Moby-Dick · Chapter
LXXIX: The Prairie explained
Ishmael attempts a physiognomical and phrenological analysis of the sperm whale's head, particularly its brow.
What happens
Ishmael attempts a physiognomical and phrenological analysis of the sperm whale's head, particularly its brow. He argues that the whale's lack of a nose and other distinct facial features contributes to its sublime and godlike grandeur. The whale's 'pyramidical silence' and inscrutable forehead, pleated with riddles, present an ultimate challenge to human interpretation and knowledge.
Themes in this chapter
Interpretation and Perception
The entire chapter is an exercise in attempting to interpret the whale's physical form, ultimately concluding that its 'awful Chaldee' is unreadable, highlighting the limits of human perception.
The Limits of Knowledge
Ishmael explicitly states that 'Physiognomy... is but a passing fable' and questions his own ability to read the whale's brow, underscoring the fundamental inaccessibility of certain truths.
Characters to notice
- Ishmael
Acts as the philosophical narrator, attempting to apply the 'semi-sciences' of physiognomy and phrenology to the whale's head, while acknowledging the limits of his own and humanity's ability to decipher it.
- Moby Dick
The sperm whale as a species is the sole subject of the chapter's analytical and awe-struck contemplation, its brow presented as an emblem of sublime, inscrutable power.
Key passages
“Physiognomically regarded, the Sperm Whale is an anomalous creature. He has no proper nose.”
From a face-reading perspective, the sperm whale is strange because it lacks a nose, a central feature for expression.
Establishes the whale's physical difference as a challenge to human systems of analysis.
“But in the great Sperm Whale, this high and mighty godlike dignity inherent in the brow is so immensely amplified... you feel the Deity and the dread powers more forcibly than in beholding any other object in living nature.”
The whale's forehead inspires a sense of divine and terrifying power greater than any other natural thing.
Conveys the sublime, almost religious awe the whale inspires.
“I but put that brow before you. Read it if you can.”
I can only present the whale's forehead to you; deciphering its meaning is up to you, if you are able.
A direct challenge to the reader, emphasizing the ultimate impossibility of the interpretative task.