Back-tracking by quite a bit, Chapter 36, \u201cThe Quarter-Deck,\u201d is significant because it is the first chapter in which Ahab addresses his men and in which the dynamic of the entirely male crew is revealed. Ishmael describes the intense pacing of Ahab around his cabin and the deck before he orders Starbuck to summon the crew. Once the mass of men is collected in one location, Ahab initiates a cycle of wild and boisterous chanting:
\n\u201c\u2018What do ye do when ye see a whale, men?\u2019
\n\u2018Sing out for him!\u2019 was the impulsive rejoinder from a score of clubbed voices.
\n\u2018Good!\u2019 cried Ahab, with a wild approval in his tones; observing the hearty animation into which his unexpected question has so magnetically thrown them\u201d (142-43).
\nThis chanting back and forth between the captain and his crew continues. This is Ahab\u2019s way of \u201crallying the troops\u201d before he even mentions the mission of vengeance that is at the heart of the voyage. Words like \u201cimpulsive,\u201d \u201cwild approval,\u201d \u201chearty animation,\u201d and \u201cmagnetically\u201d jump out because they are so sensational and they give the reader the impression of a \u201cmob mentality\u201d existing aboard the wholly male Pequod. Ahab is gleeful at how much control he seems to have over his men from the very start as he calls out questions and then listens to the answers shouted back at him in unison. Even the shipmates are taken aback by their instinctual responses and yet they continue to respond naturally: \u201cMore and more strangely and fiercely glad and approving, grew the countenance of the old man at every shout; while the mariners began to gaze curiously at each others, as if marveling how it was that they themselves became so excited at such seemingly purposeless questions\u201d (143). The reader is reminded of the control a general or lieutenant has over a group of men in a militaristic setting.<\/p>\n
Next, Ahab begins to reveal the sinister side of his plot. He moves closer to his sailors, shows them a gold coin in one hand, and announces that the killer of a large white-headed whale shall receive this coin. The immediate response of the crew is a joyous \u201c\u2018Huzza! Huzza!\u2019\u201d (143). Tashtego, Daggoo, and Queequeg recognize their captain\u2019s description of the white whale as they have all heard of Moby Dick. Starbuck makes the connection between Moby Dick and Ahab\u2019s lost leg, to which Ahab admits. All of the men continue to chant and shout excitedly and supportively, as if completely unperturbed by the announcement of this secondary mission of the Pequod; however, Starbuck is rational and sharp enough to realize the dilemma, and so he challenges Ahab. While the others do not recognize that they have been cheated by Ahab \u2013 that they are now trapped on a ship hunting a very large and dangerous whale without knowing before boarding that this would be the captain\u2019s main goal \u2013 Starbuck comments that \u201cI came here to hunt whales, not my commander\u2019s vengeance. How many barrels will thy vengeance yield thee\u2026it will not fetch thee much in our Nantucket market\u201d (145). Ahab tries to appeal to Starbuck\u2019s sense of pride, and although Starbuck quiets his dissent, he quietly mutters to God to look out for his safety and the safety of the others.<\/p>\n
After having already used vocal stimulation and fiscal incentive to rally his men on a personal vendetta, Ahab calls for them to congregate in a circle on the deck, and for his harpooners to carry their weapons. Ishmael describes the eyes of the riveted men as \u201cwild\u201d and compares them to \u201cthe bloodshot eyes of the prairie wolves\u201d who \u201cmeet the eye of their leader\u201d (146-47). Ahab whips out his next tool in exciting his male crew \u2013 the pewter brimming with alcohol. Ahab orders his men to \u201c\u2018Drink and pass!\u2019\u201d the pewter around in the circle so that every man receives some of the delicious beverage (147). The pewter is refilled and the men continue to drink. They drink upon their captain\u2019s command as he yells out to the seas and the skies that the Pequod will be hunting Moby Dick to his death. Finally, after \u201cthe replenished pewter went the rounds among the frantic crew,\u201d Ahab waves his hand for them all to disperse and returns to his cabin to rest (148). It was thus the captain\u2019s combination of excitedly vocal chanting, monetary reward, and communal drinking that activates the crew and puts them in this so-called frantic state. Melville is exploring the stereotypes of manhood, masculinity, and the bonds between men. Money and alcohol are stereotypical allures for men, and Ahab utilizes them cleverly. The only true resistance he receives comes from Starbuck, who realizes he has no way out of this mess and must rely on God to save his life. Therefore, \u201cThe Quarter-Deck\u201d is an important chapter that establishes the dynamic of the crew, who answer wholeheartedly and excitedly to the mad Ahab without truly appreciating how they have been wronged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Back-tracking by quite a bit, Chapter 36, \u201cThe Quarter-Deck,\u201d is significant because it is the first chapter in which Ahab addresses his men and in which the dynamic of the entirely male crew is revealed. Ishmael describes the intense pacing of Ahab around his cabin and the deck before he orders Starbuck to summon the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gender"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=774"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":775,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774\/revisions\/775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/engl177\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}