Lisa Stifler's Blog

Why is it that you think Ishmael is so bent on going to the water? Why couldn’t he just get a more exciting job on earth; what is it about the water that calls to him?

What is the meaning behind the references to cannibalism and what do they foreshadow.

Why does Ishmael choose to go on a whaling trip as his way of being at sea? Why choose such a dangerous endeavor? What does this tell us about him as a character?

What is the significance of Ishmael’s references to cannibalism?

Does Queepeg affect Ahab’s perspective on life or whaling? Why does is he so judgmental of this “wild” man when he himself is looking to escape the normality of society?

Ishmael says of the primitive weapons on display at the Spouter-Inn: “You shuddered as you gazed, and wondered what monstrous cannibal and savage could ever have gone a death-harvesting with such a hacking, horrifying implement” (page 14).  While Ishmael refers to cannibalism here, is he aware of the violence associated with whaling?  Is Ishmael naïve in his attempt to create a distinction between the savagery of “cannibals” and the brutality of whaling?