Question

Which best explains why Melville begins Chapter 28 of Moby-D*ck with a description of Ahab’s physical absence above the ship’s hatches for several days?

to show that Ahab has no real command over his ship
to make Ahab’s eventual appearance on deck more dramatic
to show that Ahab is no longer interested in the whale hunt
to make Ahab’s eventual appearance on deck predictable

Answer 1

This is one of my favorite literary classics, the answer for this question would be B, because Melville expresses later in the novel that Ahab in fact has command over his ship. Ahab is very passionate about avenging the white whale. The writer would not want to make his eventual appearance more predictable, this takes away from the plot.