A-Brief-Analysis-of-the-Symbolism-in-Moby-Dick.doc

精品文档A Brief Analysis of the Symbolism in Moby DickI. Introduction The writer - Herman MelvilleHerman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd. His first three books gained much contemporary attention (Typee, Omoo, Redburn), and after a fast-blooming literary success in the late 1840s, his popularity declined precipitously in the mid-1850s and never recovered during his lifetime. For twenty years before his death in 1891, Herman Melville was a forgotten man. This is best reflected in a couple obituary notices:He won considerable fame as an author by the publication of a book in 1847 (actually 1846) entitled Typee. . This was his best work, although he has since written a number of other stories, which were published more for private than public circulation. . During the ten years subsequent to the publication of this book he was employed at the NY Custom House. (NY Daily Tribune, September 29, 1891) Of late years Mr. Melville - probably because he had ceased his literary activity - has fallen into a literary decline, as a result of which his books are little known. Probably, if the truth were known, even his own generation has long thought him dead, so quiet have been the later years of his life. (The Press, September 29, 1891)Soon after his death, there was a short revival of interest in Melvilles work. Many of his works were published again and so were many appreciative scholarly evaluations. A second Melville revival took place about 1919 coinciding with the centennial of Melvilles birth. It was not until the Melville Revival at this time that his work won recognition, especially Moby-Dick, which holds a distinctive position in the American literary tradition that no other work can match. In writing Moby-Dick, Melville attempted a narrative altogether different than what he had written before.II. Symbolism in Moby DickIn Moby Dick, Melville employs stylized language, symbolism to explore numerous complex themes. Through the main characters journey, the concepts of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God are all examined, as Ishmael speculates upon his personal beliefs and his place in the universe. The book projects human instincts, characteristics and motivations onto animals. Moby Dick, the whale, is ruthless in attacking the sailors who attempt to hunt and kill him, but it is Ahab who invests Moby Dicks natural instincts with malignant and evil intentions. In fact, it is not the whale but the crippled Ahab who alone possesses this characteristic. Symbolism is using a person, place, or thing to represent something else which is larger and often untouchable. It is used in literature to give authors objectivity while their views are still expressed. Some symbols stand for things that are obvious while others need a more involved explanation. Moby-dick is such a great book that is full of symbols, suggesting endless meanings. The research on Symbolism in Moby Dick has being very popular. The scholars hold that In Herman Melvilles Moby Dick, one such element is the idea of the tapestry, of humanity, that is woven throughout the story as a symbol of the worlds multiculturalism. In Moby Dick, the theme of humanistic relationships with nature is expressed. The following part emphasizes an analysis of the symbolism in Moby Dick.1. The Symbolism of Moby Dick and its WhitenessMoby Dick was a mixed symbol. The color of the whale is a symbol that can be interpreted differently. The whiteness of the whale can have traditional meanings in America, such as innocence and purity. However, to some people the color white can be symbolic of death, solitude, strength, power, and a god-like appearance. To Captain Ahab, the whale is not only the beast that bit his leg, but also a symbol of evil. Because the whale has removed Ahabs leg and attacked some whalers, Melville shows that Moby Dick is capable of great violence. However, he also shows the whale living peacefully and tranquilly at sea until he is attacked by the men. This shows the contradiction of the whiteness of the whale because Melville emphasizes that white can mean both tranquility and good, as well as terror and evil.A man hunting a malevolent beast that ravages the countryside is not a new story. Beowulf hunts Grendel. St. George kills the marauding dragon. The Messiah defeats Leviathan. Often the monster takes the form of “a sea-monster. Though the hero usually perishes in the effort, his death fosters “communal rejuvenation” and “restores that world to its divine purposes(Foulke 333).Throughout Moby Dick, the whale is given divine features and often compared to God. Just as many people fear God they also fear Moby Dick. The characters in Moby-Dick all seem to have a different outlook on the symbolism of the whale. To Captain Ahab, the whale symbolizes all that is evil in the universe, and he assumes a personal destined revenge to kill the whale. In destroying the whale, Ahab is also destroying his own fears and evils that face him in the world.Moby Dick is symbolic of nature. One of the most common interpretations of the whale is in its comparisons to nature. Melville depicts the whale as being graceful and peaceful in its natural habitat, much like nature in general. He shows that when an outside force interrupts the true course of nature, it can result in violence and unexpected actions of either of the two. Moby-Dick represents a basic natural law, but that within these laws they are capable of being powerful and immortal, at the same time being temperate and peaceful.2. The Symbolism of Namesi. AhabAhab, the Pequods captain, represents both an ancient and a modem type of heroI Kings describes the conflict between King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Elijah tells Ahab that “in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick they blood, even thine,” (I Kings 21:19), and that “the dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezrell” (I Kings 21:23). Here the name of Ahab represents vicious in some degree. In order to fulfill his revenge, he could order all his crew to fight to die with him. These tactfully settings are significant for foreshadowing the destruction of the Pequod. Like Oedipus and Faust in Greek or other tragedy, Ahab suffers from a single fatal featuresHis tremendous confidence with hubris, leads him to defy common sense. His loss of a leg let him detest the whale more. He believes that he could achieve his will like a god and remain immune to or control the forces of natureHe considers Moby Dick as the representative of evil in the world and he pursues the white whale crazily because he believes that it is his inescapable fate to destroy this evilIn this case, both psychological and physical inflicted by life in a harsh world, he is as much a victim as he is an aggressor, and the symbolic opposition that he constructs between himself and Moby Dick drives him toward what he considers a destined endTowards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hells heart I stab at thee; for hates sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common poll! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! (Melville 623)Ahab, speaking of the boat being attacked into pieces, unknowingly acknowledges that his demise, but he takes comfort in the fact that he will still be chasing the whale even in death. Coupled with the loss of his leg, Ahabs final curse illustrates “the controlling metaphor in the ironic mode, which is the dismemberment of the hero(Foulke 865).ii. IshmaelCall me Ishmael, Moby-Dick begins, is one of the most recognizable openings. The name Ishmael is Biblical in origin: in Genesis, Ishmael was the son of Abraham by the servant Hagar, who was cast off after the birth of Isaac, who inherits the covenant of the Lord instead of his older half-brother. In the Islamic tradition, with which Melville was certainly much less familiar, Ishmael is an heir of Abraham. He was disowned in favor of Isaac, Abrahams son with his wife Sarah. An angel prophesied to Hagar, “his hand shall be against every man, and every mans hand against him.” (Genesis 16:12). The name “Ishmael” has since become used commonly for an outcast, which is appropriate since he is inexperienced when it comes to whaling and is viewed as an outcast to the other sailors upon the Pequod.The biblical connotation of Ishmael has more meanings. The biblical Ishmael was banished into the wilderness by his father Abraham; Melvilles Ishmael seems also to be banished, with nowhere to go. In the Bible, God helps Ishmael survive in the wilderness, just as God helps in the book, Ishmael is the only survivor of the Pequods encounter with Moby Dick. Queequegs coffin bobs up and becomes Ishmaels life buoy. The name Ishmael is entrusted with Melvilles hope for a better future.iii. The PequodNamed from a native American tribe in Massachusetts that didnt survive long when the white man arrived. Pequod is a race eliminated b the white, so its name is for memorizing an extinctionThe Pequod is a symbol of doom. Herman Melville uses such name to christen whaler. Pequod is a miniature of human society, which consists of different nations, including the white, the black, the Indians, the Frenchman, the Spanish, etc. They represent different social and ethnic groups could live together and nd culture and altitudes toward life. When people abide by the natural law, people could live harmoniously and get benefit from nature.III. ConclusionMelville wrote his masterpiece, Moby-Dick. He worked at his desk all day not eating anything till 4 or 5 oclock, and bursting with energy he shouted: Give me Vesuvius crater for an inkstand! It is latterly proved that Moby Dick, having eternal artistic attraction to readers around the world for a hundred years. The symbolic art is perfectly used through the whole Moby Dick. The whale could symbolize both purity and power; the captain Ahab represents both confident and vicious; Ishmael, as the only survivor and the narrator, stands for a hope that Melville intends to alert peoples behavior in the nature and Pequod emphasizes his intention. Nature, for Melville, is complex, unfathomable and malignant. The use of symbolism makes the theme raise higher level, the figures more distinctive and vivid, the char