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.