Great Short Works of Herman Melville

What was disrespectful about Radney asking Steelkilt to sweep the deck?

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Radney's asking Steelkilt to sweep the deck was disrespectful in two ways: Radney knew that Steelkilt was exhausted from his shift working the pumps, and sweeping the deck is a task normally assigned to those who worked under Steelkilt in his gang.

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Great Short Works of Herman Melville