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Final Essay – Melville’s Critique on Capitalism

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Herman Melvilles’s novel, Moby-Dick, serves as a critique of capitalism and its effect on American society. Throughout the novel Melville uses the whaling industry as a metaphor for capitalism; he demonstrates the life-threatening labor of workers in the whaling industry and how crewmembers on the Pequod are merely seen as a commodity for profit, how material wealth overrides the morality of those working and living in a capitalist society, and the disconnect between the consumer and the laborer. The novel shows readers that capitalism in America has created an individualistic society in which profit and gain take precedent over morals and lives.

In Chapter 93, “The Castaway,” Melville uses the character Pip to highlight how workers are seen as a commodity for profit in American capitalist society, and how the life-threatening labor of those in the whaling industry are put aside in order to make a profit.. While chasing a whale, Pip leaps overboard and is caught by the rope connected to the whale. With the only option to save him being to cut the rope and freeing the whale, Pip is reluctantly saved by Stubb, who berates him for the incident: “ ‘Stick to the boat, Pip, or by the Lord, I wont pick you if you jump; mind that. We can’t afford to lose whales by the likes of you; a whale would sell for thirty times what you would, Pip, in Alabama. Bear that in mind, and don’t jump any more.’ Hereby perhaps Stubb indirectly hinted, that though man loves his fellow, yet man is a money-making animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benevolence” (Melville 452). Pip is told by Stubb that his life is not worth more than any amount of money that could be made from the whale. Profit over life, unsurprising considering the money is made off of the killing of whales. Melville shows the harsh reality of the industry, how workers are seen as expendable and should not be considered anything more than a commodity and a way to gain wealth. Directly after this, Pip falls overboard once more, and the cruelty of capitalism is shown in full effect: “Pip jumped again… when the whale started to run, Pip was left behind on the sea, like a hurried traveller’s trunk. Alas! Stubb was but too true to his word… Stubb’s inexorable back was turned upon him; and the whale was winged. In three minutes, a whole mile of shoreless ocean was between Pip and Stubb… For the rest, blame not Stubb too hardly. The thing is common in that fishery” (Melville 452-454). This time, Stubb sticks to his word and puts the potential profit of the whale over the life of Pip. Melville also points out how this is a common occurrence in the industry, and to not judge Stubb too harshly for his immoral decision. Too often it is seen in America that the lives of workers are less important than the money that is made off of them. Capitalism has created a society that does not care about the loss of life so long as the money keeps coming in. Pip’s life did not matter to Stubb or to any of the other members on the boat, as they were too focused on killing the whale that could make them some money. Perhaps even more so, Melville uses Pip, a Black American, to demonstrate how another industry puts the importance of profit over life and morality; slavery. Still the major issue in America at the time of the novel’s publication, slavery is capitalism in its most cruel form. The gaining of profit off of the buying and selling of humans, forcing them into unpaid labor, and treating them like they are inferior. This chapter goes to the full extent in showing the brutality and viciousness of capitalism in America, and how money overrides morals.

In Chapter 36, titled “The Quarter Deck,” Melville demonstrates how Captain Ahab is able to use a form of currency, in this case a golden doubloon, to influence the crewmembers into overriding their moral obligations to the original journey, allowing Ahab to take full control of the Pequod and manipulate and bribe the crewmembers into doing his bidding. “ ‘Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; whosoever of ye raises me that white-headed whale, with three holes punctured in his starboard fluke – look ye, whosoever of ye raises me that same white whale, he shall have this gould ounce, my boys!’ ‘Huzza! huzza!’ cried the seamen, as with swinging tarpaulins they hailed the act of nailing the gold to the mast” (Melville 176). Captain Ahab is able to use the gold doubloon as an economic incentive for the crewmembers on the Pequod, demonstrating how monetary items can be used to exploit workers into doing harmful and dangerous things. Here, Ahab is using the doubloon as a way to gain the trust of the crewmembers on the ship, and to steer them into dangerous waters away from their original whaling expedition in order to conquer his own personal and malicious goal, which will result in the death of most of those on board. In this chapter, Melville is showing the reader how the doubloon is a metaphor for capitalism; under capitalism, it is normalized for morals, ethics, and safety to take a back seat to money and personal profit. Melville is criticizing how capitalism has essentially bribed everyone into thinking that money is at the top of the pedestal, and all other values and ethics must be ignored if you wish to be at the top. The pursuit of wealth results in the loss of morals, and the men on the Pequod do not care what it takes to be the one who gets Captain Ahab’s gold doubloon.

Throughout the novel Melville shows the dangers of the whaling industry. He goes into the harsh details of killing whales and the production of whale oil, a product used by many Americans at the time; by doing so Melville is able to demonstrate the disconnect between consumers and laborers under capitalism. In Chapter 61, titled “Stubb Kills a Whale,” Melville gives the reader a brutal detailing on the killing of a whale by Stubb: “And now abating in his flurry, the whale once more rolled out into view; surging from side to side; spasmodically dilating and contracting his spout-hole, with sharp, cracking, agonized respirations. At last, gush after gush of clotted red gore, as if it had been the purple lees of red wine, shot into the frighted air; and falling back again, ran dripping down his motionless flanks into the sea. His heart had burst! ‘He’s dead, Mr. Stubb,’ said Tashtego” (Melville 311-312). The production of whale oil comes at a cost. The harsh killing of whales in a most vicious form, of course dangerous for whales but also the men tasked with killing them. Consumers are not the ones going out into the ocean and harpooning a whale until it is dead, yet they are the ones using the oil for simple things like candles, lamps, and soap. The reader sees the production of squeezing the sperm out of the whale in Chapter 94, “A Squeeze of the Hand.” While this chapter may be known for other things, it demonstrates what the worker sees versus what the buyer sees. Ishmael describes the grisly process which goes on inside of the blubber-room: “With his gaff, the gaffman hooks on to a sheet of blubber, and strives to hold it from slipping, as the ship pitches and lurches about. Meanwhile, the spade-man stands on the sheet itself, perpendicularly chopping it into the portable horse-pieces. This spade is sharp as hone can make it; the spademan’s feet are shoeless… If he cuts off one of his own toes, or one of his assistant’s, would you be very much astonished? Toes are scarce among veteran blubber-room men” (Melville 458). The process of creating this oil is unknown to the consumer, yet they use it to light lamps and to make soaps, candles, and other cosmetics. Melville here is showing the reader how the consumer doesn’t see what goes on inside the blubber-room, but rather they only see the finished product as something that is clean and seemingly pure. Capitalism thrives on consumers not knowing how products are made. Capitalist societies are able to make huge amounts of profit as a result of the harsh labor of others, those who lose limbs doing a job that they hardly get paid for, and the buyer is ignorant to all of it. Poor working conditions and cheap wages are the backbone of capitalism, for its exploitative nature will allow for nothing else.

A scholarly titled, “Moby Dick and the Crimes of the Economy,” written by author Vincenzo Ruggiero and published by the Oxford University Press, explores the idea of Moby-Dick in terms of an economical system in which the reader should note that in the novel we see the exploitation, the violence, and the corruptness in capitalism. When discussing the comparison of the whaling industry and Captain Ahab, Ruggiero writes: “Ishmael’s criticism of Ahab’s excesses diverts him, though not completely, from criticizing the whaling industry itself (Moretti 1996: 32). His condemnation wavers because he is unable to establish whether it is the logic of that industry which creates the Ahabs or whether the captain’s excesses are the result of a subjective, pathological, drive…Surely, Ahab is full of ira et studio and is incapable of running his business with a spirit of formalistic imper constant violation of the official rules, however, can only partially be attributed industry in which he is involved, and his crimes are mainly extrinsic to that industry” (Ruggiero 103-104). Here it seems as though Ruggiero suggests that Ishmael is more comfortable with critiquing Ahab rather than criticizing the whaling industry as a whole. While Ahab’s behavior is certainly inexcusable, it does not take away from the fact that the entire industry is flawed, and that its immoral values is what could have led to the madness of Ahab and the corruption of the crewmembers on the Pequod. Ruggiero is offering the idea that the systemic structure of capitalism should be at blame, not just one man who takes it to the extreme. In another scholarly article, “Melville’s Economy of Language,” published by Cambridge University Press, author Paul Royster criticizes the blame of Ahab for what is the fault of the whaling industry. He writes, “Viewing Moby-Dick as a less than radical critique of American capitalism coincides with one of the plot’s central features: Ahab’s rebellion against God, economy, and nature. Ahab has no respect for the commercial purposes of the Pequod’s voyage, yet the form of his opposition to the system of eco­nomic relations serves ultimately to reinforce the values of the bourgeois order. Ahab’s madness, his usurpation of power, and his rigid authoritarianism all deflect criticism away from the economic system that launched the Pequod” (Royster 322). Just like what Ruggiero is suggesting, Royster believes that by blaming Captain Ahab for what happens in the novel, the whaling industry and capitalism are not held at fault. Ahab goes against the original plan of the Pequod’s journey, yet he still reinforces the standards of the bourgeois in his acts of self gain, harsh labor conditions, and ruling by authoritarianism. However this should not take away from the fact that the Pequod is only in this position because of the whaling industry and capitalism. Without the whaling industry, there would be no Pequod nor would there be a Captain Ahab, and the capitalist values that attempt to conquer the ocean would cease. Both Ruggiero and Royster are asking the readers to look more in depth into what Melville is writing; do not look at a character like Ahab without seeing the underlying meanings in the novel. Captain Ahab is a product of capitalism and the whaling industry, and to solely blame him for the destruction of the Pequod and the men on board is to not hold capitalism’s systemic issues responsible.

Herman Melville’s novel, Moby-Dick, is a critique of capitalism and how it has severely affected American society. Melville uses the whaling industry to criticize capitalism, while demonstrating the poor treatment of workers, the disparity between consumer and laborer, and the immorality of capitalism. Both scholarly articles also discuss the importance of blaming the entire whaling industry and capitalism as a whole for what happens in the novel, not just the actions of Captain Ahab. To read Moby-Dick is to inherently read a novel that discusses how capitalism is to blame for turning America into a country in which profit is more important than lives, whether that life be whale or human.

Works Cited

Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick: Or, The Whale. Edited by Andrew Delbanco and Tom Quirk, Penguin Publishing Group, 2003.

Ruggiero, Vincenzo. “Moby Dick and the crimes of the economy.” British Journal of Criminology, vol. 42, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2002, pp. 96–108, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/42.1.96. 

Royster, Paul, “Melville’s Economy of Language” (1986). Faculty Publications, UNL Libraries. 1. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libraryscience/1 

Essay 2: Motherhood, Youth, and Loss

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It was through the tireless efforts of whaling and the pursuit, harvesting, and selling of whale bodies, namely spermaceti, that the newly born United States grew to be an economic and worldly powerhouse. Upon the worn wooden decks of American whaling ships, held sailors who, dedicated to the opportunities that a successful chase ensued, waited with bated breath and watched with eager, sea-splintered eyes for victims. The excitement of the hunt dominates the majority of the focus throughout Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, whether it is through a detailed depiction of the harpooning process or the loud, moment-to-moment account of the happenings of each person; the chase is narrated in rushed, keen tones. However, while the pursuit of a whale ends in profit, in the jars, pots, and head-topped boilers, it also ends in death and loss – the negative consequences that are often left unaddressed and unconsidered. 

When it is considered, the losses that occur in the pursuit of whales and profit, it is hardly done with an emphasis on the whale or the victim. This part of whaling, the cost of life that is required for human profit and capitalistic pursuit, is hardly acknowledged, except for one moment. In chapter 87, titled “The Grand Armada,” the Pequod encounters an extraordinary “armada” of whales and, in the tireless pursuit of the hunt, gets trapped in the very center of the group, emerging in a still, gentle calm. Beyond the depiction of this massive grouping, or school, of whales as a naval battalion organized and ready to fight, Ishmael looks down, interrupting our maritime warescene and taking a breath. It’s in Ishmael’s recognition of “the women and children of [the] routed host” of this whale formation that Melville deliberately pauses, taking the reader’s focus away from the battle drum of the great Leviathans and instead, peering into the watery realities of female and young whales (Melville 423). At this moment, Melville encourages readers to reflect on the cost of whaling and its impact on those affected, touching on and critiquing the broader moral implications of humanity’s capitalistic pursuits through reflections on motherhood, youth, and the consequences of loss. 

It is in the chase of whales and the drumbeat of the pursuit that Melville forces the focus away from the single considerations of the possibilities for monetary gain from killing and harvesting a whale to not only reflect on the water around them, but make eye contact with the very beings that exist in it. Almost as if, in this moment, Melville is encouraging the reader to remember that it is a life that you are pursuing, and to recall its origins and how it came to be. Remember that it too has a mother and children, that it lives a life bigger than being the pursee of opportunistic capitalist gain. This reflective moment is not a stance against whaling or capitalism as a whole, but rather a radical encouragement of empathy and awareness in consumption.

Essay 2 – Moby-Dick or, The Whale Against Capitalism

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Herman Melville’s novel, Moby-Dick, serves as a critique of capitalism and its effect on American society. Throughout the novel Melville uses the whaling industry as a metaphor for capitalism; he demonstrates how the life-threatening labor of workers is used for the enrichment of others, how crewmembers on the Pequod are merely seen as a commodity for profit, how material wealth overrides the morality of those working and living in a capitalist society, and the disconnect between the consumer and the laborer. The novel shows readers that capitalism in America has created an individualistic society in which profit and gain is more important than morals and lives.

In Chapter 16, titled “The Ship,” Ishmael meets Captain Peleg and Captain Bildad, the owners of the Pequod, for the first time prior to the ship’s departure. Being the owners of the ship, both the captains will take a majority of the profit that is made from the Pequod’s whaling expedition. However neither one of them will step foot on the ship during its journey, and instead they will stay on land and reap the benefits of the hardworking and life-threatening labor done by the crew members of the Pequod: “ ‘Thou are speaking to Captain Peleg – that’s who ye are speaking to, young man. It belongs to me and Captain Bildad to see the Pequod fitted out for the voyage, and supplied with all her needs, including crew. We are part owners and agents…’ People in Nantucket invest their money in whaling vessels, the same way that you do yours in approved state stocks bringing in good interest” (Melville 80-82). Captain Peleg and Bildad are able to avoid the risks of whaling, but by being owners of the ship they will still share most of the profit earned by the crew members during the Pequod’s dangerous expedition. This shows the disparity in industrial capitalism; the ones at the top will do the least amount of labor, yet they will still make the most amount of money. Melville compares the investment and ownership of whaling vessels to that of the reader’s investment in stocks. Like some stocks, the money that comes with whaling involves destruction, corruption, and death. Putting a profit over a life, whether it be whale or human, shows the immorality of the industry, and how capitalism has created a society in which people are only so interested in their own gain that they don’t care what has to be done in order to get it.

In Chapter 93, “The Castaway,” Melville uses the character Pip to highlight how workers are seen as a commodity for profit in American capitalist society. While chasing a whale, Pip leaps overboard and is caught by the rope connected to the whale. With the only option to save him being to cut the rope and freeing the whale, Pip is reluctantly saved by Stubb, who berates him for the incident: “ ‘Stick to the boat, Pip, or by the Lord, I wont pick you if you jump; mind that. We can’t afford to lose whales by the likes of you; a whale would sell for thirty times what you would, Pip, in Alabama. Bear that in mind, and don’t jump any more.’ Hereby perhaps Stubb indirectly hinted, that though man loves his fellow, yet man is a money-making animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benevolence” (Melville 452). Pip is told by Stubb that his life is not worth more than any amount of money that could be made from the whale. Profit over life, unsurprising considering the money is made off of the killing of whales. Melville shows the harsh reality of the industry, how workers are seen as expendable and should not be considered anything more than a commodity and a way to gain wealth. Directly after this, Pip falls overboard once more, and the cruelty of capitalism is shown in full effect: “Pip jumped again… when the whale started to run, Pip was left behind on the sea, like a hurried traveller’s trunk. Alas! Stubb was but too true to his word… Stubb’s inexorable back was turned upon him; and the whale was winged. In three minutes, a whole mile of shoreless ocean was between Pip and Stubb… For the rest, blame not Stubb too hardly. The thing is common in that fishery” (Melville 452-454). This time, Stubb sticks to his word and puts the potential profit of the whale over the life of Pip. Melville also points out how this is a common occurrence in the industry, and to not judge Stubb too harshly for his immoral decision. Too often it is seen in America that the lives of workers are less important than the money that is made off of them. Capitalism has created a society that does not care about the loss of life so long as the money keeps coming in. Pip’s life did not matter to Stubb or to any of the other members on the boat, as they were too focused on killing the whale that could make them some money. Perhaps even more so, Melville uses Pip, a Black American, to demonstrate how another industry puts the importance of profit over life and morality; slavery. Still the major issue in America at the time of the novel’s publication, slavery is capitalism in its most cruel form. The gaining of profit off of the buying and selling of humans, forcing them into unpaid labor, and treating them like they are inferior. This chapter goes to the full extent in showing the brutality and viciousness of capitalism in America, and how money overrides morals.

Throughout the novel Melville shows the dangers of the whaling industry. He goes into the harsh details of killing whales and the production of whale oil, a product used by many Americans at the time; by doing so Melville is able to demonstrate the disconnect between consumers and laborers under capitalism. In Chapter 61, titled “Stubb Kills a Whale,” Melville gives the reader a brutal detailing on the killing of a whale by Stubb: “And now abating in his flurry, the whale once more rolled out into view; surging from side to side; spasmodically dilating and contracting his spout-hole, with sharp, cracking, agonized respirations. At last, gush after gush of clotted red gore, as if it had been the purple lees of red wine, shot into the frighted air; and falling back again, ran dripping down his motionless flanks into the sea. His heart had burst! ‘He’s dead, Mr. Stubb,’ said Tashtego” (Melville 311-312). The production of whale oil comes at a cost. The harsh killing of whales in a most vicious form, of course dangerous for whales but also the men tasked with killing them. Consumers are not the ones going out into the ocean and harpooning a whale until it is dead, yet they are the ones using the oil for simple things like candles, lamps, and soap. Another example of this occurs in Chapter 96, “The Try-Works.” In this chapter, the reader is introduced to the process of turning whale fat into oil, something that many consumers of the product do not see: “These fritters feed the flames… the whale supplies his own fuel and burns by his own body. Would that he consumed his own smoke! for his smoke is horrible to inhale, and inhale it you must, and not only that, but you must live in it for the time. It has an unspeakable, wild, Hindoo odor about it, such as may lurk in the vicinity of the funereal pyres. It smells like the left wing of the day of judgement; it is an argument for the pit” (Melville 462). This description of the creation of whale oil shows a side that the consumer does not see; workers in harsh conditions, breathing in smoke that is not meant to be inhaled, working in a strong stench of burning blubber, the Pequod is both a ship and an industrial factory. The whaling industry makes its profit off the ignorance of their consumers, no doubt hiding the harsh realities that go into it. 

Herman Melville’s novel, Moby-Dick, is a critique of capitalism and how it has severely affected American society. Melville uses the whaling industry as a critical analysis on capitalism, demonstrating how the poor treatment of workers, the disparity between consumer and laborer, and the immorality of capitalism has turned America into a country in which profit is more important than lives, whether that life be whale or human.

Essay #2: Shark Tank

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In chapter 64 of Moby Dick, titled “Stubb’s Supper”, the Pequod had just made their first whaling kill and were in the process of hulling in the exploits from their venture. During the transportation of these various items, Stubb specifically requests Daggo to cut a piece from the whale so he can cook a steak. As Stubb begins making his meal in the midst of night, thousands of sharks can be heard simultaneously attacking what remains of the whale below him in the water. 

In this scene, the sharks are purposefully in juxtaposition to Stubb to demonstrate how they are both participating in the same action for the same purpose—survival in their respective worlds. 

“About midnight that steak was cut and cooked; and lighted by two lanterns of sperm oil, Stubb stoutly stood up to his spermaceti supper at the capstan-head, as if that capstan were a sideboard. Nor was Stubb the only banqueter on whale’s flesh that night. Mingling their mumblings with his own mastication’s, thousands on thousands of sharks, swarming round the dead leviathan, smackingly feasted on its fatness.” (319). 

This scene is meant to symbolize the consumerist society they live in and what becomes necessary to survive in this capitalist system. In order to participate in this capitalist society, it becomes necessary for an individual in the workforce to become violent themselves in order to survive this type of system.

The whaling industry during this time period was very integrated into everyday society as indicated by the everyday items people were using and consuming. Even in this very scene, Stubb is only able to cook his food from the whale during midnight because he has light from “lanterns of sperm oil.” Although Stubb is the only living character, the whale’s presence dominates the atmosphere because of how integral and necessary it is in society and specifically to Stubb’s survival—as he is literally feeding off the whale. The whale becomes both sustenance of survival [food] and a commodity for consumer consumption [lantern oil].

 The importance of the whale cannot be overlooked in these scenes despite not even being alive anymore. The whale is instead transformed through acts of violence to become “useful” in our society—and there is no other way to procure these materials without the means of violence  

However, the way Stubb goes about preparing his meal isn’t particularly visualized as “violent” in the scene as to how it was portrayed in the previous chapter. Instead, the sharks are utilized in comparison to Stubb in order to visualize the violence behind this everyday act of simply preparing a meal. As Stubb feasts, the violence festers below him over the same exact thing in a much more cruder description. Depicting thousands of sharks and using descriptors such as “mastication” and “smackingly” to show the brutalization of the whale during this process and the sheer number of sharks that depend on this feast for their own survival.

 In comparison to a capitalist society, it can also represent the overwhelming number of people who depend on the whaling industry to provide for these commodities. Much like the sharks, a large number of people need the whaling industry, and depend on it to survive. It not only provides products, but also provides a job and purpose for an individual—if they can adapt to the violence necessary for such a task. 

Stubbs is the perfect character to display this adaptation because he operates on logic and knows what he needs to do to maintain his station. Although Stubbs isn’t actually feasting with the sharks, in a sense, the sharks and Stubbs are one in the same—the work force in their society, and much like in our capitalist society, the procurement of products and the consumption of exploits is built on a system of violent expenditures. This characterizes the capitalist whaling industry as an institution of violence. With the work force in the society adapting to be more like sharks in order to survive and thrive. 

However, that’s not to say that all sharks [workers] are created equal. For it’s not Stubb’s that procures the steak for his meal, but it’s his subordinate Daggo—and Stubb’s does not share with anyone. This solitary act of eating what others provide and reinforces the power-dynamics between characters and how violence and influence is seen as power. Stubb is not only representing the work-force at this moment but also the consumers who don’t realize the work of others to produce their items. The work behind the carnage is unseen–out of sight out of mind. However, the sharks bring that carnage back to the forefront. 

 In the previous chapter, the whalers crudely killed the whale, but this act was framed in the sense of accomplishment of their goals, rather than what it actually is—-the act of killing a living creature in order to benefit from what we can use from it. That’s why the scene depicting both Stubbs and the sharks acting in the same manner allows us to make these comparisons on our own volition.

 The sharks were acting erratically, manically tearing apart the beast—-but so were all the men in the previous chapter and the beginning of this chapter. Man and beast become one in the same through their mutual violent acts against the whale. The sharks become necessary to displaying the raw brutality in the act of a killing—regardless of the general motivation. The sharks did it to eat, the whalers did it because it’s their job and that’s what’s necessary in the society they live in. 

However, that begs the bigger question of if the means of procuring these items justifies the violence in their retrieval—-why is the violence necessary? 

This is because violence becomes necessary due to capitalism. The whalers live in a capitalist society that thrives for continuous economic growth and competitive markets, and as a result, they are pushed to be better than their competitors. For whoever has the most money in this society, holds the most power. This individualistic and competitive mindset are what leads to the pursuit of power through any means necessary and this typically manifests into a particular type of violence. In whaling, it has manifested in the overhunting of whales in the pursuit of profit and to just survive in general. Just like the sharks, many people are just trying to survive in the world that they live in. If violence becomes a means of survival, then we must be violent. This is what this scene depicts, how because of the capitalist society they live in, the work force has had to adapt to violence. For in order to survive in a cruel world, we must become violent—we must become sharks.

Essay #2: Life or Profit?

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Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick focuses on a very profitable industry during the time of the 1830s, the whaling industry. Melville writes characters that are driven by profit and greed, which can be seen through these capitalistic sailors. He shows that capitalism is a driving force, as one values profit more than the well-being of their fellow sailors. Stubb, in chapter 93, shows his true colors as Pip almost dies while they are in pursuit of a whale. “Stick to the boat, Pip, or by the Lord, I won’t pick you up if you jump; mind that. We can’t afford to lose whales by the likes of you; a whale would sell for 30 times what you would, Pip, in Alabama. Bear in mind, and don’t jump anymore.” Hereby, perhaps Stubb indirectly hinted, that the man loves his fellow, yet man is a moneymaking animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benevolence” (452). Human life is very crucial to the industry, and one needs these men so that they can make their living, but is profit more valuable than each other’s lives? Melville has stated his view on this, as he believes that human connection is valued less than the gain that the sailors will receive within this industry. As these sailors are out for profit from hunting these whales, one sees that they valued what they could receive over the value of human life, as they were surrounded by a world of capitalism. 

Whaling was a very profitable industry in the 1830s, which nearly led to the extinction of whales, as they were a large source of material and money that one could get from them. This whole novel is surrounded by this subject, and one can see how the profit that these whales could bring them will lead to greed and maybe not value other aspects of their career. The whaling industry is a very dangerous career as they risk death from many factors, like storms, diseases, tragic accidents, and even the whale attacking them, as they seek them out to kill them. Reading through chapter 93, one can see an instance of an accident like that which proves that these sailors cared more about the pursuit of a whale than the life of one of their comrades. Pip, a young African boy who was also aboard the Pequod with Stubb, had jumped overboard board amisdt hunting down a whale. He had gotten caught in the line, then Tashtego asked Stubb if he could cut him free, as he saw him struggling, and Pip was saved, but they lost the whale. This section truly shows that these men, particularly Stubb, value money more than the life of one of their comrades. 

“Stick to the boat, Pip, or by the Lord, I won’t pick you up if you jump; mind that” was the first command Stubb had said to Pip after pulling him back aboard the smaller boat used to spear and pursue the whale. Here, Stubb gives Pip a harsh command and a warning of what he will do next time if he jumps overboard. The whale clearly is the main goal in mind for him, not saving anyone who might go overboard. Stubb’s warning to Pip can be seen as a literal warning and as an existential meaning behind it, as he tells him not to do it again, or else he will be left at sea and no one will come back for him, as they have the whale, which is seen as more important. Stubb’s comment here shows the beginning of what drives them towards capitalism and favoring money over human life. 

Stubb’s morality and values are being questioned here by Melville, suggesting that he prioritizes profit over saving a life. “We can’t afford to lose whales by the likes of you” says Stubb, which also shows that Stubb was not willing even to save his life as the whale was seen as more important than he, then says, “a whale would sell for 30 times what you would, Pip, in Alabama. Bear that in mind, and don’t jump anymore.” Stubb had said this, which can be seen as proving that money is what he sought after in his pursuit of the whale and that, as Pip was a young African boy, he could be sold for less than what a whale would get him. This proves that money is what motivates them and exposes their true nature, in this instance, Stubb. He uses the imagery of how much he would get for a whale over what he would get for selling him into slavery, which he says would be “30 times what you would, Pip, in Alabama,” which shows that Pip’s life was not of much value to him compared to what the whale would get him. The whaling industry proves that people who pursued these whales were in it for what they could gain. As they did this, the value of human life versus profit became apparent as they realized the potential gains from this industry. 

Man’s value for what they could earn from hunting these whales is more evident when Ishmael says this about what Stubb had said to Pip. “Hereby, perhaps Stubb, indirectly hinted, that the man loves his fellow, yet man is a moneymaking animal, which propensity too often interferes with his benevolence.” Stubb does show some empathy towards Pip as he did save him, but he warns him that he isn’t the priority, as “man is a moneymaking animal” in pursuit of the whale for gain. Melville had even compared humans to animals, as they are even hunting down one that they will then use for profit. “Propensity too often interferes with his benevolence,” Melville writes, showing that they care about each other aboard the Pequod, but then, when money comes into play, it is different. All of the sailors aboard the Pequod had their hearts out for money, and they would do anything for it, which proves that man values profit over their fellow sailors’ lives. 

Stubb’s commentary after Pip had fallen overboard shows what Melville believes to be true amongst the sailors. They were consumed/addicted to this industry and what they could receive from it, rather than valuing someone else’s life. Capitalism controlled them while aboard the Pequod, which shows their true nature and values. Money came first in their line of sight, then their comrades’ lives as they traversed the deadly oceans in search of these whales. 

Chapter Ninety-One

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In Chapter 91, “The Pequod Meets The Rose-Bud”, Melville presents a scene filled with irony, satire, and moral commentary that exposes the ignorance and exploitation inherent in capitalist systems. The Pequod encounters a French whaling ship, which is ironically named Bouton-de-Rose (Rose-Bud), which reeks of decay from two rotting whales tied to its side. The name “Rose-Bud”, which evokes beauty and freshness, stands in stark contrast to the foul stench that accompanies the ship. The ironic contradiction between the name and reality symbolizes how wealth and refinement often conceal decay and corruption. This irony deepens through the presence of ambergris, a substance found in diseased whales, which is used to create luxury perfumes. Through this grotesque transformation of waste into beauty, Melville critiques how capitalist societies turn death, exploitation, and decay into symbols of elegance and value.  Melville highlights this critique through Stubb’s manipulation of the French sailors. The narrator notes, “Sounding him carefully, Stubb further perceived that the Guernsey-man had not the slightest suspicion concerning the ambergris. He therefore held his peace on that head. Otherwise, he was quite frank and confidential with him, so that the two quickly concocted a little plan for both circumventing and satirizing the Captain, without his at all dreaming of distrusting their sincerity.” (Melville 444) Stubb’s selective honesty, his decision to “hold his peace” while pretending to be “frank and confidential”, reveals the hypocrisy and deceit underlying capitalist exchange. His manipulation of the ignorant French captain mirrors a larger pattern of exploitation in which those with knowledge and power profit from those who don’t. Using the words “circumventing” and “satirizing” implies cunning and mockery, showing how Stubb treats exploitation as a game, a form of entertainment instead of a moral wrongdoing. This moment becomes an insight into how profit depends on secrecy and deceit, the same mechanisms that sustain colonial and capitalist hierarchies. The Rose-Bud becomes an emblem of society’s contradictions, a world that celebrates beauty while ignoring the gruesomeness that makes it possible.