精神生态

The study of spiritual ecology, which advocates concerning over individual’s spiritual life, is an important branch in the field of ecocriticism. Professor Lu defines spiritual ecology as: ―A discipline that studies the relationship between subjects as spiritual existence(mainly human beings)and the environments in which they live includingnatural environment, social environment and cultural environment. Spiritualecology involves not only the healthy growth of subjects, but also the balance,stability and development of an ecosystem under the coordination of spiritualvariables.17白鲸生态批评In Melville’s time the western civilization marched into a boom,which however, was accompanied by human spiritual crisis. With the development of science and technology, people’s living conditions were getting better and better. But what accompanied the progress was a profound sense of confusion.尊重自然Modern people had a wealth of materials, but they felt isolated from nature, from the society and from faith in the crisis of values and culture. In such society, the importance of human Spiritual Ecology and spiritual resources are not known sufficiently. The relationship between man and self is ignored. So human’s spiritual culture begins to decline, emotional life becomes boring and the people become selfish and hardhearted.―Prof.Lu remarks: ―The more science becomes developed,the more the people become incapable; the more technology becomes advanced, the more space becomes narrow; the more goods becomes abundant, the more life becomes boring; the more the world becomes noisy, the more spirit becomes lonely…‖56尊重自然So they seek for improvement of the spiritual life. The famous eco-writer Thoreau noticed that the excessive civilization of human society resulted in men’s a lienation from nature and hundreds of people led lives of ―quiet desperation‖. There are invisible spiritual crisis existing in the increasingly commercialized society.尊重自然It was not merely brought about by colonization or the damage to the environment.More important was the fact that it pained the westerners when they lost interest in pursuing the truth of fate an d thus the invisible spiritual c risis appeared in the westerners’mind.尊重自然Melville found the man’s spiritual crisis brought by industrialization to civilization, as a result of degeneration of human nature and the decay of the human spirit. Ahab clearly represents a self-proclaimed sovereign individual who defies human limitation in searching for insight into the mystery of God. 白鲸生态He dares to challenge everything in the universe.Ahab went to the sea to revenge himself on Moby Dick, not to make profits, which is different from others on the ship. Just before his climactic tree-day encounter with Moby Dick, Ahab utters his own version of the avenging dream as he unburdens himself o Starbuck in ―The Symphony‖: What a forty years’fool-fool-old fool, has old Ahad been! Why this strife of the chase? Why weary, and palsy the arm at the oar, and the iron, and the lance? ... God! God! God!-crack my heart! –stave my brain! –mockery! mockery! bitter, biting mockery of grey hairs, have I lived enough joy to wear ye; and seen and feel thus intolerably old? Close! Stand close to me, Starbuck; let me look into a human eye; it is better than to gaze into sea or sky; better than to gaze upon God.666In order to satisfy his own desire, he can sacrifice everything. He had no mercy for the injured whales and the other sailors. Ahab actively hunted for the white whale in order to assert man’s supremacy over what swam in front of him as ―the monomaniac incarnation‖ of a superior power:If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there’s naught beyond. But ’tis enough He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me. For could the sun do that, then could I do the other; since there is ever a sort of fair play herein, jealousy presiding over all creations. But not my master, man, is even that fair play. Who’s over me? Truth hath no confines. (Herman Melville,1999:176)196To revenge, Ahab gave up all his love either to his family or to his followers. He went to the sea to revenge himself on Moby Dick and to prove that he could conquer nature. And it is impossible for him to treat his followers friendly with hatred in heart. When Ahab talked with Stubb in chapter 29“Enter Ahab; to him, Stubb ‖ ,he called Stubb ―dog‖ and ten times ―a donkey, and a mule, and an ass.‖尊重自然When Ahab had dinner on the ship, he was ―surrounded by his war-like but still deferential cubs‖ ―They were as little children before Ahab;‖180 When Stubb told Flask his curious dream, Flask responded:―W ell, the best thing you can do, Flask, is to let that old man alone; never speak to him, whatever he says. Halloa! What’s that he shouts? Hark!‖160―Fraternalism in Melville is not only democratic and tragic; it is democratic because tragic.‖剑桥258Ahab always stayed alone and lacked communication with others. He thought he was the commander over nature and the crewmen and he had right to command them to do what he wanted. For a long time he lived in his own thought and gradually self and vengeance occupied his mind and no other things. Therefore, he became monomaniac and unapproachable in the others’eyes and his behavior did show his madness and hysteria throughout the whole voyage. The hatred for nature and desire for domination of nature accelerated the pace of Ahab’s death. He tortured the other crewmen on the whaling ship as well as tortured himself mentally, which trapped himself into a mental corner. 尊重自然―What is it , what nameless, inscrutable, unearthly thing is it; what cozening, hidden lord and master, and cruel, remorseless emperor commands me; that against all natural lovings and longings, I so keep pushing, and crowding, and jamming myself on all the time;‖668For Ahab, to fight with Moby-Dick is to seek a thing to fill his spiritual vacancy since Moby-Dick is a kind of spiritual symbolism, namely, the bearing mark of the teleology.白鲸生态If viewed from the psychological aspect, the process in which Ahab fights against the whale is simply the process in which he fights against himself.His great error is that he fails to accept human limitations. In assuming the possibility of learning the final truth, he puts himself in effect on a plane of equality with God.The ecological issues are not only the issues about nature, but also the issues about human self. Human beings protect Natural Ecology as well as Spiritual Ecology. We must change some habitual notions and ways of thinking, and then the ecological crisis can be solved fundamentally.Ahab had no mercy for the injured whales and the other sailors. He stayed in his captain cabinall day long; only if necessary, he went to the deck and ordered the other sailors to do the chores. He thought he was the lord and master of nature and of the others and he was superior.Ahab cried, with a laugh of derision, I am immortal then, on land and on the sea,—immortal on the land and on the sea.（Melville,1999:491）Actually Captain Ahab was not on good terms with other crew on the whaling ship and he just separated himself from them. In the cabin of the captain, there was no companionship at all.His great error is that he fails to accept human limitations. In assuming the possibility of learning the final truth, he puts himself in effect on a plane of equality with God. His struggling consists of both greatness and tragedy. 白鲸生态\。