what role does greed play in the disaster of the essex

"One naval arcitect's calculations project that if the Essex had been a new ship, her oak planking would have withstood even this tremendous blow. Since the whale did punch a hole in the bow, the Essex's twenty-one-year-old planking must have been significantly weakened by rot or marine growth." (89)

A common problem in the story is that the men were so near to salvation in so many instances. Here, the shipwreck would never have occurred had the shipowners garnered less greed and more prudence.