Summary
The Pequod encounters the German whaling ship Jungfrau (Virgin), commanded by Derick De Deer. The German captain rows over to the Pequod, hoping to borrow some lamp oil since his ship has had terrible luck catching whales. Before he can even ask, a pod of whales appears nearby, and both crews immediately launch their boats in fierce competition. The race becomes a masterclass in whaling strategy and international rivalry. Stubb's boat initially falls behind, but through clever maneuvering and Stubb's psychological warfare - mocking the Germans in a mix of languages - the Pequod's crew gains the advantage. They harpoon an old, sick whale that's lagging behind the pod. The Germans protest that they saw it first, but possession is nine-tenths of maritime law. The captured whale turns out to be ancient and diseased, blind in one eye, with a crooked jaw and ulcerated sores. As they try to secure it to the ship, the whale's deteriorated blubber causes it to sink like a stone - a rare occurrence that leaves the crew with nothing but the satisfaction of beating the Germans. The chapter reveals the cutthroat nature of whaling competition, where national pride and professional rivalry override basic courtesy. Even among supposed allies on the lonely ocean, it's every ship for itself. The sinking whale becomes a perfect metaphor for hollow victories - sometimes you can win the race but still lose the prize. Melville uses humor to explore serious themes about competition, aging, and the sometimes pointless nature of human striving.
Coming Up in Chapter 72
The Pequod encounters another whaling ship with a very different kind of captain - one whose unusual philosophy about whales might hold crucial information about Moby Dick. But getting him to share what he knows will require navigating his peculiar worldview.
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
The Jeroboam’s Story. Hand in hand, ship and breeze blew on; but the breeze came faster than the ship, and soon the Pequod began to rock. By and by, through the glass the stranger’s boats and manned mast-heads proved her a whale-ship. But as she was so far to windward, and shooting by, apparently making a passage to some other ground, the Pequod could not hope to reach her. So the signal was set to see what response would be made. Here be it said, that like the vessels of military marines, the ships of the American Whale Fleet have each a private signal; all which signals being collected in a book with the names of the respective vessels attached, every captain is provided with it. Thereby, the whale commanders are enabled to recognise each other upon the ocean, even at considerable distances and with no small facility. The Pequod’s signal was at last responded to by the stranger’s setting her own; which proved the ship to be the Jeroboam of Nantucket. Squaring her yards, she bore down, ranged abeam under the Pequod’s lee, and lowered a boat; it soon drew nigh; but, as the side-ladder was being rigged by Starbuck’s order to accommodate the visiting captain, the stranger in question waved his hand from his boat’s stern in token of that proceeding being entirely unnecessary. It turned out that the Jeroboam had a malignant epidemic on board, and that Mayhew, her captain, was fearful of infecting the Pequod’s company. For, though himself and boat’s crew remained untainted, and though his ship was half a rifle-shot off, and an incorruptible sea and air rolling and flowing between; yet conscientiously adhering to the timid quarantine of the land, he peremptorily refused to come into direct contact with the Pequod. But this did by no means prevent all communications. Preserving an interval of some few yards between itself and the ship, the Jeroboam’s boat by the occasional use of its oars contrived to keep parallel to the Pequod, as she heavily forged through the sea (for by this time it blew very fresh), with her main-topsail aback; though, indeed, at times by the sudden onset of a large rolling wave, the boat would be pushed some way ahead; but would be soon skilfully brought to her proper bearings again. Subject to this, and other the like interruptions now and then, a conversation was sustained between the two parties; but at intervals not without still another interruption of a very different sort. Pulling an oar in the Jeroboam’s boat, was a man of a singular appearance, even in that wild whaling life where individual notabilities make up all totalities. He was a small, short, youngish man, sprinkled all over his face with freckles, and wearing redundant yellow hair. A long-skirted, cabalistically-cut coat of a faded walnut tinge enveloped him; the overlapping sleeves of which were rolled up on his wrists. A deep, settled, fanatic delirium was in his eyes. So soon as this...
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Hollow Victories - When Winning Costs More Than Losing
When competitive fury makes us fight hardest for prizes that are already worthless.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches you to spot when you're about to win a competition that will leave you worse off than losing would have.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when competition heats up at work or home - then pause and ask yourself what you're really fighting for and whether it's worth having.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Jungfrau
German for 'Virgin' - the name of the German whaling ship. In whaling, a 'virgin' ship meant one that hadn't caught any whales yet, marking it as either inexperienced or unlucky.
Modern Usage:
We still use 'virgin' to mean inexperienced in various contexts, from 'virgin territory' in business to someone new to any activity
Lamp oil
Whale oil used for lighting lamps before electricity. Ships that ran out couldn't see at night, making it as essential as fuel is today. The German captain begging for oil shows how desperate his situation is.
Modern Usage:
Like running out of gas money or phone battery - the basic necessities that leave you stranded without them
Right of capture
Maritime law where whoever physically possesses something owns it, regardless of who saw it first. In whaling, this meant fast harpoons mattered more than fast eyes.
Modern Usage:
Like calling 'dibs' doesn't matter if someone else grabs the last parking spot - possession is still nine-tenths of the law
Blubber
The thick layer of fat under a whale's skin that was boiled down for oil. Good blubber floated; diseased blubber could sink. The quality determined the whale's value.
Modern Usage:
Like discovering the used car you just bought has a cracked engine block - what looked valuable turns out worthless
International rivalry
Competition between ships of different nations, where beating foreigners mattered as much as profit. Whalers carried their country's pride along with their harpoons.
Modern Usage:
Like how Olympic events or even restaurant reviews become about national pride - 'our way is better than theirs'
Psychological warfare
Stubb's strategy of mocking and distracting opponents to gain advantage. He uses insults and jokes to throw off the German crew's concentration during the chase.
Modern Usage:
Trash talk in sports, competitive bidding, or even Black Friday shopping - using mind games to beat the competition
Characters in This Chapter
Derick De Deer
Rival captain
Captain of the unlucky German ship Jungfrau. Comes begging for oil but immediately abandons courtesy when whales appear. Represents both desperation and opportunism in competition.
Modern Equivalent:
The coworker who asks to borrow money then tries to steal your promotion
Stubb
Comic competitor
The Pequod's second mate who uses humor and mockery as weapons. Leads the successful chase through cunning rather than speed, showing brains can beat brawn.
Modern Equivalent:
The class clown who somehow always wins at everything
The German crew
Desperate competitors
Represent the harsh reality of failure at sea - no oil means no light, no profit, no pride. Their desperation makes them aggressive despite needing help.
Modern Equivalent:
The failing business that tries to undercut everyone else's prices
The ancient whale
Hollow prize
Blind, diseased, and ultimately worthless despite being caught. Its sinking represents how competition can make us chase things that aren't worth having.
Modern Equivalent:
The Black Friday 'deal' that breaks the day after you buy it
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The ungracious and ungrateful dog! He called for the lamp oil, and now he races for the whales!"
Context: Stubb's outraged reaction when the German captain abandons his begging to chase whales
Shows how quickly desperation turns to competition. The German captain's survival needs override social courtesy, revealing the brutal economics of whaling where politeness is a luxury.
In Today's Words:
The nerve of this guy! Comes asking for a favor then tries to steal my customer!
"Sinking! Thunder and lightning! This whale's got the pip! Pull up, pull up!"
Context: The moment they realize their hard-won whale is sinking due to disease
The 'pip' was a wasting disease that made the whale's blubber lose buoyancy. This moment transforms victory into defeat, showing how competition can blind us to what we're really chasing.
In Today's Words:
Are you kidding me? This thing's a total lemon! Cut it loose!
"Oh! many are the Fin-Backs, and many are the Dericks, my friend."
Context: Comparing the German captain to common, unremarkable whales
Melville suggests that for every successful whaler, there are countless failures. The ocean is full of Dericks - desperate, luckless captains racing after prizes they'll never catch or that aren't worth catching.
In Today's Words:
There's a million guys just like him out there, all chasing the same dream and failing
Thematic Threads
Competition
In This Chapter
International whaling rivalry erupts into mockery and sabotage over a diseased whale
Development
Escalates from Ahab's personal competition with Moby Dick to crew-wide competitive madness
In Your Life:
When you find yourself fighting hardest for opportunities that everyone else wants but nobody actually benefits from
False Victory
In This Chapter
The crew celebrates beating the Germans but loses everything when the whale sinks
Development
Introduced here as counterpoint to Ahab's pursuit of meaningful but destructive victory
In Your Life:
Getting the promotion that comes with twice the work for 5% more pay
Scarcity Mindset
In This Chapter
Both crews assume there's not enough whale for everyone, refuse to cooperate
Development
Builds on earlier themes of whaling as zero-sum game
In Your Life:
Fighting over overtime shifts instead of demanding better base pay for everyone
Pride
In This Chapter
National and professional pride overrides basic human courtesy and common sense
Development
Expands from Ahab's individual pride to show how pride infects entire crews
In Your Life:
Refusing to ask for help at work because you need to prove you're the best
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What happened when the German ship came to the Pequod asking for help?
analysis • surface - 2
Why did both crews immediately abandon their conversation to chase the whales? What made them forget the Germans needed lamp oil?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen people compete so hard for something that they forget why they wanted it in the first place?
application • medium - 4
If you were on the Pequod and saw that sick, dying whale, would you still race for it? How would you decide if a 'win' is worth pursuing?
application • deep - 5
What does the sinking whale teach us about the difference between winning and actually gaining something valuable?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Calculate Your Real Prizes
List three things you're currently competing for or working hard to 'win' - at work, home, or in your community. For each one, write what you think you'll gain if you win. Then write what it's actually costing you right now to compete. Include time, energy, relationships, and peace of mind as costs.
Consider:
- •Are you competing because you really want the prize, or just to beat someone else?
- •What would happen if you let the other person 'win' this one?
- •Is this a healthy whale worth catching, or a diseased one that will sink?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time you 'won' something that turned out to be worthless - or lost something that turned out to be a blessing. What did that teach you about choosing your battles?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 72
The coming pages reveal key events and character development in this chapter, and teach us thematic elements and literary techniques. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.