The author includes many metaphors as he is explaining what is going on in the story. We see an example on page 356, as he is describing the sinking of the whale. “This puts me in mind of fastening to an elephant in a tilbury on a plain-makes the wheel-spokes fly, boys, when you fasten to him that way; and there`s danger of being pitched out too, when you strike a hill.” Elephants are big animals and are being trapped in tight spaces like a tilbury. The author is comparing that to the sinking of a whale, “the utmost monster of the sea”. The whale couldn`t escape and was desperate.
On Chapter 82, he makes many references to other people as he explains the “honor and glory of whaling”. On the third paragraph, he makes a reference to Perseus of Greek mythology, who was the founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty and was also known as the prince of whalemen. On page 363, he references St. George and the dragon, which is believed to be a whale. He also references a passage of the Bible, from Ezequiel: “Thou art as a lion of the waters, and as a dragon of the sea.” He references the story of Hercules, which he believes “derives from the still and more ancient Hebrew story of Jonah and the whale (…)”
He honors Perseus, St. George, Hercules, Jonah, and Vishnu, the ones that he references in the previous pages. In page 365, he again references Jonah in response to the distrust of some of the Nantucketers. My interpretation for this chapter is to engage the reader to experience the “signal magnification of the general miracle”. Ishmael sees these men with whaling experiences as an inspiration to him as he is seeking his passionate dream.
The Agora: AP LANG 2019-2020 