How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Significantly, Nantucketers referred to the packet that delivered green hands from New York City as the "Slaver." (1.92)
So that just about settles it, right? Not only do whalers exploit racism to gain cheap labor, but they also actively think about their employment practices as slavery. In an irony to end all ironies, they're doing this as their devout Quaker wives write passionate treatises opposing slavery.
Quote #5
The divide between the forecastle and the other living quarters was not just physical but also racial. (2.29)
The class structure of a whaling ship is literally defined by its physical layout. Officers stay in the front; white working-class men stay in the middle; and black ship hands stay in the back.
Quote #6
In bringing the kid aft, the men had dared to violate the sacred space of the quarterdeck, normally reserved for the officers. (3.53)
Naturally, there are consequences to breaking this unspoken class structure. Just look at how the normally chill Captain Pollard freaks out harder than a teenaged girl at a One Direction concert. A One Direction concert without Zayn, that is. Cue horrified gasps.