Analysis of the Symbolism in Moby Dick解析《白鲸》的几层象征含.docx

Analysis of the Symbolism in Moby Dick解析《白鲸》的几层象征含.docx

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AnalysisoftheSymbolisminMobyDick解析《白鲸》的几层象征含

四川外国语大学

毕业论文

解析《白鲸》的几层象征含义

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二零一一年四月

AnalysisoftheSymbolisminMobyDick

By

UndertheSupervisionof

SichuanInternationalStudiesUniversity（SISU）

April2011

Contents

Abstract

MobyDickwaswrittenbyHermanMelville,basingonhisownexperiences.AsoneofthegreatestbookinAmericanliteraryhistory，MobyDickiswidelyregardedasthesummitofAmericannineteenth-centuryfictionswithheart-shakingwhalingexperience.Moby-Dickcontainsplentyofsymbolism.SuchasthewhitewhaleMobyDickstandforthemysteriousandmagicalspiritsheresy,andalltheevil.TheCaptainAhabenrichthesymbolismofwhaling.Itrepresentstheworldstageofhumanlife;asymbolofperseverancetoseekthesecretnatureoftheAmericanspirit.AndthePequod’screwmembersrepresentallracesandvariousreligious,suggestingtheideaofAmericaasauniversalstateofmindaswellasameltingpot.Understandingthesymbolicmeaningsofthecharactersandsubjectsinthenovelisimportant.Thispaperdepictsthesymbolicmeaningsofdifferentindividualsandtherelationshipbetweenhumanbeingsandnaturesoastorevealtheimportanceofharmoniousrelationshipbetweenhumanbeingsandnature.

Keyword

Thewhitewhale;symbolism;conflicts;revenge

摘要

《白鲸》是由赫尔曼·梅尔维尔根据他自己的亲身经历而写成的一篇小说。

作为美国文学史上最伟大的小说，《白鲸》以震撼的捕鲸经历为题材被认为是美国十九世纪的巅峰之作。

《白鲸》包含了大量的象征手法。

如白鲸“莫比∙迪克”象征大自然的神秘和不可思议,同时也象征着所有的邪恶。

亚哈船长拥有丰富的捕鲸经历。

它代表了人类生活的舞台以及最原始的美国精神，即对未知大自然神秘力量的探索。

“裴廓德号”的成员代表了所有种族和不同的宗教,表明美国的思想作为一种普遍的心态融合了不同的种族思想和宗教思想。

所以了解小说中这些人物和主体的象征意义非常重要。

本文分析了不同角色各自的象征意义以及人与人之间、人与自然之间的关系，从而揭示了人类对未知大自然神秘力量探索的必要性。

关键词

白鲸;象征主义;冲突;报复

Introduction

A. HermanMelville,oneoftheleadingRomanticists·

HermanMelville（1819━1891）wasborninNewYorkCityonAugust1,1819.Hewasadescendantofanold,wealthyfamily.Hisfamilylivedcomfortablyuntil1830,whenhisfatherbecamebankrupt.Melvillehadtoleaveschoolat15andlatertriedallkindsofjobs.Whenallthiscouldn'tofferhimadecentlivelihood,hedecidedtogotoseain1839.Asailor'slifewasuncertain,hardanddangerous.Melville,asawhaler,experiencedoneofthemostbrutalizingworldsforaman,andthisenabledhimtoseelifefromthebottom.Hereturnedhomein1844andwroteabouthisadventures,Typee（1846）,anaccountofhisstayingwiththecannibals,makinghiminstantlyfamous.Omoo（1847）,astoryofhisadventuresinTahiti,gainedahugesuccess.ThenhepublishedMardi,anallegoricalsearomance,Redbur（1849）anaccountofavoyagetoEngland,andWhiteJacket（1850）,astoryabouthisexperienceonawarship.Hisfirstfivebooksestablishedhisfameasanadventurewriter.

Melville'smostimportantbookMobyDick（1851）,wasnotunderstoodbyhisreadersofhistime,andhispopularitybegantowane.InhislastyearsMelvillewascompletelyforgottenandhisdeathonSeptember28th1891inNewYorkpassedvirtuallyunnoticed.

Asanheirtothetraditionofromanticliterature,HermanMelvillewroterealisticallylifeatseaandbecameapopularstorytellerwhorespondedtotheculturalconflictsofthemiddlenineteenth-centurycentury.Melvillehasbeenregardedasashrewdsocialcriticandphilosopher,aswellasadistinguishedwriteroftheseaandagreatstylistwhomasteredbothrealisticnarrativeandarich,rhythmicalprose.MobyDick,asthemostimportantbookofMelville,inspiredbyHawthorne,isnotonlyastoryfullofdetailsaboutwhalingbutalsoasignificantallegoricalnovelonspiritualexploration.MobyDickisconsideredanencyclopediaofhistory,philosophy,religion,aswellasadetailedaccountofwhaling.Thenovelisabouttheconflictbetweenmanandnature,thealienationfromlife,whichcomesfromextremeindividualism,andthepursuitforabsolutetruth.MobyDickrepresentsMelville'sbleakviewoftheworldinwhichthereisnoGodorpurpose.Itisthissenseoffutilityandmeaninglessnesswhicharefullyillustratedinthenovelthatitstillappealstomodernreaders.Melville'sdescriptionsoftheseaarevividandpowerfulandhischaracterizationisconvincingandimpressive;andhisstyleishighlysymbolicandmetaphorical.

B.IntroductionofMobyDick

TheoutcastyouthIshmael,havinglittlemoneyandfeelingdepressed,decidestosailonthewhalingship,Pequod,withhisfriendQueequeg,aharpooner.TheshipsetsoffonChristmasDay.Ahab,thecaptain,isdeterminedtocapturethesnow-whitespermwhale,MobyDick,whichtoreawayoneofhislegsonapreviousvoyage.Hehasnailedadoubloontothemastasarewardtothefirstmanwhoseesthewhale.ThecharactersofthesailorsarerevealedbytheirreactionstoAhab'soffer.Therearelotsofdescriptionsofthewhalingindustrythroughthevoyage.AlthoughthePequodcatchesenoughwhales,Ahabrefusestosailbackuntilhehaskilledhisenemy.ButsituationsseemnottobeinfavorofAhab:

storms,lightening,lossofthecompass,thedrowningofamanaswellastheinsanityofAhab'sfavorite，Pip.Eventually,thewhitewhaleissighted,andthePequodbeginsitsdoomedfightforit.Inthefirstdayforchasing,thewhalesmashesawhaleboat.Ontheseconddayitswampsanotherandthecaptain'sivorylegisnappedoff.Onthethirddaythewhalesisfinallyharpooned,butthewhalecarriesthePequodalongwithittoitsdoom.Theshipissunk,andIshmael,thenarrator,isrescuedbyapassingwhaler,andsurvivestotellthestory.

C.Symbolism

Symbolsareobjects,characters,figures,orcolorsusedtorepresentabstractconcepts.Symbolism,justlikecharacterizationanddialogueandplotworkinguponthesurfacetomovethestoryalong,worksunderthesurfacetotiethestory'sexternalactiontothetheme.Earlyinthedevelopmentofthefictionalnarrative,symbolismwasoftenproducedthroughallegory,givingtheliteraleventanditsallegoricalcounterpartaone-to-onecorrespondence.

ⅠAnalysisoftheSymbolsinMobyDick

A.Thesymbolicmeaninganalyzedfromthehistoricalbackgroundandsocialdevelopment

FromtheMobyDick,wemusttakeintoconsiderationthedevelopmentofcapitalismandtheracismexistingfromthefoundationoftheUniteStates.Thewholewhalingexpeditionisametaphorforthemercilessindustrializationofthecapitalism.Inthe19thcenturywhalingisaverydangerousvocation,whichcan“bringoneintotheabyssoffutureandtime”.Onlythoseimpoverishedanddesperatewouldrisktheirlifeinsuchavocation.Inthenovel,TashtegoandDaggooarejustsavages;Fedallah,whoisevil,isonlyanuglypresence,notahumanbeing;thecarpenterandblacksmitharelikemerelytypes,withnoreallifeoftheirown,allthepeoplearerowdyandrude,andtheyalwaysgetdrunkandquarrelwitheachother.Atthattimetheworkingconditionwasextremelypoorandthetoolsforwhalingwerestillundeveloped.Whalingisreallyrisky,sooneneedstobeextremelystrongbuiltandluckyenoughtosurvivealive.

Onaverage,itusuallytakesatleast3yearsforthewhalerstocompleteavoyage.Duringthe3-year-longsealife,thesailorslivedmerelyonstockedfoodandseawater.Livingintheshabbycanvassintheship,theywereconstantlyexposedtothefreezingstormfromthepolarareasandalsohadtoendurethescorchingheatinthetropicalareas.Soitisnotsurprisingthattheshipwasfulloffugitivesandoutcasts.Andtheirlifeisalwaysonthevergeofdeath.Ahabhimselfisrippedoffalegbythewhitewhale.Pipisalmoststrangledtodeathbythefouledline.Therearemanyotherhiddendangerswaitingforthemandpeople’slifeisindangeranytime.Atthesametime,wehavetoadmitthattheshipownersmakeludicrousprofitsfromthisbusiness.Whalingalsocontributestotheaffluenceofpeopleandtheaccumulationofcapital.Eventhedevelopmentofcapitalismdependsonthewhaler’stoilandbloodontheexpansivesea.Wecan’tforgetthespiritofMelville’stime,either.Itisaneraofexpansion.Atthattimethegreatwestopensup,especiallywiththeCaliforniagoldrushin1894.Thefamousdictate”gowest,youngman”spreadsalloverAmerica.ThevoyageofthePequod,inaway,representsthespiritofexpansion.Also,thisperiodplacesahighvalueonindustriousness.IndustryisstartingtobecometheAmericanwayoflife,andhardworkisthekeyforeveryself-reliedman.Herethewhaleshipissymbolicofagreatmachine.PerhapsMelvilleissuggestingthatanattempttosubduenaturethroughtechnologycanbedangerous,orthattoomuch“industry”aimedatnoparticularhumangoaltendstodehumanizeman.Thereisstillsomethingaboutwhitenessthatisfrightening.NextIshmaelreflectsonwhitenessinanimals;thepolarbearsandthewhitesharkarespeciallyterrifying;thealbatrossislinkedtoseveralsuperstitionsfears;thealbinohorse,the“whitesquall”ofthePacific,andthewhitenessofthedeadallpossessspeciallydisturbingaspects.Whyisallthisso?

Becausewhitenessitselfissomethingfrightening.Thebravestmen,whenshroudedinawhitefogatsea,orsurroundedbyiceandsnowintheAntarctic,willfeelanunnamedfeargraspinghim.Buthealsosayswhitenessis,tosomeextent,notanyonecolor.Itisthecombinationofallcolors,anditsterrifyingimagefarsurpassesthatofthebloodyred.SoinsteadofsignifyingGod,devilordeath,whitenesssymbolizestheinstinctbywhichadomesticatedhorseisfrightened,yethecannottellwherethedenseofterrorcomesfrom.therefore,inMobyDick,thewhitewhaleisnottherealstemofhorror.AndwhatfrightenedIshmaelisnotthedestructivemonster,buttheintangiblestrengthsymbolizedbyitswhite