On the Symbolic Meaning in Melville’s Moby Dick 论麦尔维尔《白鲸》中的象征意义.doc

1、On the Symbolic Meaning in Melvilles Moby DickAbstract: Herman Melville is now recognized as one of the greatest writers of the 19th century and his masterpiece Moby Dick is regarded as a classical novel in the history of American literature. The book tells the story of Captain Ahabs crazy chase abo

2、ut a white whale Moby Dick who has torn off one of his legs. One of the striking traits of Moby Dick is the authors use of symbolism to express his thoughts and opinions, which is one of the reasons for its popularity. The book is highly symbolic. Almost everything, from typical characters to natura

3、l landscapes, mentioned has its symbolic meaning. Therefore, it is quite necessary to analyze the symbolic meaning of the novel.The researches on its symbolic meaning are enduring, but these analyses are scattered over. On the basis of previous researches, the thesis provides a systematic analysis o

4、n the symbolic meaning of the novel from the aspects of its themes and two main clues. It firstly analyzes the symbolic meaning of its two main themes: revenge, human and nature, and then analyzes the symbolic meaning of the main characters and main images mentioned in its two main clues separately.

5、 Key words: symbolic meaning; Moby Dick; themes; clues论麦尔维尔白鲸中的象征意义学生姓名 王洪青 指导教师 刘玉玲摘要：赫尔曼梅尔维尔现在被公认为是十九世纪最伟大的作家之一， 他的代表作白鲸是美国文学史上的一部经典之作。 作品讲述了亚哈伯船长对一条曾经咬掉他一条腿的叫做莫比.迪克的白鲸的疯狂追击。白鲸的独到之处在于整部作品娴熟的用象征手法来表达作者的思想和见解。而且白鲸在美国受到好评的原因之一就是象征手法的广泛应用。这本书极具象征意义。 从典型的人物到自然景观，小说中出现的任何事物都有其象征意义。 因此， 对小说的象征意义进行分析是非常必要

6、的。评论家们对白鲸象征意义的研究经久不衰，但是这些研究都比较分散。 本文在已有研究的基础上从小说的主题和线索两个方面入手对小说的象征意义进行了比较系统的分析。 文章首先分析了小说的两个主题：复仇以及人与自然的象征意义。 然后分别分析了小说的两条主要线索中涉及到的主要人物及意象的象征意义。 关键词：象征意义； 白鲸； 主题； 线索Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsiAbstract in EnglishiiAbstract in ChineseiiiTable of contentsiv Introduction1 Literature Review1 Symbo

7、lic Meaning of the Themes33.1 Symbolic meaning of revenge33.2 Symbolic meaning of human and nature5 Symbolic Meaning of two Main Clues64.1 Ahab and Moby Dick6 4.1.1 Symbolic meaning of Ahab6 4.1.2 Symbolic meaning of Moby Dick7 4.1.3 Symbolic meaning of white94.2 Ishmael and the hunting10 4.2.1 Symb

8、olic meaning of Ishmael11 4.2.2 Symbolic meaning of Pequod12 4.2.3 Symbolic meaning of the hunting13 4.2.4 Symbolic meaning of the sea14 Conclusion15Bibliography16 Introduction Herman Melville is now openly recognized as one of the greatest writers in the 19th century American literary history, in p

9、articular for his masterpiece Moby Dick, a great book with heart-shaking whaling experience, philosophical meditation of realism and fantasy, vested with the poetic coloring of romance. However, in his lifetime, Melville never achieved the recognition until the 1920s when “Melville Revival” was laun

10、ched after more than thirty years of silence and Melville established himself as a great master of art. From then on, many reviews on this book from different perspectives appeared, such as from the perspective of psychology to disclose mans psychic confusion exhibited as the monomaniac syndrome of

11、Ahab in the 1940s; of problems of identity, race, and sexual innuendoes in this novel in 1970s; of classic American themes, such as religion, fate, and economic expansion, as well as a radically experimental anachronism in modern times and so on. Reviews and comments on Moby Dick have continued to i

12、ncrease in the last two decades, especially in articles and essays. The book has been read as myth, epic, political allegory, psychological document, philosophical document, and so on.One of the striking traits of Moby Dick is Melvilles use of symbolism to express his thoughts and his understanding

13、of the whole world. Throughout the novel, we may notice that almost everything described in it has its symbolic meaning. The readers are often confused by the books symbolism and fail to grasp Melvilles complex view of the world. In recent years, scholars devoted themselves to the studies on Moby Di

14、ck from various aspects and the research on its symbolic meaning is enduring. The symbolic meaning of Moby Dick has been analyzed from various perspectives, but they are all scattered over. In this thesis, I will give a systematic, specific, and overall analysis of the symbolic meaning of this book

15、from the aspects of its themes and two main clues. And the reader will get a further understanding of its symbolic meaning. Literature Review There is no doubt that Herman Melvilles (1819-1891) longest novel Moby Dick is one of the great masterpieces of fiction in the nineteenth-century American lit

16、erature history, for it is “not only a very big book; it is also a peculiarly full and rich one, and from the very opening it conveys a sense of abundance, of high creative power, that exhilarates and enlarges the imagination.”(Richard Chase, 1962:39) The novel is generally regarded as an encycloped

17、ia of many things: history, religion, philosophy and so on, in addition to a detailed account of human beings encroachment on nature.Like any great masterpiece, Moby Dick cannot be reduced to any single interpretation. From the early critical reception to the modern criticism, Moby Dick has been stu

18、died in various perspectives by Melville scholars due to its significance in Melvilles literary career and its rich implications. Moby Dick was first published in London in 1851 and it was republished as Moby Dick, or The Whale in New York. In England, the attitudes of the critics towards it were va

19、rious, but the general tone of the reviews ranged from indifference to hostility. As time passed by, the book was almost forgotten by the critics and readers as Melvilles fame gradually declined. Moby Dick was not recognized by the general public until the 1920s. From then on, many reviews on this b

20、ook from different perspectives appeared. In English and American critical circles, throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the focus of literary studies on Moby Dick ranged among the issues of race, class, culture, and gender. Although few books dedicated to the analysis of symbolism in Moby Dick c

21、an be found, there are pieces of analyses dealing with the topic. Mukhtar Ali Isani wrote an article about the fire symbolism; Chase, Richard pointed out in his The American Novel and Its Tradition that the White Whale hints various meanings and emphasized that it is the symbol of nature. When we co

22、me to the researches of Moby Dick in China, what we may find is that by December 2007, there are 92 essays commenting on Moby Dick in CNKI (Chinas National Knowledge Infrastructures), including 77 periodical articles and 15 M.A. dissertations. And some of them refer to its symbolic meaning. Chen Qiu

23、hong in his Cultural Interpretation of the Symbolic Meaning of Moby Dick said that from the point of nature, Moby Dick was nature itself; and in terms of social politics it was the capitalist system; and it was the incarnation of evil if we analyze it from the point of good and evil. There has been

24、a general increase in the number of articles on Melvilles Moby Dick since the year 2000. Only five periodical articles were published in 2000. The number fluctuated slightly in the ensuing years, but the average number per year remained 5. However, 2006 and 2007 witnessed a surprising leap in Moby D

25、ick research. The sudden rise was perhaps due to the fact that in the new century more and more modern theories and academic perspectives, especially eco-criticism has been introduced to China. Among the 37 periodical articles, 15 were written from the perspectives of eco-criticism. Meanwhile, the n

26、umber of M.A. dissertations has undergone a steady increase. In general, the startling growth in the number of Moby Dick articles proves that Moby Dick has become a research focus, attracting more and more researchers to join in the hot debate. In this thesis, I will give a detailed analysis of the

27、symbolic meaning of this book from the aspect of its themes and two main clues. Symbolic Meaning of the Themes The novel Moby Dick is now openly recognized as one of the greatest novels of the 19th century American literature history. And it is regarded as a masterpiece of symbolism, everything ment

28、ioned in it has its symbolic meaning. The novel contains mainly two different themes, one is revenge, and the other is human and nature. And each of them has its own symbolic meaning. The following is the detailed analysis of their symbolic meanings.3.1 Symbolic meaning of revengeRevenge is one of t

29、he most prominent and important themes of Moby Dick. It tells the story of Captain Ahabs revenge toward Moby Dick. And his ruthless revenge makes the White Whale have no choice but to revenge back. At last, Moby Dick gets hurt seriously and makes all the whalers on board get drowned, except one Ishm

30、ael, who survives to tell the story. Of course, except this kind of revenge there are also interludes about other revenges. And the theme revenge conveys profound meaning.Ahab has worked on whale fishery for over 40 years. Unluckily, during a voyage, one of his legs is torn off by Moby Dick. This ev

31、okes his strong desire for revenge. And it is under this desire that he boards Pequod and begins his way for revenge. However, if he thinks twice about it at that moment, there are other choices. He could abandon whaling and return to the land to enjoy his old age. Or he could accept it peacefully a

32、s others and go on with his professions of whaling. Death is unavoidable to people who works on the sea all the year round, and something like what happened to Ahab is common. To some degree, however, Ahab is a little luckier than others, but unlike them he chooses to revenge. From this point of vie

33、w, his choice of revenge is his own willing, it is out of his own character and his revenge is subjective.In comparison with the subjective revenge of human, the Whales revenge to human is passive. It is a kind of self-defense that it has to take due to peoples destruction to it. If we trace back to

34、 the root of hatred, it is human who commits mistakes first, and then the Whale revenges back to human beings. From this point of view, human doesnt have the right to revenge. It is because of humans hunt of whales at random that leads to the loss of Ahabs leg. We human beings have a long history of

35、 whaling, and the scale is becoming larger and larger, and more and more people are going to work on it. This means that more and more whales are going to be killed and every progress and victory of human beings on whaling means more whales have been killed. From this point of view, there are no rea

36、sons for human beings to revenge. Actually, the inhumanity of human beings toward whales is beyond our imagination. Ishmael also acknowledged this in the novel. The scenes that people dissect whales violently can prove it. In the novel the whale makes itself in dilemma just because it has torn off A

37、habs leg. But we couldnt tell how many whales Ahab has killed. Even Moby Dick itself has encountered numerous chases by Ahab and his colleagues. Even though, the Whale doesnt take action to revenge toward people initiatively, but hides away and hopes to escape from peoples chase. But Ahab spares no

38、effort to chase it and take advantage of every opportunity to kill it. It is in desperate that it chooses to fight back and revenge. At last it destroys Pequod and all the people on it except Ishmael.Besides the revenge between Ahab and Moby Dick, there is also the interlude about the revenge betwee

39、n human beings in chapter 54, “The Town-Hos Story”. The chief officer and a sailor on the ship decide to revenge each other because of some trifles. The chief officer does harm to the sailor by the right of his authority, and the sailor would let the ship sink rather than cooperate with the chief of

40、ficer to avoid it. At the critical moment of chasing Moby Dick the two still can not work together because of the hatred in their minds. Thus the White Whale runs away and the chief officer gets killed by Moby Dick.From the analysis above we can see that each kind of revenge leads to a tragic end. T

41、hus we could draw the conclusion that the theme revenge symbolizes that we human beings should be kind, tolerant and try to live in harmony with each other and also with other species. Otherwise the end will be tragic and all of us will be the victims.3.2 Symbolic meaning of human and nature Another

42、 important theme of Moby Dick is the relationship between human and nature. But what is the relationship between man and nature? Can they both survive, or does one have to give way to the other? These fundamental questions have been constantly asked by ecologists as well as probed into by eco-litera

43、ture. In Melvilles time, most people thought man could do anything to nature. But Melville holds different view about the relationship between man and nature and he prophetically demonstrates that human beings greedy plundering of nature will unavoidably lead to a tragic end. In the eyes of Melville

44、, nature stands for the unknowable, paradoxical power that fights against human beings indifferently. Any subjective perception and effort to understand it is in vain under its changeable power. Every figure in Moby Dick has re-estimated himself and his own social position. Ishmael, Ahab and Pipe, t

45、hese three representatives have different understandings, methods and attitudes to acknowledge the world. But none of them can get a right understanding. In their explorations of the world they all failed. The author gathered people of different races and beliefs together on a ship and gave an inten

46、sive description of them. The three leading characters in the novel have different attitudes toward nature, thus when the ship sank their destinies were entirely different. The Whale to Ahab is the incarnation of evil, because the whale has made him lost one leg. His dignity is violated, and his pur

47、pose is to seek the Whale for revenge. Ishmael is the only one who gets salvation in the novel. The reasons for his salvation are his fraternity, the balance and tranquility of his heart and the divine intuition derived from the innermost of humanity. Thus we draw the symbolized meaning that nature

48、and humans can be in harmony with each other and they both are co-existent and interdependent on each other. Through the experience of Ishmael, who is not only a witness to his own thoughts, but also a witness to the actions of Captain Ahab and of the other crew on Pequod, the novel Moby-Dick reflects this kind of associating and coexisting relationship between nature and human in an artistic way. Without human invasion, the whales live peacefully and happily in the sea. Ishmael recognizes the loveliness and helplessness of the whales in Moby Dick. When Moby Dick was first encoun