《白鲸》的论文.doc

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 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 repo