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

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1、ABriefAnalysisoftheSymbolisminMobyDickI. IntroductionThewriter-HermanMelvilleHermanMelville(1819-1891)wasanAmericannovelist,shortSIOfywriter,essayistandpoet.HeisbestknownforhisnovelMobyDickandthepi)slhunousnovellaBillyBudd.HisfirstthreebooksgainedmuchCOrUCmpOraryattentionClypee,()nuo,RedbuniYandafte

2、rafast-bloomingliterarysuccessin(heIaccI84()s,hispopularitydeclinedprecipitouslyinIhcmid-1850sandneverrecoveredduringhisIifdim已FortwentyyearsbeforehisdeathinI891.HermanMelvillewasaibrgotlennun.Thisisbeslrcofhislife?(ThCPress.September29.1891)Soonafterhisdeath,therewasashortrevivalofinterestinMelvill

3、eswork.ManyofhisWOflswerexblishedagainandsowereImllyappreciativescholarlyevaluations.AsecondMclvilkrevival(kplace*bu(1919coincidingwith(heCentenniiilofMelvillesbirth.ItwasMuntiltheMelvilleRcviva,atthistimethathisWOrkwonrecognition,especiallyMoby-DickwhichholdsadistinctivepositionintheAmericanliterar

4、ytraditionthatnootherworkcanmatch.InwritingMohy-Diek.MelvilleaemxedanarrativealtogetherdifTere11IhanWhalhehadwrittenbefore.II. SymbolisminMobyDickInMobyDick,Melvilleemploysstylizedlanguage,symbolismoexplon?numerouscomplex(hemes.Throughtheuincharactersjourney,theconceptsofclassandsocialstatus,goodand

5、evil,andtheexistenceofGodarcallexamined,asIshniaclspeculatesuponhispersonalbclicfeaxlhisplaceintheuniverse.Thehookprojectshumaninstincts,characteristicsandmotivationsontoanimals.MobyDick,thewhale,isruthlessinattacking(heSaiIoISwhoattempt(ohuntandkillhim.butitisAhabwhoinvestsMobyDicksnaturalinstincts

6、withmalignantandevilintentions.Infact,itisnothewhalebutthecrippledAhabwhoalonepossessesthischaracteristic.Symbolismisusingaperson,place,orthingtorcprcscmsomethingelsewhichislargerandoftenuntouchable,hisusedinliteraturetogiveauthorsobjectivitywhiletbeirviewsarestillexpressed.Somesymbolsstandforthings

7、(hatareobviouswhileothersneedamoreinvolvedexplanation.Moby-dickissuchagreatbookthatisfullofsymbols,suggestingendlessmeanings.TheresearchonSymbolisminMobyDickhasbeingverypopular.ThescholarsholdthatInHermanMeIvilletSMobyDick,onesuchelementistheideaofheIaPeSIfyofhumanity,(hatiswoventhroughoutthestoryas

8、asymboloftheWorierSmulticulturalism.InMobyDick.Ihc(hemeofhumanisticrelationshipswithnatureisexpressed.ThefollowingpartemphasizesananalysisofthesymbolisminMobyDick.1. lheSymbolismofMobyDkkanditsWhitenessMobyDickwasamixedsymbol.,Ihccolorofthewhaleisasymbolthatcanbeintcrechasinnocenceandui(y.However.(o

9、SOnlePeOPlethecolorwhitecanbesymbolicofdeath,solitude,strength,power,andagodlikeappearance.TbCaplainAhab,thewhaleisnolonlythebeastthatbithisleg,butalsoasymbolofevil.BecausethewhalehasremovedAhab,slegandattackedsomewhalers,MelvilleshowsthatMobyDickiscapableofgrcaviolence.However,healsoshowsthewhaleli

10、vingpeacefullyandtranquillyatseauntilheisattackedbylhcmen.ThisshowslheConInIdiCIiOnofthewhitenessof(hewhalebecauseMelvilleemphasizesthatwhitecanmeanbothtranquilityandgood,aswellasterrorandevil.Amanhuntingamalevolentbeastchatravagesthecountrysideisnotanewstory.BeowulfhuntsGrendel.Si.Georgekills(hemar

11、audingdragon.TheMessiahdefeats1.eviathan.Oftenthemonstertakestheformof“asea-monster.Thoughtheherousuallyperishesinthecftbrt.hisdeathfbstcrcommunalrejuvenation*andrestoresthatworldtoitsdivinepurposcs,(Foulkc333).TliroughoutMobyDicktlhewhaleisgivendivinefeaturesandoftencompared(oGod.Justasmanypeoplefe

12、arGodtheyalsofearMobyDick.ThecharactersinMoby-DickallseemtohaveadifferentOUUOOkonthesymbolismofthewhale,!bCaptainAhab,thewhaleSymbaliZCSallthatisevilinlheuniverse,andheassumesapersona)destinedrevengetokill(hewhale.Indestroying(hewhale.Ahabisalsodestroyinghisownfearsandevilsha(facehimintheworld.MObyD

13、ickissymbolicofnature.OnCofthemostcommoninterpretationsofthewhaleisinitscomparisonslonature.Melvilledepictsthewhaleasbeinggracefulandpeacefulinitsnaturalhabi(aitmuchlikenatureingeneral.Heshowsthatwhenanoutsideforceinterruptsthetruecourseofnature,itcanresultinviolenceandunexpectedactionsofeitherofthe

14、two.Moby-Dickrepresentsabasicnaturallaw.butthatwithintheselawstheyarccapableofbeingpowerfulandimmortal,atthesameIimCbeingtemperateandpeaceful.2. TheSymbolismofNamesi. Ahabhab,(hePcquodscaptain,representshothanancientandanxkmtypeofhero.IKingsdescribesIhecon11icibetweenKinghabandhiswifeJezebel.ElijahtellsAhabthatfc,intheplacewheredogslickedt