Mody-Dick.doc

ContentsAbstract2Introduction3Chapter I The Symbolic Meaning of the Tragic Fate of the Crew on Pequod31.1 Symbolic Meaning of the Pequod41.2 Symbolical Meaning of the Captain Ahab41.3 Symbolic Meaning of Ishmael51.4 Symbolic Meaning of Elijah61.5 Symbolic Meaning of Queequeg6Chapter II Symbolic Significant of the Voyage7Chapter III Symbolic Meaning of the White Whale Moby Dick83.1 A Symbol of the Huge and Strong Capitalist Mode of Production83.2 A Symbol of Nature83.3 White Standing for Innocence and Chasteness10Conclusion10Notes10Bibliography11AbstractMoby-Dick is Herman Melvilles representative work, and is considered to be one of the most symbolic novels in world literature. I will have a tentative analysis on the symbolism, which is abundant in the novel: the final destruction of the crew on Pequod symbolizes mans fate in society, nature and the universe; the ship, death itself; the captain Ahab, the evil in human nature; the voyage, mans pursuit for the final truth of life; the white whale, the huge capitalist production way and nature; its whiteness, purity and innocence.Key words:Symbolism, Human, Nature, Voyage, White Whale摘要白鲸是美国作家赫尔曼麦尔维尔的代表作，被认为是世界上最有象征意义的小说之一。本文将对小说中的象征主义进行探索性的分析。象征主义在小说中无所不在：裴考德号全体船员的最终灭亡， 象征着人类在社会、自然及至宇宙的命运； 这艘船的名字本身就象征着灭亡； 而它的船长亚哈伯是人类本质中邪恶的一面的象征； 这次航海本身象征着对人类生活最终真理的追求； 白鲸既象征着那庞大的资本主义生产方式又象征着自然， 而它的白色象征着纯洁和无辜。关键词:象征主义； 人类； 自然； 航海； 白鲸IntroductionMoby-Dick, also known asThe Whale Moby-Dick; or, The Whale: Publishing history- Melville Society. First British edition (entitled The Whale), expurgated to avoid offending delicate political and moral sensibilities, published in three volumes on October 18, 1851 by Richard Bentley, London. First American edition published November 14, 1851 by Harper & Brothers, New York.,is a novel first published in 1851 byAmericanauthorHerman Melville. Moby-Dickis widely considered to be agreat American noveland a treasure of worldliterature. The story tells the the wandering sailorIshmaels adventures, and his voyage on thewhalerPequod,commanded byCaptainAhab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab seeks one specific whale: Moby Dick, a ferocious, enigmatic whitesperm whale. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahabs boat and bit off his leg. Ahab intends to take revenge.In the nineteenth century, Moby-Dick was once submerged by the tide of American Literature. After half a century of silence, when the new era with a new perspective for people to reexamine it, this epic masterpiece of literature see a bright future as the jewelry buried in a tomb, shine ever bright light. Now it has become recognized as one of the worlds great literary masterpiece, known as a mirror and Americas most brilliant expression of the imagination1.From 1920s on, people have been doing some analysis on the book from different points of view. Especially they did some research on the symbolism used in the book with high interests. In this work, I will give some exploratory research on the symbolism.Chapter I The Symbolic Meaning of the Tragic Fate of the Crew on PequodMoby-Dick describes a story that some whaler under the leading of the captain Ahab board on the Pequod to chase the white whale. On the surface, it seems that the focus of the book is the big hatred between white whale Moby Dick and the captain Ahab. In fact, it does not just an adventure fiction which has bizarre and tortuous plot, full ofexoticbeauty andromantic sentiment. What runs through the whole book is the deep consideration on the fate of humans, and symbolism shone everywhere in the fiction. In the fiction, the whalers approaching to the white whale step by step, and their perishing at last symbolized humans fate in the society, nature even the universe. The fate embodies strong mystery and tragic meaning. The author expressed his anxiety about mans fate by the symbolism.1.1 Symbolic Meaning of the PequodApparently, the Pequod and all sailors tragic fate had been doomed at the start of the story. At first, the name of this ship symbolizes perish. Pequod is a name of an Indian race. After United States being conquered by white colonists, much native Indian tribes and races were wiped out in the conflict between whites and the native. Pequod just a race perished by the whites. Herman Melville used it to name the whaler, to symbolize that the tragic fate of the whaler that it must be perished at last. And another, the narrator Ishmael, who narrated the story is the only one survived from the killed ship. What he narrated once more is just a disaster which had happened. As Ishmael said, all the efforts the sailors did to through the endless sea just to approach to the dead time. Their tracking and chasing to the ends of the ocean and the edge of the earth, are all just researching the thing what will give them disaster at last. The author let the only survivor to tell the story, predicting the tragic fate of the Pequod and the sailors.1.2 Symbolical Meaning of the Captain AhabIn the navigation, the captain Ahab had many chances to come back home, but he refused all the exhortations. In the fiction, the ship once met the Albatross, the Virgin, the Rose-Bud, and all the meets bring advice and persuading to the Peqoud. Captain Ahab had been told many times that Moby Dick have magic super nature power. Who fights against it, the only result is to be killed. However, the tips all had not been adopted by Ahab. At the eve of the decisive battle, the sailor Starbuck suggested Ahab to stop what he doing as soon, but Ahab still insisted that, all he did could not be back to the origin, for that is the inalienable things god given. Ahab is a symbol stands for the evil side of human nature. The hatred he showed to the white whale just as the enemy that human showed to the nature. Ahab and his sailors chasing the while whale, symbolized the crazy, lost control condition of human realization. When human under the unconscious condition, they will be totally mastered by the evil side. And kill themselves, and their companion. As Ahab was under that condition, he chased the white whale ignored nothing else. Whats more, he hung a gold coin on the yard to reward the sailor who would find the white whale firstly. All the sailors become excited and crazy, under the stimulation from money. Under the leading of Ahab, they rushed into the ocean, to hunt for the white whale which is created as their enemy. They all be buried under the sea with the white whale after the broke the silence sea and the peace between the white whale. Ahab and all his sailors crazy evil lead them to the perishing at last. The result symbols that, human who against nature will be killed by nature, or will perish with the nature.1.3 Symbolic Meaning of IshmaelThe name has come to symbolize orphans, exiles, and social outcasts in the opening paragraph of Moby-Dick, Ishmael tells the reader that he has turned to the sea out of a feeling of alienation from human society. In the last line of the book, Ishmael also refers to himself symbolically as an orphan. Maintaining the Biblical connection and emphasizing the representation of outcasts, Ishmael is also the son of Abraham and the slave girl Hagar, before Isaac is born. In Genesis 21:10 Abrahams wife, Sarah, has Hagar and Ishmael exiled into the desert. Ishmael has a rich literary background (he has previously been a schoolteacher), which he brings to bear on his shipmates and events that occur while at sea.1.4 Symbolic Meaning of ElijahThe character Elijah (named for the Biblical prophet, Elijah, who is also referred to in the King James Bible as Elias), on learning that Ishmael and Queequeg have signed onto Ahabs ship, asks, Anything down there about your souls? When Ishmael reacts with surprise, Elijah continues:Oh, perhaps you havnt got any, he said quickly. No matter though, I know many chaps that havnt got any good luck to em; and they are all the better off for it. A souls a sort of a fifth wheel to a wagon.2 Later in the conversation, Elijah adds:Well, well, whats signed, is signed; and whats to be, will be; and then again, perhaps it wont be, after all. Anyhow, its all fixed and arranged already; and some sailors or other must go with him, I suppose; as well these as any other men, God pity em! Morning to ye, shipmates, morning; the ineffable heavens bless ye; Im sorry I stopped ye.3 1.5 Symbolic Meaning of QueequegQueequeg hails from the fictional island of Kokovoko in the South Seas, inhabited by a cannibal tribe, and is the son of the chief of his tribe. Since leaving the island, he has become extremely skilled with the harpoon. He befriends Ishmael very early in the novel, when they meet in New Bedford, Massachusetts before leaving for Nantucket. He is described as existing in a state between civilized and savage. For example, Ishmael recounts with amusement how Queequeg feels it necessary to hide himself when pulling on his boots, noting that if he were a savage he wouldnt consider boots necessary, but if he were completely civilized he would realize there was no need to be modest when pulling on his boots.Queequeg is the harpooneer on Starbucks boat, where Ishmael is also an oarsman. Queequeg is best friends with Ishmael in the story. He is prominent early in the novel, but later fades in significance, as does Ishmael.Chapter II Symbolic Significant of the VoyageThe voyage symbolizes a kind of searching and finding for the final truth of human life.Ishmael, the teller of the story is just a type example. He escapes from his life, attend the ship Pequod, hoping that he could find a kind of real life that makes him feel happy and rich. He escapes from social reality, for he feels life is so empty, lifeless, and senseless. He has always been controlled by the feeling of lonely and lonely, its a kind of alienation between human, between human and nature, and between souls.And thats one of the main topics, for the author thought America had been controlled by such aloneness in 19th century. So Ishmael attended the Pequod with Americans dream of seeking after the truth and finding a new view of value. This voyage symbolizes Ishmaels a kind of search for knowledge and lifes value. He gradually realized the value of love and friendship during the voyage. He had learnt how to accept, and thats what the author thinks its the essential promise for humans life. And that can be shown from his transformation of his attitude toward the black sailor Queequeg. Queequeg is the first sailor he had met. He was frightened to die when he was arranged to sleep with Queequeg on one bed, for he is determined that the black is the kind if race which eat live human. The transformation of the attitude toward Queequeg begins with his looks and appearance, his solidity and depth moved him deeply. Whats more, Queequegs brave behaviors that saved other sailors without considerating himself, finally established his hero appearance in Ishmaels heart, And it changed his views for humans nature and life, and saw the value of life. So this voyage symbolized Ishmaels pursue for knowledge and life value, also Americans seeking for the final truth of life. The ship is just the ship of Americans soul, but the ruin of the ship embodied the authors negative views toward life and world.Chapter III Symbolic Meaning of the White Whale Moby Dick3.1 A Symbol of the Huge and Strong Capitalist Mode of Production In the novel, the most symbolic character is white whale Moby Dick. It is given symbolic meaning in multi-levels. The west critics thought that Moby Dick is the incarnation of evil. Really, in the fiction, the white whale is described as a super mystery which cant be subdued, has strong destruction, and hold hostility to human. However, the evil is not only proforma. For we can see that, in the fiction, Melville describes the whaling as a process. Therefore, from some level, the white whale can be regarded as a symbol of the capitalist method of produce. It just likes the power fights again the productive force and the production relations. The mystery author produced accurately in the fiction. He expressed the humans week when they face to tragic fate. On one hand, it reveals that author was frightened by the high speed development of capitalist prolificacy, and was felt horror about the about the social condition. On the other hand, he showed his trepidation about humans fate in the turbulent time. And he showed his mercy on their unfavorable situation.3.2 A Symbol of NatureTo Herman Melville, the Moby Dick stands for the nature which has super mystery power, especially the ocean. His other theme is the relation between human and the nature. Melville thought that there is a kind of power which cant be conquered controls humans fate, and the power is cant be discovered. The power is the mystery natural power. In the mystery fiction, the author showed the power through to methods. The first, he showed us the power by the description of multi-terminal change of the ocean. The endless sea is unpredictable: sometimes, it is silent, solemn, mildness, give people endless good feelings; but, it will raise high waves at other time, and let people feel it is terrible. Whether insunny,sunnyday,or astarry night, its deep hard always contains some powerful mystery power which can ruin anything, and there is strange dangerous hidden in its chest.The second, the frequent appearance of the predictions and ban omen in the fiction, added more mystery to the whole work.For example, in chapter three, the inn which the sailors put up for the night, its name is Spouter, the name is to be explained as big whale. And its dark and gloomy front let people feel that have stepped in the stomach of the whale. “On one side hung a very large oil-painting so thoroughly be smoked, and every way defaced, that in the unequal cross-lights by which you viewed it, it was only by diligent study and a series of systematic visits to it, and careful inquiry of the neighbors, that you could any way arrive at an understanding of its purpose.”4“The opposite wall of this entry was hung all over with a heathenish array of monstrous clubs and spears.”5After reading the words selected from the chapter there, a horror image will in our brain, the inn is so fearful. The words tell us that all the whalers who put the inn up for their night could get rid of the tragic fate. They will have a bad final. The fate and the white whale which stands for nature are related with each other deeply. Here, the author tells us faintly that the last end of human who fight against nature, he or she will get perished.3.3 White Standing for Innocence and ChastenessWhite is the symbol of chasteness and innocence. The author also has other intentions for selecting white as whales color. White symbolizes chasteness and innocence .The author do not think nature will destroy human only if human could understand the conscious between human and nature, for nature is very calm, peace, and friendly. Or human will bring ruin upon themselves. The struggle between sailors and white whales in the novel just the war between human and nature in life. White whales used to live in nature without worry and never approach and attack human initiatively. But the sailors which stand the evil aspect of human manage to conquer it, ruin it, so ruined by it at last. Whats more, white also represent the mystery of the universe. To human, the secret of universe if just like white.