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Although Ishmael initially describes him as “the most insignificant of the Pequod’s crew,” Pip slowly takes on a pivotal role in Ahab’s character development and Melville’s thematic exploration of race. He is a young Black boy who serves as a cabin boy aboard the ship, but his joyful spirit also leads him to become a kind of jester for the rest of the crew. This role sets him apart from the Pequod’s other crew members, giving Melville the opportunity to comment on the specific prejudices that Black Americans faced throughout the 19th century. Pip fits right in to the ship’s racially and culturally diverse crew, yet many of the characters treat him as if he were an outsider. In Chapter 40, for example, sailors from around the world instruct him to perform for them with his tambourine, a request that evokes the image of the racist minstrel shows that became popular during this time. Stubb also reminds Pip that he would be worth less than a whale if they were to sell him into slavery, a harsh point which reiterates the imbalance of power aboard the ship. Between these scenes and the emphasis on stereotypical aspects of Pip’s happy-go-lucky nature, Melville seems to emphasize the inescapability of America’s racial prejudice. Pip must navigate these biases even in the middle of the ocean.
Melville, however, takes care to expand Pip’s character beyond these demeaning images and makes him a key player in Ahab’s experiences toward the end of the novel. In Chapter 93, Pip gets stranded in the middle of the ocean after fearfully jumping from Stubb’s boat during a whale hunt. This event, which many of the other characters largely dismiss, has such an impact on Pip that he goes mad. While he spends the rest of the novel imagining things and talking about himself in the third person, Ishmael emphasizes that his abandonment brings him closer to “Wisdom” and “heaven’s sense.” Pip’s keen perception allows him to begin functioning like a Shakespearean fool, providing insights and truths that characters like Ahab refuse to see. Possessed by a madness of his own, Ahab gravitates toward Pip after his experience at sea because he believes that someone will finally understand his internal struggle. They are a bizarre pair, opposites in almost every respect, but Pip proves to be the only one who can connect with Ahab on a human level. In Chapter 129, Pip offers Ahab one final chance at redemption by begging to stay by his side, but believing that Pip is “too curing to my malady,” Ahab refuses. This turn of events may reiterate Ahab’s extremism, but it also highlights the power of Pip’s influence.
