Moby Dick

Flask

what is flasks attitude toward whales and why does melville compare him to a cut nail

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Flask is the third mate on the ship who has a constant chip on his shoulder regarding whales. Flask is described as a "short, stout, ruddy young fellow, very pugnacious concerning whales, who somehow seemed to think that the great Leviathans had personally and hereditarily affronted him." Flask was made to last like a "cut nail" , meant to "clinch tight and last long."