# Going Aboard explained — Moby-Dick

> Chapter companion for Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.

## What happens

In the misty dawn, Ishmael and Queequeg head for the Pequod. They are intercepted by the mysterious Elijah, who asks cryptic, ominous questions about shadowy figures boarding the ship. Unsettled, they proceed and find the ship quiet, with only a sleeping rigger in the forecastle. After a comical interaction where Queequeg uses the sleeper as a seat, the rigger wakes and confirms the ship sails that day with Captain Ahab, who remains secluded in his cabin.

## Themes in this chapter

### Interpretation and Perception

Elijah's cryptic questions and the uncertain dawn light create ambiguity. Ishmael doubts his own senses about seeing men board, highlighting the difficulty of discerning truth from illusion.

### Fate, Free Will, and Predestination

Elijah's ominous warnings and Ahab's hidden presence create a sense of inescapable doom, as if the voyage's tragic end is already being foreshadowed.

### Race and Cultural Difference

Queequeg's anecdote about using people as furniture in his country provides a stark, humorous contrast to Western customs, emphasizing cultural relativism.

## Character check-ins

### Ishmael

Narrates the eerie boarding process; is perturbed by Elijah's warnings and the ship's unnatural quiet.

### Queequeg

Accompanies Ishmael; displays cultural differences by using the sleeping rigger as a seat and sharing stories of his homeland.

### Elijah

Appears suddenly to deliver frantic, ambiguous warnings about the voyage and asks if Ishmael saw shadowy men board the Pequod.

### Captain Ahab

Mentioned as having come aboard; remains invisibly secluded in his cabin, establishing an aura of mystery and foreboding.

### Starbuck

Mentioned by the rigger as being 'astir' on deck; described as a good, pious, and lively chief mate.

## Key lines

> "Did ye see anything looking like men going towards that ship a while ago?"

Elijah asks if they saw shadowy figures boarding the Pequod.

_Creates mystery and foreboding about the crew and voyage._

> "in his land... the king, chiefs, and great people generally, were in the custom of fattening some of the lower orders for ottomans"

Queequeg explains that in his country, important people fatten commoners to use as living furniture.

_Illustrates cultural difference through a shocking, humorous custom._

> "Meanwhile Captain Ahab remained invisibly enshrined within his cabin."

Captain Ahab stays hidden and secluded in his quarters.

_Builds anticipation and mystery around the captain's character and presence._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxi-going-aboard
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters