Queequeg

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Queequeg is a fictional character presented in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by U.S. author Herman Melville. He is the first principal character encountered by the narrator, serves as the chief harpooner aboard the Pequod, and plays an important role in many of the events of the book, both in port and during the whaling voyage. Although a "savage" cannibal, he is described with great sympathy and much admiration by Ishmael, by whom he is befriended early in the book.

[edit] Description

Queequeg is a native of a fictional island in the South Pacific Ocean named Kokovoko or Rokovoko. The island is the home to his primitive tribe, who practice cannibalism, in particular devouring the flesh of enemies slain in battle. Queequeg claims that the only case of indigestion he has suffered was after a feast in which fifty slain enemies were eaten. He displays no shame regarding the practice, describing his people in a matter-of-fact fashion. In port he prefers a diet of rare red meat, but will settle for whatever is on the menu, such as clam chowder.

Although the son of the chief, he chose to leave his island out of curiosity to see more of the world and to experience and evaluate the different (and possibly superior) civilization of the Christian world. At first rejected by the whaler that landed on his island, he skillfully jumped from a canoe and clamped to the side of the boat as it was leaving for the open sea, at which point the captain relented. At the opening of the novel, he is in the port in New Bedford, having returned from a whaling voyage. It is Ishmael who convinces him, based on their friendship, to ship on another whaling expedition with him. At the time of the novel, he has been away from his home island for many years, so long that it is possible that his father is dead and that he would become the chief if he returned.

He's a young man, in the prime of life, tall and powerfully athletic, an excellent swimmer who does not hesitate an instant to dive into cold water to save the life of a troublesome passenger aboard the ferry from New Bedford to Nantucket.

He practices a form of animism using a small idol named Yojo, for which he builds small ceremonial fires. As part of his religion, he practices a prolonged period of fasting and silence (which Ishmael calls his "Ramadan"), at one time locking himself in his room in Nantucket. Even after Ishmael enters the room, he keeps his fast and silence without acknowledging the presence of others. Nevertheless he spontaneously attends a Christian sermon of Father Mapple in New Bedford, although he slips out before the end.

He is unflappable and extremely easy-going among white society, never grudging an insult. He immediately takes to Ishmael and decides (based on advice from his idol) that Ishmael should decide on the ship for both of them together.

He is an extraordinary harpooner, impressing the money-tight owners of the Pequod so much that they immediately offer him a high 1/90 portion (ninetieth lay) of the ship's profit in exchange for his signing on as harpooner. In port he carries his sharpened harpoon with him at all times, unless prevented from doing so. He shaves with his harpoon as well. He smokes regularly from a tomahawk that he carries with him.

[edit] Other appearances of the name "Queequeg"

Queequeg was the name of Special Agent Dana Scully's dog on The X-Files. It was named after the Moby-Dick character. The name was also taken as an email handle by Fox Mulder, used to contact Scully, when he was on the run in later seasons.

The "Queequeg" is also the name of the submarine that the Baudelaire orphans board in the book "The Grim Grotto", in the Series of Unfortunate Events books. In the book, the crew of the Queequeg wear diving suits with the picture of Herman Melville on the front of them.

In Deus Ex: Invisible War, QueeQueg is the name of a coffee shop chain. Interestingly, it competes with another coffee shop chain called Pequod's, also a reference to Moby-Dick (the name of the ship, Pequod). Both of these references might be because the coffee chain Starbucks is named after another character in Moby-Dick, First Mate Starbuck.

Queequeg himself makes an appearance with Captain Ahab in the Futurama episode "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid". The one eyed heroine from the show, Turanga Leela, seems attracted to him and asks if there's a Mrs. Queequeg.

"Queequeg's" is the name of a restaurant on Nantucket Island, MA.

Mastodon's song Seabeast contains the lyrics "Dear Mr. Queequeg, you have been informed your life's been saved." The song itself is a reference to Moby-Dick with the sea beast being the whale.