The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket · Chapter
XVII explained
The narrative continues the journey southward, detailing the crew's encounters with ice, wildlife, and a giant polar bear.
What happens
The narrative continues the journey southward, detailing the crew's encounters with ice, wildlife, and a giant polar bear. Pym pressures Captain Guy to continue despite concerns over fuel and scurvy, leading to the discovery of Bennet's Islet and further Antarctic exploration.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Self-Destruction
Pym's relentless drive to push southward despite warnings of fuel shortage and scurvy foreshadows the disastrous events that follow.
The Sublime and Antipodal World
The description of immense icebergs, open polar sea, and the giant bear evokes the awe and terror of the Antarctic sublime.
Characters to notice
- Arthur Gordon Pym
Narrator and advocate for continuing southward, pressing Captain Guy to persevere despite dangers.
- Dirk Peters
Accompanies Pym in the boat and kills the giant polar bear with a knife to the spine.
- Captain Guy
Commander of the Jane Guy, names Bennet's Islet, and is persuaded by Pym to continue south.
- Jane Guy
The schooner on which the crew travels, serving as their vessel for Antarctic exploration.
Key passages
“We had now advanced to the southward more than eight degrees farther than any previous navigators, and the sea still lay perfectly open before us.”
The crew had sailed over eight degrees further south than any earlier explorers, and the ocean ahead remained unobstructed.
Highlights the unprecedented nature of their voyage and the apparent openness of the polar sea.
“So tempting an opportunity of solving the great problem in regard to an Antarctic continent had never yet been afforded to man, and I confess that I felt myself bursting with indignation at the timid and ill-timed suggestions of our commander.”
Pym was furious at Captain Guy's cautious talk of turning back, seeing a unique chance to discover the Antarctic continent.
Shows Pym's obsessive ambition and his conflict with the captain's prudence.
“Leaping upon the back of the huge beast, he plunged the blade of a knife behind the neck, reaching the spinal marrow at a blow.”
Peters jumped onto the bear's back and stabbed it in the neck, severing its spinal cord instantly.
Demonstrates Peters' bravery and skill in a life-threatening encounter.