NCHS AP English Language

Ch. 70 Sphinx

The word “sphinx” means “to strangle” in Greek. In Greek mythology, the Sphinx held the city of Thebes captive, eating men and terrorizing the city, until Oedipus completed the riddle. The Greek sphinx posed great obstacles that Oedipus had to conquer. The whale does the same thing for Captain Ahab in chapter 70. It is kind of ironic that Ahab calls the Sperm Whale “sphinx” because obviously you can’t strangle something that doesn’t have a neck. The whale differs from the Sphinx in that the whale can not eat any more men because he is dead. Ahab sees this whale as an obstacle he must get over to move on with his life. He asks the whale what evils he has seen while exploring the great ocean, perhaps almost living vicariously through it. Instead of lashing out in hatred toward whales in general, Ahab almost treats the whale corpse reverently. But since the Greek Sphinx was known for her trickery, perhaps Melville is using this first slain whale as a foreshadowing to when the Pequod meets Moby Dick in later chapters.

posted by Caroline Ward @ 8:10 AM