not only the Pequod, but to his race in general.


Its quite thought provoking that this chapter comes after an intense and tension filled chapter of the hard work displayed of the sailors coming together as one to achieve an insurmountable mission, but just moments later, that can turn on a dime and have one reminded of their place, role, and purpose in society even when that society is thousands of miles away from land.

Essay #1: On rumors and isolation

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When it comes to rumors, people often go out of their way to exaggerate or downplay the situation at hand. These rumors do not have to come from land or be about anything that’s on land; there are rumors circulating in and about the ocean as well. We have to ask ourselves this: are these rumors actually true? How bad is it compared to what is really happening? In Moby Dick, Herman Melville asks us to consider the accuracy of these rumors while drawing attention to the effects of the ocean on the mind. In open water, isolation can shape the mind and make us naĩve to such assumptions.

In chapter 41, Ishmael learns of the white whale Captain Ahab and his crew are going to hunt, but he goes to great lengths to ruminate on the rumors spread by the whalemen that paint the whale as this fierce and formidable foe. Regarding the rumors, he writes:

“…not only do fabulous rumors naturally grow out of the very body of all surprising terrible events … but, in maritime life, far more than in that of terra firma, wild rumors abound, wherever there is any adequate reality for them to cling to. And as the sea surpasses the land in this matter, so the whale fishery surpasses every other sort of maritime life, in the wonderfulness and fearfulness of the rumors which sometimes circulate there.” (Melville 195)

This is a very meaty passage, but it highlights an important difference between how rumors spread over the ocean and how they spread on land, or in his words, “terra firma.” The ocean takes up much more space on Earth than on land, and it is much more sparse. Because of its openness, there are less people who can verify these “wild” and “fabulous” rumors, since they are mostly grounded on personal experiences. Without anyone nearby to back up (or refute) their claims in this isolatory environment, these rumors are allowed to run rampant.

There is something “supernatural” about the whale that whalemen constantly make rumors about, yet there is seemingly no one in the ocean who can stop these rumors from spreading. The White Whale is a very large creature, and it would take a lot of harpoons to take it down. Its size, along with the many “deaths” it has caused, instills a great terror among those who have encountered it, including those who were exposed to the rumors and have yet to encounter it. The whaling industry, as Melville notes, basks “in the wonderfulness and feafulness of the rumors which sometimes circulate there.”

Why is it, then, that we come to accept these “wonderful” and “fearful” rumors? Why do we welcome them even if we know that they come from some crazy whalemen who know whales no better than we do? Continuing in chapter 41, Ishmael answers these questions:

“Alone, in such remotest waters, that though you sailed a thousand miles, and passed a thousand shores, you would not come to any chiseled hearth-stone, or aught hospitable beneath that part of the sun; in such latitudes and longitudes, pursuing too such a calling as he does, the whaleman is wrapped by influences all tending to make his fancy pregnant with many a mighty birth.” (Melville 195-196)

This implies that in a more isolated space, people find comfort in these rumors, acting like a sort of coping mechanism for them. Melville uses the motherly comparison in the phrase “to make his fancy pregnant with many a mighty birth” to illustrate the malleability of the mind–about how our minds are constantly preoccupied with the ocean’s vastness. This vastness is the “influence” to the mind; we are isolated, and without anyone to talk to, this isolation makes us submissive. Our mind made malleable, we are willing to accept any “wonderful,” “fearful” rumors that we come across “in such remotest waters.”

In conclusion, Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is a novel that ruminates on isolation and how our minds are shaped by the ocean. Chapter 41 gives us a taste of the rumors fishermen spread throughout the ocean, then shows us how we eventually give in to these rumors. All alone in the ocean, its openness is all you can think about. Eventually, it makes you submissive, ready to accept the rumors and spread them to anyone nearby.

Short Paper One: Suicide, the Sea, and Salvation

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“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet…” (3).

This segment is at odds with previous discussions of the ocean in the novel, as Melville previously spent copious amounts of descriptions and excerpts from whalers and whaleships describing the dangers of the sea and her creatures. However, it is meant to stand out, as it differintaites the author from the characters. While the excerpts portion of the novel is to give context to the broader picture of the world’s experience with whales, chapter one introduces a different perspective – one that looks at whales not as dangerous creatures capable of significant threat, but of adventer and solution. 


By opening the novel with Ismael, the central narrator, discussing the grey temptations of a dull life, Melville introduces the sea as a primary character capable of duality, acting as both an oasis of sanity and salvation of refuge. This description, beyond Ismael’s blatant introduction of his preferred name, is the first that the readers get of Melville’s protagonist. From this, he is bored to a point of suicide – lingering into coffin warehouses involuntarily, attending stranger’s funerals purpisefully, feeling the cold, boring stillness of unsatisfaction and November depression. His solution for this, for suicide, is to go to the ocean and find adventure within her waves. In his words, “this is my substitute for pistol and ball” (3). 


In this section, the sea is a place of salvation and opportunity – somewhere that Ismael looks to with open eyes and an excited perspective. On land, he finds himself lingering in areas close to death and its permanence. However, by seeking out the ocean and her fluidity, Ismael is rejecting the concrete perspective of the sea being a place of danger and death, even despite the foreword given by Melville and the later scenes of the Chapel and it’s deathly inhabitants. Instead, Ismael is introducing the sea as a central character and solution to life’s most tempting boredoms – a place that acts as a substitute for suicide and the lingerings of melancoly. 

The diction used in the quote above is deliberate and calculated. Involuntarily, Ismael’s acitons on land are tired, repeatative, and full of despndency, yet not deliberately so: His pausings before the coffin warehouses is “involuntary” and he’s “in the rear” of the funerals he comes across. The trip to the sea is the first decision that the reader sees from Ismael, centralizing the ocean as a legitimate solution to the everyday melancholies of life. The irony in this decision is apparent to everyone but Ismael, especially given the multiple introductions by Melville. However, this perspective of the ocean and the monsters she contains is not Ismael’s – going to the ocean and facing the potential dangers in the waters is a more valuable solution to his depression than his current life, making the sea and her inhabitants a refuge instead of a possible death sentence. 


While characters aboard the Pequod seek financial gain from their exploits and catches, Ismael’s primary motivation to join the three year exhibition are not aligned with monetary profit, but in salvation from daily grievances and boredom. This trip, in all it’s confusing turns, cold watchful shifts, and relative isolation, is Ismael’s “substitute for pistol and ball” (3).

Marley Arreola

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Moby Dick

Ch.17: Ramadan

An Awakening that Precedes Ishmael’s Christianity

“Heaven have mercy on us all–Presbyterians and Pagans alike–for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending” (pg. 90).

The above passage in Ch.17, titled “The Ramadan” displays a specific moment in time where Ishmael’ religious beliefs are slowly being questioned. From the moment he meets and becomes close to Queequeg, we see a gradual development in Ishmael’s character. For Ishmael, he grapples with his faith, and Queequeg as a character is a reference point for us to better define Ishmael. 

Ishmael, as a Christian, grew up thinking that his religion is superior. However, in this passage, there is no show of arrogant superiority. Instead, there is a display of the Christian “love thy neighbour”: “Heaven have mercy on us all–Presbyterians and Pagans alike…”. This is a shocking but still nice surprise to us, as Ishmael, having been with Queequeg for some time now, sees his Pagan counterpart as the caring, affectionate, and patient man that he is. He then goes on to say that “we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending.” The rest of this line is a clear and humble acknowledgement of both his and other people’s stubbornness and pride in their beliefs. This heady thought might come off as endearing, but there is still an underlying tone of the Christian man who was born a sinner and must work for the Lord’s forgiveness. 

This passage at the beginning of the chapter presents to us Ishmael’s honest effort to be open-minded to another’s religion, as we all gravitate towards different beliefs and ideologies. It is admirable for one man to be strong in his faith, but he will go crazy trying to persuade someone who doesn’t want to follow the same religion. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. The last half of the passage tells us that we all need some kind of help. Some kind of outward belief to make us better. This mustn’t be confused with strictly Christian faith as the only healer, but instead we must search for our own beliefs to find our own mending within them. 

It is crazy to think that a Christian is sharing a bed with a Pagan, but this worldly experience for Ishmael helps to gradually open his eyes beyond the Christian outlook, and in turn, we get some beautiful, introspective passages that clearly depict a development in our protagonist’s character. Queequeg is the mirror for Ishmael, and something inside of him begins to germinate (metaphorically and physically) as he interacts with Queequeg. The above passage is a result of spending time with Queequeg’s oxymoronic character: a tattooed, scruffy, Pagan cannibal. Beyond these labels, he is such a sweet person to Ishmael. Like it was mentioned above, Queequeg’s kind nature allows Ishmael to have these epiphanies about his religion, his feelings, and ultimately, a pure awakening of the soul. This is what it means to be human.

Short Essay: Close Reading 1

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In one interesting choice of many, Melville named two consecutive chapters the same way; chapters 26 and 27 are both called “Knights and Squires.” For the first one, he spends most of his time describing the knight in shining armor that happens to be the first mate of the Pequod: the great Starbuck. His qualities are all manly, dignified, serene, and heroic. Melville’s language is full of flourish and can get downright soppy. In chapter 27, he reveals who the other knights are, which are the second and third mate respectively, Stubb and Flask. They are not as regal as Starbuck, but they are still portrayed as dignified, rugged warriors. Then, to finish the medieval reference, Melville describes our squires, which are the three harpooneers; Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo, one for every mate. At the end of this, however, Melville abruptly shifts his tone. In page 132, he writes, “Curious to tell, this imperial negro, Ahasuerus Daggoo, was the Squire of little Flask, who looked like a chess-man beside him. As for the residue of the Pequod’s company, be it said, that at the present day not one in two of the many thousand men before the mast employed in the American whale fishery, are Americans born, though pretty nearly all of the officers are. Herein it is the same with the American whale fishery as with the American army and military and merchant navies, and the engineering forces employed in the construction of the American Canals and Railroads. The same, I say, because in all these cases the native American liberally provides the brains, the rest of the world as generously supplying the muscles.” In other words, Melville initially uses medieval imagery as an analogy to build up the whaling ship hierarchies,  but we can see how in this passage he drops the curtain to reveal the exploitative nature of this and other systems our country was built on, which contrasts our romantic illusion of our nation’s greatness with the stark reality that it was built on the backs of the marginalized. 

In the first sentence of the passage, we can see how Daggoo, a Squire, is described as “imperial,” a term for royalty. He is obviously physically superior to Flask, as Melville calls Flask a “chess-man.” Having spent all the time up until now in these two chapters reinforcing the typical medieval hierarchy, Melville switches the language associated with Daggoo, who is of a lower rank, to recognize that there is nothing about Flask that should make him inherently superior to Daggoo; in fact, it should logically be the contrary. In the next sentence, however, he reveals what gives Flask authority over Daggoo, and that is that Flask is “American born.” In fact, while most whalers in America are immigrants, almost all officers are “native” Americans. This pattern repeats, Melville notes, in most other industries and systems that keep the country running, like the military or the builders of “the American Canals and Railroads.” Melville puts it eloquently in the last sentence: “in all these cases the native American liberally provides the brains, the rest of the world as generously supplying the muscles.” In other words, the working class in America is composed of native born Americans (more specifically, white Americans) who hold positions of power, and the rest (the ones who do the heavy lifting) are foreigners and first generation immigrants. Xenophobia and racism were 

It is interesting that Melville chose the analogy of knights and squires for this dynamic between mate and harpooneer. Historically, knights were heroic warriors and they did the fighting, while squires had the role of assisting them with their equipment and didn’t fight a lot despite being trained for it. In the book, the mates are called the knights when it is actually the harpooneers (the ones being called squires) who go hand to hand with Leviathan and deliver the killing blow. We have not heard of the mates actually doing anything laborious up to this point in the story, while we know the harpooneers’ role clearly. Nevertheless, Ishmael reserves most of the heroic language in chapter 26 and 27 for the mates. The mates and the harpooneers seem to have reverse orders in the analogy of knights and squires, a sarcastic commentary on the part of Melville that the system gives recognition to the wrong party. In short, the harpooneers work like knights but get the same amount of recognition as squires. Society is built on the backs of people who are treated as second rate, but their contributions go largely ignored.

Week 9

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In chapter 44, Melville highlights the negative effects obsessing over the past has on a person’s mental health by Ishmael’s narration of how Ahab’s obsession over the whale is causing him to spiral more into madness. Ishmael says, “God help thee, old man, thy thoughts have created a creature in thee; and he whose intense thinking thus makes him a Prometheus; a vulture feeds upon that heart for ever; that vulture the very creature he creates” (Melville 220). Here, Ishmael is observing the fact that Ahab’s obsession of killing the whale is consuming him from within. Ahab is a monster in the making right in front of everyone’s eyes. This suggests that Ahab’s fixation on revenge has shaped his inner self, how his thoughts became the very reason for his suffering. Melville here is showing how when the mind is trapped in an endless cycle of vengeance, it becomes a saboteur of the individual.

Prometheus is from Greek Mythology and his story was he defied the gods and his punishment (which is what’s mentioned) is he was chained to a rock where a bird would eat his liver which would then regenerate overnight, only for the same thing to keep happening. And with the comparison to Prometheus, Melville shows how Ahab’s obsessive thoughts are becoming his own punishment, one that feeds at him endlessly. Ahab’s torment is self created and it is causing him to spiral more into insanity. When one cannot let go of the past, it can become their own destroyer. As seen with Ahab, his obsessive thoughts are ruining his mental state and physical state. His bad state is so noticeable that his crewmates, like Ishmael, are able to point it out. Also seen in earlier chapters, other crewmates also point out Ahab’s madness. This shows how people are able to recognize the negatives of obsessing over the past and how it leads to self destruction

Essay 1 – Queer Offerings in Chowder: Clam or Cod?

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In chapter 15, the audience is introduced to a wonderful bowl of chowder; inside the chowder isn’t only a couple of clams or a chopped up cod, but a new understanding and acceptance of who Ishmael is: as the other. It is here in chapter 15 that Ishmael is confronted with a perceived threat outside the Try Pots establishment. Despite knowing exactly what it is he is looking at, Ishmael can’t help but see the gallows within the trees and hanging rope. “…[T]wo of them,” he writes, “…one for Queequeg, and one for me. It’s ominous…” (Melville 73).

Ishmael is now visibly queer as he and Queequeg walk through town. Two men, a Christian and a Pagan, walking through together. As they do so, Ishmael is being perceived and is fully aware of it and is completely uncomfortable with being perceived; the first time he is being othered and walking in Queequeg’s steps—both metaphorically and physically in this instance. Ishmael seeing the gallows among the trees illustrates his anxiety with being considered the other. As someone who has othered Queequeg not that long ago, Ishmael is now understanding what that feels like.

When they arrive at the Try Pots, they are asked what they’d like to eat: clam or cod chowder? Ishmael answers with a question completely rattled by the ‘gallows’ outside. Upon eating the clam chowder—and asking and eating cod seconds—Ishmael regains his confidence. When asked which he’d like for breakfast tomorrow, he boldly replies, “Both…” (Melville 75). In this moment, Ishmael is fully accepting his queerness, even going so far as to argue on behalf of Queequeg, arguing that Queequeg should keep his harpoon—a concern Ishmael had that first night they met. Ishmael realises that the harpoon is apart of his partner, and as such, does all he can to fight for Queequeg’s right to have his harpoon over night.

Through his saying “Both…”, Ishmael’s mind is open for new experiences; no longer is he the closed-minded man who was fearful of Queequeg, but now a man who sees his partner for who he is, not what his is (Melville 75). When othered, Ishmael is fearful initially, but with his partner by his side, he realises that being an other, while initially devastating, allows one to live freely, to love openly—whether it be a Pagan harpooner or a damn good cod chowder.

Essay 1- “Historians would say they were roommates”

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In Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, Melville uses the room and bed Ishmael and Queequeg share together as a space where companionship can transcend into romance and as a place where they can act without judgement. This moment reveals how Melville turns a simple act such as sharing a room and a bed into an exploration of intimacy between the two men without care, showing how a shared space can allow romance to develop. By depicting Ishmael and Queequeg in this intimate setting, Melville also challenges the societal norms during this time period by using their companionship to mirror the closeness which is typically seen with heterosexual marriages. This can be seen in chapter 10, A Bosom Friend as Ishmael is comparing his and Queequeg’s relationship to a married couple. Melville writes,

“How it is I know not; but there is no place like a bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts’ honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg— a cosy, loving pair” (Melville 58)

Through Ishmael’s narration, Melville uses language that blurs the lines between friendship and marriage. By using the chosen words “man and wife” to talk about their relationship, it goes to show the height and comfortability of their relationship– that they are close enough such as a husband and wife. Married couples should also be able to and are able to talk for hours until morning time and truly enjoy each other’s company, and in this case, Ishmael and Queequeg are doing so while lying in bed together in the room they share. Ishmael compares their relationship to a “cosy, loving pair” because they are able to lie together in bed and chat for hours on end, as a couple does. This highlights that the shared room and bed are not just physical spaces where they sleep at, but a space where companionship can flourish. Melville focuses on this moment to reveal how a genuine connection between two people can form while sharing a private space due to the lack of judgment from others. By doing it this way, Melville not only illustrates the intimacy between the two men with feelings but by highlighting the environment in which those feelings can be safely expressed. This quote also highlights how being in close proximity, both emotionally and physically can allow a bond that goes beyond societal expectations to evolve into a form of intimacy that mirrors the romantic partnerships between man and woman. Two men during this period were not typically seen as a “cosy, loving pair” and by Melville depicting them in this way goes beyond “normal” masculine and feminine roles. 

Before the two men had become roommates, Ishmael’s perception of Queequeg was shaped by fear and assumptions. He would refer to Queequeg as a “savage”, expressed his discomfort at the idea of sharing a room with him, and even acknowledged his own prejudices against him. However, through sharing an intimate space, Ishmael’s perspective changes completely– what had begun in fear and judgment progressed into understanding and comfortability. The bedroom allows them to interact without judgment or care, which allows Ishmael to witness Queequeg’s true self and grow to it. From calling him a savage to calling themselves a “cosy, loving pair” clearly shows their companionship deepening beyond friendship and reaching the point of romance. 

In their room, where it is just the two of them, they are in a safe enough space to do whatever they want without judgement and they are able to live freely as a couple does. By presenting the bedroom– an intimate environment, Melville is highlighting how companionship between two men has the ability to transcend into something more where judgment and societal norms are absent. 

Through their physical closeness in a shared and private space, and the way they refer to each other as a married couple explores how companionship between the two men transcended into something more intimate— a romance. Showing that true intimacy begins in private spaces where the individuals(s) feel safe to express themselves fully. Melville uses Ishmael and Queequeg’s relationship as a way to combat societal norms because a relationship springing between two men as fast as theirs was seen as suspicious. But Melville explores the possibility of a relationship happening and because of a shared space with no judgments.