As I was closing out reading chapter 110, I started to become concerned for Queeqeg and his health as he started to become very ill as he had requested for a coffin to be made for him so that he could be laied to rest at sea. As Queeqeg was not looking well at the beginning of the chapter but towards the end, we see that Queeqeg now wants to push through the sickness as he doesn’t want it to overtake him just yet. This highlights that internal strength which Queeqeg has over the course of nature which came over him. It shows Queeqeg’s beliefs as well that he will overcome what is happening to him.

“They asked him, then, whether to live or die was a matter of his own sovereign will, and pleasure. He answered, certainly. In a world it was Queequeg’s conceit that if man made up his mind to live, mere sickness could not kill him: nothing but a whale, or a gale, or some violent, ungovernable, unintelligent destroyer of that sort.” This shows that Queeqeg had dedicated his life to being on this boat now and that he would not be overcomed by nature yet, he wanted it to live his life as long as he could.

From Ishmael’s and the sailors perspectie, they had even questioned Queeqeg and how he had made this decision as he even prayed to his God, Yojo, for guidance as he was ill aboard the Peqod. He seemed so confident in his decision and he micraculously became better after that! He didn’t want a plain sickness to take him away from this world. He then proceeds to list what I am imagining he would prefer to take his life away like the whale, or a very harsh breeze that could blow him over board. Queeqeg appeared to want to go out some way that was not natural. He wanted something that was placed upon him like those things.

Yes he did get better but he still overcame what was put upon him. He overcame the sickness as he was wanting to push through to his very end as he knew that was not his true end of how he would live out his life, not by sickness.