CHAPTER74TheSpermWhale'sHead—Contra

here,now,aretwogreatwhales,layingtheirheadstogether;letusjointhem,andlaytogetherourown.

ofthegrandorderoffolioleviathans,thespermwhaleandtherightwhalearebyfarthemostnoteworthy.theyaretheonlywhalesregularlyhuntedbyman.tothenantucketer,theypresentthetwoextremesofalltheknownvarietiesofthewhale.astheexternaldifferencebetweenthemismainlyobservableintheirheads;andasaheadofeachisthismomenthangingfromthepequod'sside;andaswemayfreelygofromonetotheother,bymerelysteppingacrossthedeck:—where,ishouldliketoknow,willyouobtainabetterchancetostudypracticalcetologythanhere?

inthefirstplace,youarestruckbythegeneralcontrastbetweentheseheads.botharemassiveenoughinallconscience;butthereisacertainmathematicalsymmetryinthespermwhale'swhichtherightwhale'ssadlylacks.thereismorecharacterinthespermwhale'shead.asyoubeholdit,youinvoluntarilyyieldtheimmensesuperioritytohim,inpointofpervadingdignity.inthepresentinstance,too,thisdignityisheightenedbythepepperandsaltcolourofhisheadatthesummit,givingtokenofadvancedageandlargeexperience.inshort,heiswhatthefishermentechnicallycalla"grey-headedwhale.

letusnownotewhatisleastdissimilarintheseheads—namely,thetwomostimportantorgans,theeyeandtheear.farbackonthesideofthehead,andlowdown,neartheangleofeitherwhale'sjaw,ifyounarrowlysearch,youwillatlastseealashlesseye,whichyouwouldfancytobeayoungcolt'seye;sooutofallproportionisittothemagnitudeofthehead.

now,fromthispeculiarsidewaypositionofthewhale'seyes,itisplainthathecanneverseeanobjectwhichisexactlyahead,nomorethanhecanoneexactlyastern.inaword,thepositionofthewhale'seyescorrespondstothatofaman'sears;andyoumayfancy,foryourself,howitwouldfarewithyou,didyousidewayssurveyobjectsthroughyourears.youwouldfindthatyoucouldonlycommandsomethirtydegreesofvisioninadvanceofthestraightsidelineofsight;andaboutthirtymorebehindit.ifyourbitterestfoewerewalkingstraighttowardsyou,witherupliftedinbroadday,youwouldnotbeabletoseehim,anymorethanifhewerestealinguponyoufrombehind.inaword,youwouldhavetwobacks,sotospeak;but,atthesametime,also,twofronts(sidefronts):forwhatisitthatmakesthefrontofaman—what,indeed,buthiseyes?

moreover,whileinmostotheranimalsthaticannowthinkof,theeyesaresoplantedasimperceptiblytoblendtheirvisualpower,soastoproduceonepictureandnottwotothebrain;thepeculiarpositionofthewhale'seyes,effectuallydividedastheyarebymanycubicfeetofsolidhead,whichtowersbetweenthemlikeagreatmountainseparatingtwolakesinvalleys;this,ofcourse,mustwhollyseparatetheimpressionswhicheachindependentorganimparts.thewhale,therefore,mustseeonedistinctpictureonthisside,andanotherdistinctpictureonthatside;whileallbetweenmustbeprofounddarknessandnothingnesstohim.manmay,ineffect,besaidtolookoutontheworldfromasentry-boxwithtwojoinedsashesforhiswindow.butwiththewhale,thesetwosashesareseparatelyinserted,makingtwodistinctwindows,butsadlyimpairingtheview.thispeculiarityofthewhale'seyesisathingalwaystobeborneinmindinthefishery;andtoberememberedbythereaderinsomesubsequentscenes.

acuriousandmostpuzzlingquestionmightbestartedconcerningthisvisualmatterastouchingtheleviathan.butimustbecontentwithahint.solongasaman'seyesareopeninthelight,theactofseeingisinvoluntary;thatis,hecannotthenhelpmechanicallyseeingwhateverobjectsarebeforehim.nevertheless,anyone'sexperiencewillteachhim,thatthoughhecantakeinanundiscriminatingsweepofthingsatoneglance,itisquiteimpossibleforhim,attentively,andcompletely,toexamineanytwothings—howeverlargeorhoweversmall—atoneandthesameinstantoftime;nevermindiftheyliesidebysideandtoucheachother.butifyounowcometoseparatethesetwoobjects,andsurroundeachbyacircleofprofounddarkness;then,inordertoseeoneofthem,insuchamannerastobringyourmindtobearonit,theotherwillbeutterlyexcludedfromyourcontemporaryconsciousness.howisit,then,withthewhale?true,bothhiseyes,inthemselves,mustsimultaneouslyact;butishisbrainsomuchmorecomprehensive,combining,andsubtlethanman's,thathecanatthesamemomentoftimeattentivelyexaminetwodistinctprospects,oneononesideofhim,andtheotherinanexactlyoppositedirection?ifhecan,thenisitasmarvellousathinginhim,asifamanwereablesimultaneouslytogothroughthedemonstrationsoftwodistinctproblemsineuclid.nor,strictlyinvestigated,isthereanyincongruityinthiscomparison.

itmaybebutanidlewhim,butithasalwaysseemedtome,thattheextraordinaryvacillationsofmovementdisplayedbysomewhaleswhenbesetbythreeorfourboats;thetimidityandliabilitytoqueerfrights,socommontosuchwhales;ithinkthatallthisindirectlyproceedsfromthehelplessperplexityofvolition,inwhichtheirdividedanddiametricallyoppositepowersofvisionmustinvolvethem.

buttheearofthewhaleisfullascuriousastheeye.ifyouareanentirestrangertotheirrace,youmighthuntoverthesetwoheadsforhours,andneverdiscoverthatorgan.theearhasnoexternalleafwhatever;andintotheholeitselfyoucanhardlyinsertaquill,sowondrouslyminuteisit.itislodgedalittlebehindtheeye.withrespecttotheirears,thisimportantdifferenceistobeobservedbetweenthespermwhaleandtheright.whiletheearoftheformerhasanexternalopening,thatofthelatterisentirelyandevenlycoveredoverwithamembrane,soastobequiteimperceptiblefromwithout.

isitnotcurious,thatsovastabeingasthewhaleshouldseetheworldthroughsosmallaneye,andhearthethunderthroughanearwhichissmallerthanahare's?butifhiseyeswerebroadasthelensofherschel'sgreattelescope;andhisearscapaciousastheporchesofcathedrals;wouldthatmakehimanylongerofsight,orsharperofhearing?notatall.—whythendoyoutryto"enlarge"yourmind?subtilizeit.

letusnowwithwhateverleversandsteam-engineswehaveathand,cantoverthespermwhale'shead,thatitmayliebottomup;then,ascendingbyaladdertothesummit,haveapeepdownthemouth;andwereitnotthatthebodyisnowcompletelyseparatedfromit,withalanternwemightdescendintothegreatkentuckymammothcaveofhisstomach.butletusholdonherebythistooth,andlookaboutuswhereweare.whatareallybeautifulandchaste-lookingmouth!fromfloortoceiling,lined,orratherpaperedwithaglisteningwhitemembrane,glossyasbridalsatins.

butcomeoutnow,andlookatthisportentouslowerjaw,whichseemslikethelongnarrowlidofanimmensesnuff-box,withthehingeatoneend,insteadofoneside.ifyoupryitup,soastogetitoverhead,andexposeitsrowsofteeth,itseemsaterrificportcullis;andsuch,alas!itprovestomanyapoorwightinthefishery,uponwhomthesespikesfallwithimpalingforce.butfarmoreterribleisittobehold,whenfathomsdowninthesea,youseesomesulkywhale,floatingtheresuspended,withhisprodigiousjaw,somefifteenfeetlong,hangingstraightdownatright-angleswithhisbody,foralltheworldlikeaship'sjib-boom.thiswhaleisnotdead;heisonlydispirited;outofsorts,perhaps;hypochondriac;andsosupine,thatthehingesofhisjawhaverelaxed,leavinghimthereinthatungainlysortofplight,areproachtoallhistribe,whomust,nodoubt,imprecatelock-jawsuponhim.

inmostcasesthislowerjaw—beingeasilyunhingedbyapractisedartist—isdisengagedandhoistedondeckforthepurposeofextractingtheivoryteeth,andfurnishingasupplyofthathardwhitewhalebonewithwhichthefishermenfashionallsortsofcuriousarticles,includingcanes,umbrella-stocks,andhandlestoriding-whips.

withalong,wearyhoistthejawisedonboard,asifitwereananchor;andwhenthepropertimecomes—somefewdaysaftertheotherwork—queequeg,oo,andtashtego,beingallaccomplisheddentists,aresettodrawingteeth.withakeencutting-spade,queequeglancesthegums;thenthejawislasheddowntoringbolts,andatacklebeingedfromaloft,theydragouttheseteeth,asmichiganoxendragstumpsofoldoaksoutofwildwoodlands.therearegenerallyforty-twoteethinall;inoldwhales,muchworndown,butundecayed;norfilledafterourartificialfashion.thejawisafterwardsawnintoslabs,andpiledawaylikejoistsforbuildinghouses.