The literary term used in this passage is a metaphor. The harpooner is being described as a creature in a transition state, comparing him to a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly to convey the idea of change and growth.
The innkeeper told Ishmael that the harpooner, Queequeg, was trying to sell his head.
Queequeg's skill is harpooning; he is an expert harpooner, which secures him a job on the ship Pequod as a harpooner.
Queequeg (:
harpooner
Fedallah
Tashtego
Father Mapple
Uninterested.
The chief harpooner for Captain Ahab in Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick" is named Queequeg. He is a skilled and loyal crew member who befriends Ishmael and assists Ahab in his pursuit of the white whale.
The only whale author Ishmael described who was a real professional harpooner and whale man was a Frenchman named Beauvais. He was known for his expertise and experience in hunting whales at sea.
Queequeg is a harpooner aboard the Pequod, the whaling ship in "Moby-Dick". As a harpooner, Queequeg is skilled in hunting and killing whales. He is also depicted as a loyal and fearless companion to Ishmael, the novel's protagonist.
the harpooner