Tag Archives: Ambergris

ch. 92 Ambergris

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It’s so interesting to me how much comes from the whale and how we use its parts up when it comes to whaling. This chapter was so good to me. The idea of this thing coming from a whale is used for perfume. Melville is showing us all the aspects of the whale and the whale’s beauty, but at the same time showing us how we get all these products that are used to sell on land. “I say that motion of a Sperm Whale’s flukes above water dispenses a perfume, as when a musk-scented lady rustles her dress in a warm parlor.” (449) Melville is showing us that what people think of whales, whales all smell bad and they’re scary, but then shows us that the things people think of whales are not far from humans, and what whale’s store inside of them are the reasons for the goods that humans use, such as perfume that is sometimes made with Ambergris. Not only are humans so judgmental of this world/life of the sea, but they don’t even know where and how their goods are made and where they come from. Melville is showing us where and how these goods that humans use all the time, but also what humans think of whales when they don’t know the whale, one doesn’t know a whale until going whaling.

Ambergris & Power Dynamics

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In the previous chapters we are introduced to the product “ambergris”—a rare wax-like substance that is used in a multitude of different luxury items such as perfumes and hair products. The rarity of this material being that it is sourced specifically and only from the digestive tract of a deceased whale. 

This process of obtaining this substance is both grotesque and strenuous, highlighting the importance and power of the labor force in acquiring these essential elements. Drawing attention specifically to the class structure of the society by contrasting between showing the labor used vs. the final products. 

How hard these items are to obtain versus their mundane use in everyday life demonstrates the disparities between the working class and the upper class while also showcasing the upper classes’ intrinsic necessity and connectivity to the working class.  

“Who would think, then, that such fine ladies and gentlemen should regale themselves with an essence found in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale! Yet so it is.” (447). 

This quote encapsulates the upper-class need for the working class while also demonstrating their disconnection to this very fact. The items they use—are attributed to the work of others, and without that–they cannot have their luxuries. This quote frames the so-called “fine ladies and gentlemen” as ignorant to the fact of where their items come from. However, this disconnect or ignorance is purposeful, as to not acknowledge the necessity of the working class. The upper class is built on their labor, and to acknowledge it would mean to expose it and potentially alter their station or the very structure of the social order. The upper class do not want the lower class to know how much they depend on them or how powerful they truly are in maintaining their society. However, the desire for ambergris shatters this allusion of power—for only the whalers are capable of such feats, and therefore—capable of so much more.

incorruption found within the heart of decay

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There were a number of parts from this most recent reading that struck me – I wondered if, perhaps, Pippin from Lord of the Rings was partially named for Pippin in Moby Dick. Both are known to be young, somewhat fearful, and thrust into a dangerous voyage that they may not have necessarily signed on for. They are also particularly clumsy, eliciting anger and frustration from their superiors.

Yet the part that interested me from an academic standpoint was Chapter 92, Ambergris. “Now that the incorruption of this most fragrant ambergris should be found in the heart of such decay; is this nothing?” (448) This passage, while referencing the thick, waxy stuff found within decaying whales, can apply too to the story of Moby Dick and the characters within it. The procurement of the Ambergris was duplicitous, the urgency from Ahab to continue forward on their journey despite the valuable find was further proof of his abandonment of their financial goals for this trip. Despite the harrowing nature of the journey, despite the questionable nature of Ahab and the cruelty expressed by crewmen such as Stubb, Ishmael and Queequeg are the ambergris of the ship – the incorruptible pieces found within the heart of decay.

As another aside, I have been listening to this https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=aNpA6yRene0&si=q_8oCmRmJK9RLytG while reading the novel and have found it to properly put me into the mindset of being on the Pequod. I wanted to share it for the others that may need to listen to something while they read.