Analysis of the Symbolism in Moby Dick解析《白鲸》的几层象征含义

四川外国语大学毕 业 论 文解析白鲸的几层象征含义 学生姓名： 学生学号： 院（系）： 年级专业： 指导教师： 二零一一年四月Analysis of the Symbolism in Moby Dick By Under the Supervision of Sichuan International Studies University (SISU)April 2011ContentsAbstractIKeywordI摘 要II关键词IIIntroduction1A.Herman Melville, One of the Leading Romanticists1B. Introduction of Moby-Dick2C. Symbolism2 Analysis of the Symbols in Moby Dick3A. The Symbolic Meaning Analyzed from the Historical Background and Social Development3B. The Symbolic Meaning in the Moby Dick41. The White Whale Moby Dick42 .Captain Ahabs Symbolic Meaning53. Pequod 64. The Narrator Ishmael65. Other Symbols in Moby Dick7C. The Symbolic Meaning Analyzed from the Relationship Between Men and Nature7. Exploration of the Ultimate Truth8Conclusion10Bibliography11Acknowledgements12 AbstractMoby Dick was written by Herman Melville, basing on his own experiences. As one of the greatest book in American literary history，Moby Dick is widely regarded as the summit of American nineteenth-century fictions with heart-shaking whaling experience. Moby-Dick contains plenty of symbolism. Such as the white whale Moby Dick stand for the mysterious and magical spirits heresy, and all the evil. The Captain Ahab enrich the symbolism of whaling. It represents the world stage of human life; a symbol of perseverance to seek the secret nature of the American spirit. And the Pequods crew members represent all races and various religious, suggesting the idea of America as a universal state of mind as well as a melting pot. Understanding the symbolic meanings of the characters and subjects in the novel is important. This paper depicts the symbolic meanings of different individuals and the relationship between human beings and nature so as to reveal the importance of harmonious relationship between human beings and nature. Keyword The white whale; symbolism; conflicts; revenge摘 要白鲸是由赫尔曼梅尔维尔根据他自己的亲身经历而写成的一篇小说。作为美国文学史上最伟大的小说，白鲸以震撼的捕鲸经历为题材被认为是美国十九世纪的巅峰之作。白鲸包含了大量的象征手法。如白鲸“莫比迪克”象征大自然的神秘和不可思议,同时也象征着所有的邪恶。亚哈船长拥有丰富的捕鲸经历。它代表了人类生活的舞台以及最原始的美国精神，即对未知大自然神秘力量的探索。“裴廓德号”的成员代表了所有种族和不同的宗教,表明美国的思想作为一种普遍的心态融合了不同的种族思想和宗教思想。所以了解小说中这些人物和主体的象征意义非常重要。本文分析了不同角色各自的象征意义以及人与人之间、人与自然之间的关系，从而揭示了人类对未知大自然神秘力量探索的必要性。关键词白鲸; 象征主义; 冲突; 报复IntroductionA.Herman Melville, one of the leading RomanticistsHerman Melville (18191891) was born in New York City on August 1, 1819. He was a descendant of an old, wealthy family. His family lived comfortably until 1830, when his father became bankrupt. Melville had to leave school at 15 and later tried all kinds of jobs. When all this couldnt offer him a decent livelihood, he decided to go to sea in 1839. A sailors life was uncertain, hard and dangerous. Melville, as a whaler, experienced one of the most brutalizing worlds for a man, and this enabled him to see life from the bottom. He returned home in 1844 and wrote about his adventures, Typee (1846), an account of his staying with the cannibals, making him instantly famous. Omoo (1847), a story of his adventures in Tahiti, gained a huge success. Then he published Mardi, an allegorical sea romance, Redbur (1849) an account of a voyage to England, and White Jacket (1850), a story about his experience on a warship. His first five books established his fame as an adventure writer. Melvilles most important book Moby Dick (1851), was not understood by his readers of his time, and his popularity began to wane. In his last years Melville was completely forgotten and his death on September 28th 1891 in New York passed virtually unnoticed.As an heir to the tradition of romantic literature, Herman Melville wrote realistically life at sea and became a popular storyteller who responded to the cultural conflicts of the middle nineteenth-century century. Melville has been regarded as a shrewd social critic and philosopher, as well as a distinguished writer of the sea and a great stylist who mastered both realistic narrative and a rich, rhythmical prose. Moby Dick, as the most important book of Melville, inspired by Hawthorne, is not only a story full of details about whaling but also a significant allegorical novel on spiritual exploration. Moby Dick is considered an encyclopedia of history, philosophy, religion, as well as a detailed account of whaling. The novel is about the conflict between man and nature, the alienation from life, which comes from extreme individualism, and the pursuit for absolute truth. Moby Dick represents Melvilles bleak view of the world in which there is no God or purpose. It is this sense of futility and meaninglessness which are fully illustrated in the novel that it still appeals to modern readers. Melvilles descriptions of the sea are vivid and powerful and his characterization is convincing and impressive; and his style is highly symbolic and metaphorical.B. Introduction of Moby Dick The outcast youth Ishmael, having little money and feeling depressed, decides to sail on the whaling ship, Pequod, with his friend Queequeg, a harpooner. The ship sets off on Christmas Day. Ahab, the captain, is determined to capture the snow-white sperm whale, Moby Dick, which tore away one of his legs on a previous voyage. He has nailed a doubloon to the mast as a reward to the first man who sees the whale. The characters of the sailors are revealed by their reactions to Ahabs offer. There are lots of descriptions of the whaling industry through the voyage. Although the Pequod catches enough whales, Ahab refuses to sail back until he has killed his enemy. But situations seem not to be in favor of Ahab: storms, lightening, loss of the compass, the drowning of a man as well as the insanity of Ahabs favorite，Pip. Eventually, the white whale is sighted, and the Pequod begins its doomed fight for it. In the first day for chasing, the whale smashes a whaleboat. On the second day it swamps another and the captains ivory leg is napped off. On the third day the whales is finally harpooned, but the whale carries the Pequod along with it to its doom. The ship is sunk, and Ishmael, the narrator, is rescued by a passing whaler, and survives to tell the story. C. SymbolismSymbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract concepts. Symbolism, just like characterization and dialogue and plot working upon the surface to move the story along, works under the surface to tie the storys external action to the theme. Early in the development of the fictional narrative, symbolism was often produced through allegory, giving the literal event and its allegorical counterpart a one-to-one correspondence. Analysis of the Symbols in Moby DickA. The symbolic meaning analyzed from the historical background and social development From the Moby Dick, we must take into consideration the development of capitalism and the racism existing from the foundation of the Unite States. The whole whaling expedition is a metaphor for the merciless industrialization of the capitalism. In the 19th century whaling is a very dangerous vocation, which can “bring one into the abyss of future and time”. Only those impoverished and desperate would risk their life in such a vocation. In the novel ,Tashtego and Daggoo are just savages ; Fedallah, who is evil, is only an ugly presence, not a human being ; the carpenter and blacksmith are like merely types ,with no real life of their own, all the people are rowdy and rude ,and they always get drunk and quarrel with each other. At that time the working condition was extremely poor and the tools for whaling were still undeveloped. Whaling is really risky, so one needs to be extremely strong built and lucky enough to survive alive.On average, it usually takes at least 3 years for the whalers to complete a voyage. During the 3-year-long sea life, the sailors lived merely on stocked food and seawater. Living in the shabby canvass in the ship, they were constantly exposed to the freezing storm from the polar areas and also had to endure the scorching heat in the tropical areas. So it is not surprising that the ship was full of fugitives and outcasts. And their life is always on the verge of death. Ahab himself is ripped off a leg by the white whale. Pip is almost strangled to death by the fouled line. There are many other hidden dangers waiting for them and peoples life is in danger any time. At the same time, we have to admit that the ship owners make ludicrous profits from this business. Whaling also contributes to the affluence of people and the accumulation of capital. Even the development of capitalism depends on the whalers toil and blood on the expansive sea. We cant forget the spirit of Melvilles time, either. It is an era of expansion. At that time the great west opens up, especially with the California gold rush in 1894. The famous dictate” go west, young man” spreads all over America. The voyage of the Pequod, in a way, represents the spirit of expansion. Also, this period places a high value on industriousness. Industry is starting to become the American way of life, and hard work is the key for every self-relied man. Here the whale ship is symbolic of a great machine. Perhaps Melville is suggesting that an attempt to subdue nature through technology can be dangerous, or that too much “industry” aimed at no particular human goal tends to dehumanize man. There is still something about whiteness that is frightening. Next Ishmael reflects on whiteness in animals; the polar bears and the white shark are specially terrifying; the albatross is linked to several superstitions fears; the albino horse, the “white squall” of the Pacific, and the whiteness of the dead all possess specially disturbing aspects. Why is all this so? Because whiteness itself is something frightening. The bravest men, when shrouded in a white fog at sea, or surrounded by ice and snow in the Antarctic, will feel an unnamed fear grasping him. But he also says whiteness is, to some extent, not any one color. It is the combination of all colors, and its terrifying image far surpasses that of the bloody red. So instead of signifying God, devil or death, whiteness symbolizes the instinct by which a domesticated horse is frightened, yet he can not tell where the dense of terror comes from. therefore, in Moby Dick, the white whale is not the real stem of horror. And what frightened Ishmael is not the destructive monster, but the intangible strength symbolized by its white coloration. Perhaps, he suggests whiteness is awful because “by its indefiniteness it shadows forth the heartless voids and immensities of the universe.”B. The Symbolic Meaning in the Moby Dick1. The white whale Moby DickThe White Whale is the worlds largest creature. It is powerful, legendary image of nature. It swims peacefully in the sea until it is disturbed by humans, and then shows a terrible fury and anger. Moby Dick is obviously intended by Melville to be, on the merely physical level, a “whale among whales,” whose size, strength, coloration, and seeming intelligence and malignity put him in a class by himself. Beyond the physical level, however, Melville uses it as a touchstone to testify his characters nature. Therefore, Moby Dick may be seen to have various significations.The white whale Moby Dick is an input on the legendary white whales, a novel from the perspective of different characters showing their multiple Symbolism. In the pagan sailors view, it is sometimes calm and quiet, sometimes oppressive terror sea monster; mad Buddha taught Bailey to it as a shock incarnation of God; in the eyes of Ahab, all the rage and pain most people do enough to stir up things all the residue of something, all the evil with the truth, all people are grappling with what life and thinking of all the mysterious and magical spirits heresy, and all the evil, are Moby Dick, the obvious incarnation. It is the heart of evil and terror Ahab, it is difficult to conquer the enemy and must be destroyed. But Ishmael, the white whale representing both the purity and peace, also the terrorist death, it is the confrontation between the universe of all the combination of a symbol of the universe and the mysteries of the world, boundless supernatural power of God, human destiny and the future. Its important to give Ishmael enlightenment is not simply to destroy, but to improve the understanding of relentless pursuit of truth.2 .Captain Ahabs symbolic meaning:Ahab is a very complicated man with heroic and evil qualities at the same time. He is also a multiple personality of contradictions. Ahab to become dominant and futile struggle with the cosmic forces of the fanatics, or a fighting evil dare to explore the universe secret warriors? Ahab personal data to report Qiu, bent, ignoring the interests of their owners, the crew set the expense of life and death. And moreover, his sailors to coercion, and finally all of the crew (except one foreign) are buried into the sea. Ahab becomes here even more than the evil devil white whale; He represents the evil of human consciousness and the dark part. What he did not based on the principle of rational and moral, but by instinctive impulse-driven, and this inevitably to be tragic. Captain Ahab and the Old Testament in the venomous revenge States King of the same name, and she told the crew to beware of Ahab-old sailor was called the Iraqi people Leggia. Melville is also very much to their own under the Bible in a non-Homeless tramps its name. Ahab from its narrow-minded psychology, understand of the white whale bite off his legs out of a sinister, intentional and enemies. Because this, he must fight it out with this evil whales, in order to achieve psychological balance. As the revenge, it can go against the interests of owners of privately kill white whale; for revenge, he try to reward, demagogic rhetoric; for revenge, which used threats to force means for forcing the ship sailors to obey his will; for revenge, he even home disregard the lives of the crew, desperate, refuses to go back. He is like a head was poke his eyes blind and frantic beast, step by step toward his destiny. However, Ahab is a dare to resist the gods, against the practices of conventional, non-determination, tough and focused, brave and skilled, experienced captain. He with the horrendous struggle for 40 years, he has a noble soul, great simplicity of mind. He speaks fish quick and accurate shot, he was stabbed numerous large whale article. He suffered setbacks, but he will never be defeated. He is also a persistent determination to explore the mysteries of the Warriors, despite a courageous and brave and fierce indomitable courage and abilities. But the end result of ignoring the inherent laws of nature, but in vain to become a power struggle with the victims of the universe. Can be seen as embodied in Ahab him good and evil, beauty and ugliness with a total of both victimizers and victims of multiple meanings,3. Pequod The whaling ship Pequod is a symbolic voyage. The Pequod named after a Native American tribe, which has a long history in Massachusetts. It was the most outstanding one, and also the most miserable one among the tribes. It did not survive the arrival of white mens civilization. The Pequod is a symbol of doom. It is painted a gloomy black and covered in whale teeth and bones. It is, in fact, marked for deathThe Pequod not only represents the strength of the land, and sea contrast is the Ocean is a symbol of immense danger, but it also represents the world stage of human life; a symbol of perseverance to explore the secret nature of the American spirit; behalf of the original Ark leaf culture; symbol of Christianity on the other backward culture of domination of the land; it as Pei profile German extermination of Indian tribes from the name, so it can be a symbol of evil to destroy human certainty of the fate of the world.4. The Narrator IshmaelHe is a school teacher and part-time sailor and a Presbyterian, like Melville, He projects Calvinistic thinking tempered by his background in literature and philosophy. He discusses such issues as free will, predestination, necessity, and damnation. He is the sole survivor of the Pequod. Ishmael is perhaps the most important character, ultimately, in the novel. He is the filter through which all is told to us; his is the mind that orders and evaluates the experiences of the book. He contrasts with Ahab in that his is an almost purely reflective intelligence, whereas Ahabs mind drives always toward action. Ishmael wishes to understand the meaning of the world, and is appalled by the terrifying vacancy of the life Ishmael is perhaps the most important character, ultimately, in the novel. He is the filter through which all is told to us; his is the mind that orders and evaluates the experiences of the book. He contrasts with Ahab in that his is an almost purely reflective intelligence, whereas Ahabs mind drives always toward action. Ishmael wishes to understand the meaning of the world, and is appalled by the terrifying vacancy of the lifes mysteries (recall his concentration on the horrors of whiteness and of the bottomless, limpid blue sea). But Ahab wants to drive beyond this understanding, and remake the world to his own specifications. Ishmael avoids the “woe that is madness,” but Ahab is entrapped in that woe. Ishmael is the wiser.5. Other Symbols in Moby DickPipe is mentioned many times in the book on another important image, its basic message is that real-life daily pleasure, implication to reveal the different characters of the character and mentality. When Ishmael and Qui Qui with a pipe grid to share the time, not only that they are in the enjoyment of life, and they have formed a symbol of the dedication and have difficulty with when the friendship; Staab day pipe separated from the mouth, a symbol of a materialistic life he is enjoying the optimist; the pipe cast into the sea, Captain Ahab, is a symbol to abandon his pleasure, hunt white whales determination.Land and sea is a pair of opposite and complementary novel, intrinsic wealth of symbols. On the one hand, a symbol of leisurely comfort on land, sea symbolize dangerous and unpredictable; land on behalf of the closed self-sufficient, represents the risk of marine knowledge. From another perspective, the land is also a symbol of human civilization, people lost their spiritual life, and marine pollution on behalf of human civilization were not the original civilization of the aborigines. And this serves as contrast, navigation can travel a nominal process of exploration and discovery of the mind but also a symbol of the spiritual journey back to nature.C. The Symbolic Meaning Analyzed from the Relationship Between Man and NatureFrom this angle, Ahab, the captain, is the emblem and embodiment of the pioneers engaged in the exploration of the great nature. He represents those challenging the mysterious nature fearlessly despite all the obstacles and hardship. Though confronted with many unforeseeable difficulties, Ahab never draws back or ceases his expedition. As described in chapter 120, Pequod, the whaling ship, is caught in a terrible storm. Starbuck wants permission to furl a sail. But Ahab refuses, saying only cowards take down sails or back down on the purpose in bad weather. Ahab steadfastly continues to battle nature. He even mocks it, suggesting that the fury of the storm is nothing majestic, but a kind of gassy stomachache. Moby Dick, however, is a complicated symbol. It is depicted as an unexplainable and powerful force of mature. It is the