Knights and Squires
Mentioned briefly as the second mate, who characterizes Starbuck as 'careful,' a term whose precise meaning in a whaler's context is noted as something to be explored later.
Knights and Squires
Described as a happy-go-lucky, indifferent second mate from Cape Cod. His pipe-smoking is portrayed as a defense against life's miseries, and he faces danger with calm, offhanded coolness.
Ahab
Implied among the mates who show uneasy consciousness of being under Ahab's 'troubled master-eye' and who command vicariously in his absence.
XXIX: Enter Ahab; To Him, Stubb
Attempts humorous, deprecating advice to Ahab about his noisy leg and is met with shocking scorn. Left speechless and philosophically unsettled, he questions Ahab's sanity and wonders if he should pray for him.
The Pipe
Has just departed the scene, leaving Ahab alone on deck.
Queen Mab
Recounts a prophetic and symbolic dream about Ahab's kick, which he interprets as a lesson in submission and 'wisdom'.
XXXIII: The Specksnyder
As a mate, implied to have his quarters with the captain, part of the officer hierarchy discussed.
The Cabin-Table
The second mate, who lounges before descending, and finds relief in any break in the meal's awful silence, but still adheres strictly to the hierarchical dining order.
The Quarterdeck
Observes Ahab with whispered commentary ('the chick that's in him pecks the shell') and laughs, aligning himself with the crew's excitement.
First Night-Watch
Soliloquizes on the foretop, expressing his philosophy of laughter and predestination in response to Ahab's disturbing influence.
Midnight, Forecastle
Not directly present, but his boat crew (including Tashtego and Daggoo) is central to the action, and the festive, sometimes crude mood aligns with his character.
XLIII: Hark!
Mentioned as having told Flask one morning about 'something in the wind' regarding a hidden presence.
XLVIII: The First Lowering
Calmly follows the chase, philosophically observing Flask's 'fits'; advises his men to pull steadily while trying to light his pipe.
XLIX: The Hyena
Smoking calmly in the rain after the incident. Justifies the dangers by citing his own experience of lowering for whales from a leaking ship in a gale.
Ahab’s Boat and Crew. Fedallah
Comments with Flask on the strangeness of Ahab, a one-legged man, going in a boat, showcasing the crew's perspective on their captain's recklessness.
LV: Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales
Quoted humorously on the whale's fin being like a hand in a mitten, illustrating the creature's anatomical peculiarity.
LXI: Stubb Kills a Whale
Leads the whale hunt with characteristic coolness and pipe-smoking bravado, delivering the killing lance strikes.
LXIV: Stubb’s Supper
Flushed with conquest after the whale kill; orders and enjoys a whale steak supper at midnight; orchestrates Fleece's sermon to the sharks and critiques the cook's culinary skills.
LXV: The Whale as a Dish
Referenced as the archetypal whaleman who eats the whale 'by its own light,' embodying the chapter's central, unflinching example of consuming the creature that provides illumination.
LXVI: The Shark Massacre
Sets the anchor-watch after his supper, initiating the defensive action against the sharks.
LXVII: Cutting In
The other mate working alongside Starbuck to cut the blubber from the whale.
LXX: The Sphynx
Mentioned for his boastful skill in beheading a whale in ten minutes, though he is not physically present in the scene.
LXXI: The Jeroboam’s Story
Recognizes Gabriel from a story previously heard from the Town-Ho's crew, identifying him as the 'long-togged scaramouch.'
LXXII: The Monkey-Rope
Intervenes angrily when Dough-Boy offers Queequeg ginger-water instead of grog after the whale work; mocks the 'Temperance Society' and fetches proper spirits.
LXXIII: Stubb and Flask Kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk Over Him
Leads the kill of the right whale with Flask; expresses disgust at the 'ignoble' creature; shares superstitious lore and a deep, fearful suspicion of Fedallah, whom he believes to be the devil, and boasts of how he would confront him.
LXXV: The Right Whale’s Head—Contrasted View
Implied presence as the mate who captured the Right Whale, referenced in the context of the whale kill.
LXXVIII: Cistern and Buckets
Watches the rescue attempt and shouts a warning to Daggoo about ramming the bucket onto Tashtego's head.
LXXXI: The Pequod Meets the Virgin
Mocks the German crew, provides running commentary during the chase, and orders the whale cut loose.
LXXXII: The Honor and Glory of Whaling
Representative of the contemporary Nantucket harpooneer who, Ishmael argues, is more entitled to the honors of St. George than the actual knights.
LXXXIV: Pitchpoling
Demonstrates masterful skill and coolness in pitchpoling, killing the whale with dark, gamesome humor about drinking from its spout.
The Pequod Meets the Rose-Bud
Leads the interaction with the Rose-Bud, displays cunning and mockery, and successfully retrieves ambergris from the dead whale.
XCII: Ambergris
Mentioned as initially mistaking the bony plates found in the ambergris for sailors' trouser buttons.
XCIII: The Castaway
Commands Pip to 'stick to the boat,' prioritizes the whale over Pip's life after the second jump, revealing the conflict between profit and human compassion.
XCIV: A Squeeze of the Hand
His whale, mentioned at the start, is the source of the sperm being processed.
XCVI: The Try-Works
Oversees the initial firing of the try-works, giving the order to start the rendering process.
XCVIII: Stowing Down and Clearing Up
Implied as part of the crew performing the described labors. The chapter's focus on the practical, grueling work of whaling includes all mates and their men.
XCIX: The Doubloon
Offers a jovial, fatalistic reading, interpreting the zodiac signs as a series of comic misfortunes (being shot, rammed, drowned) before concluding with a cheerful acceptance of life's cycle, declaring 'jolly's the word.'
CII: A Bower in the Arsacides
Mentioned rhetorically by Ishmael as 'erudite Stubb' in a sarcastic question about who taught him whale anatomy.
The Fossil Whale
Not present in this chapter's excerpts.
CVI: Ahab’s Leg
Implied as one of the mates directed to supply the carpenter with materials.
CVII: The Carpenter
Mentioned as having a whimsical request fulfilled by the Carpenter, who paints vermillion stars on the blades of his oars.
CVIII: Ahab and the Carpenter
Mentioned by the Carpenter as the one who best understands Ahab's 'queer' nature, reinforcing the crew's perception of their captain.
CXIV: The Gilder
Leaping in the golden light, he declares his perpetual jollity, asserting his identity and unchanging cheerful nature despite the surrounding circumstances.
CXV: The Pequod Meets the Bachelor
Implied to be among the crew; the scene of revelry on the Bachelor aligns with his generally humorous and less brooding nature, highlighting what the Pequod lacks.
CXVI: The Dying Whale
Implied to be part of the crew during the day's successful whaling activities that set the scene.
CXVIII: The Quadrant
Responds to Starbuck with grim humor, agreeing with Ahab's decision to 'live in the game, and die in it,' accepting the fatalistic course.
The Candles
Attempts to cope with the terror of the storm and the supernatural fire by singing a darkly comic song about the ocean, admitting he sings because he is a coward.
CXXI: Midnight.—The Forecastle Bulwarks
Philosophically justifies Ahab's command and the ship's safety with shifting, pragmatic arguments, using the lightning rod analogy. Shows his characteristic humor and adaptability even in a storm.
CXXIII: The Musket
Is on deck assisting after the typhoon and is given the order by Starbuck to go wake Captain Ahab.
CXXIV: The Needle
Unmurmuringly acquiesces to the changed course, sharing in some of Starbuck's foreboding feelings.
CXXV: The Log and Line
Mentioned by the Manxman as the person to see about getting a new log-line.
CXXVI: The Life-Buoy
Comments on the queerness of using a coffin as a life-buoy.
CXXVIII: The Pequod Meets the Rachel
Initially makes a cynical joke about the search motive, but immediately recants and urges Ahab to help upon learning a child is lost, showing his underlying humanity.
The Cabin
Mentioned by Pip as the one who once deserted him when he jumped from the whaleboat, a past trauma that intensifies Pip's fear of abandonment.
The Hat
His forced humor has vanished entirely under the weight of Ahab's dominating will.
CXXXIII: The Chase—First Day
Rescues Ahab into his boat and later reports on the safety of the harpoon and crew.
CXXXIV: The Chase—Second Day
His boat is dashed against Flask's by the whale; he is left singing out to be rescued from the water.
CXXXV: The Chase—Third Day
Faces death with grim, ironic humor, 'grinning' at the whale and lamenting his fate. He calls out for a final drink and jokes about dying in his drawers.
