《白鲸》的论文

Abstract

Moby-Dick is regarded as the masterpiece of Herman Melville. It contains plenty of symbolism. Understanding the symbolic meanings of the characters and subjects in the novel is important. This paper analyses the symbolic meanings of different individuals in order to make a better understanding of the novel. Moby Dick represents God owing to his godlike characters and his awfully severe beauty. Ahab symbolizes the league human with evil. In the whaling trip, we can see his bravery and patience, as well as his madness and stubbornness. The third symbolic element is the idea of the “counterpane” that is woven throughout the story as a symbol of the world’s multiculturalism. Melville develops the symbol proving that the world is indeed a counterpane of diverse cultures, races, and environment, in which we are always connected by our humanity.

Key words:symbolism; Moby Dick; Arab; counterpane

摘要

《白鲸》被看作是赫尔曼·麦尔维尔的杰作。它包含了大量的象征主义。在这部小说中，理解人物事物的象征意义是非常重要的。为了更好的理解这部小说，这篇论文将分析不同个体的象征意义。其中的白鲸被描写成无处不在，无所不能的万能的上帝。埃哈布船长为复仇远涉重洋捕捉白鲸，最后自己，同伴与白鲸同归于尽的事迹，既表现了人类的勇敢与忍耐，也反映了他们的偏执与疯狂。另一个贯穿全文的象征就是“床单”，它象征世界不同文化的混合与交织，世界就像一块由多种布拼凑而成的床单，由不同的文化、种族、背景交织而成，人们在一起相互依靠，相互依存，小说中来自不同国家的船员就是最生动形象的体现。

关键词：象征主义；白鲸；埃哈布; 床单

Introduction

1851, Herman Melville had his novel Moby Dick published, which was not a stir at that time. However, a half century later, in 1920s, this book has been recognized as one of the most significant works in American literature.Moby-Dick is regarded as the first American prose epic. It is a naturalistic story of whale-hunting. The story tells that a captain named Ahab led his crews to hunt a white whale who sheared off his leg on a previous voyage. Finally all people on board drown, except Ishmael, who survives to tell the story. Moby-dick is so popular not only because of the exciting whale-hunting scenes and the exploration of the internal world of human beings, but also the skillful use of symbolism. What does make him become a master of symbolism? It relates to his life experience and culture background.

Herman Melville began working on his epic novel Moby Dick in 1850, writing it primarily as a report on the whaling voyages he undertook in the 1830s and early 1840s. Many critics think that his initial book didn’t contain characters such as Ahab, Starbuck, or even Moby Dick, but the summer of 1850 c hanged Melville’s wri ting and his masterpiece. He became friend, with author Nathaniel Hawthorne and was greatly influenced by him. He also read Shakespeare and Mil ton’s Paradise Lost. Their influences lead to the novel Moby Dick completed and published in 1851. Although ignored by critics after its release, Moby Dick took an important place in the world literature.

In Moby Dick, Melville’s imagination has achieved its great peak through employing every means and technique he can reach, among which symbolism is the most thought-provoking and well-studied one. The symbolism of the white whale can be interpreted in many ways. The paper concerns that Moby Dick is the symbol of God. Ahab, the captain of the ship, represents the league human with evil. He questions the fate that God sends upon him and wants to challenge him. The idea of “counterpane” is the third symbolic element, which is woven throughout the story as a symbol of the world’s multiculturalism.