7. One of the major themes of the novel is presented at the beginning of chapter three. What is this theme?
A. A higher being (God) is judging everyone's actions
B. The grandiose mindset relating to life as a "party" is temporary and leads to
emptiness
C. Being rich can allow people to transcend into a life of lavish fulfillment
D. The 1920's time period didn't produce any beneficial contributions to the future
I
E. It is wise to put trust into new acquaintances because first impressions are
often intuitive

first of all the mood needs to be defined: it is obviously a mood of deceitful relief and serenity. why? because the cape horn is one of the most violent maritime regions of earth and although it has been left behind, it is a personification of ahab’s delirium and the fact that the end of the passage speaks about it about being “hidden” but “raving” immediately conveys the feeling the calm is not permanent but fleeting.

furthermore, the oxymoron “mild stun'sails” is the first instance of such feeling as the adjective “mild” is associated with “stunned” underscoring the fleeting nature of this “tranquil” moment. and the contrasts keep piling up, with the opposition between “dark den” and “blessed light and air” to end with the final conclusion that leaves the reader with the uneasy knowledge that this is just a reprieve.

mark twain, real name samuel langhorne clemens, was an american writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. among his novels are the adventures of tom sawyer and its sequel, the adventures of huckleberry finn, the latter often called "the great american novel". wikipedia