Dark Romanticism: American Gothic — Test

Question 20 • English III

Which best explains why Melville begins Chapter 41 of Moby-Dick with a detailed description of the White Whale?

Answer

Melville begins the chapter with a description of the White Whale so that readers can understand the whale species.

Melville begins the chapter with a description of the White Whale because he wants readers to sympathize with it.

Melville begins the chapters with a description of the White Whale so that readers can understand Ahab’s motivation to pursue it.

Melville begins the chapter with a description of the White Whale because he wants readers to recognize its lack of intelligence.

Explanation

The description helps readers see why the White Whale has such a powerful hold over Ahab: the whale is portrayed as enormous, fearsome, and marked by the damage from Ahab’s earlier encounter with it. This context makes Ahab’s obsessive pursuit more understandable. The best answer is “so that readers can understand Ahab’s motivation to pursue it.”

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