An Analysis Of Moby Dick, A Squeeze Of The Hand

In Chapter 94 of Moby-Dick, “A Squeeze of the Hand,” Melville exposes the reader to the bizarre and coveted substance that catalyzed the rapid expansion of the whaling industry. Spermaceti is a waxy, oil-like substance produced in the spermaceti organ in the skull of the sperm whale. Originating from the spermaceti-organ, the fluid is located in the cranial cavity of the sperm whale and occupies a major part of the skull, holding up to 1,900 litres of spermaceti. Since the spermaceti organ, a fluid-filled sac, transforms after the death of the whale, scientists have been experiencing a dilemma. Those attempting to study spermaceti can not fully investigate it because the organic conditions needed to maintain its true form can not be emulated. …show more content…
As spermaceti cools, it becomes closer to a solid state, as the internal heat of the whale is no longer present. The exact utility of the substance is unclear due to its mysterious origins and properties, but has been hypothesized to function as either an aide for buoyancy or a method to focus the projection of sonar waves for echolocation. Despite its importance to the whale, spermaceti was a heavily exploited resource in the early 19th century as it would be used in the cosmetics industry, candles, and as industrial lubricant. Other than the coagulation of spermaceti, another peculiarity of the substance is its desirable and distinct fragrance. The spermaceti oil extracted from a whale is of the highest possible quality and has the least imperfections; oil from blubber would sell for a lower price on the market. Spermaceti is undoubtedly a strange, rare, and unusual substance that for decades was the impetus for whalemen to nearly slaughter whales to