Discussion questions 3, 4 & 5

1. What does whiteness represent in terms of religion? (ch. 42)

2. What does Ishmael mean when he called white bears and white sharks "transcendent horrors?" (ch. 42)


1. What is the meaning of Flask's objective outlook on the doubloon? What could Melville be suggesting about the readers of Moby Dick? (ch. 99)

2. What does Stubb's interpretation of the doubloon tell us about his personality? (ch. 99)


1. Why does Ahab feel proud to be holding Pip's hand - prouder "than though I grasped an Emperor?" What point is Melville making about race? (ch. 125)

2. What is the significance of the Homeric simile on pg. 400 "As the unsetting polar star...and not sprout forth a single spear or leaf?" (ch. 130)