Abstract

Herman Melville was one of the greatest American novelists in 19th century. His representative work Moby-Dick made him famous, which is not only a fascinating whaling tale or sea adventure, but also a masterpiece containing drama, adventure, philosophy, and research. Melville made full use of symbolism in the novel, from typical characters to natural landscapes, and detailed description has its symbolic meanings. This paper provides a systematic analysis on the symbolic meanings of the novel, deeply analyzes them from the perspectives of social politics and the relationship between human and nature, and studies the thematic meaning of the novel.  

Key words: symbolism, Moby-Dick, nature

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

Ⅰ. Introduction-1

Ⅱ. Symbolic meanings of the theme-2

2.1 Symbolic meaning of revenge-2

2.2 Symbolic meaning of man and nature-3

Ⅲ. The symbolic meanings of two main lines-4

3.1 Ahab and Moby Dick-4

3.1.1 Symbolic meaning of Ahab-4

3.1.2 Symbolic meaning of Moby Dick-5

3.1.3 Symbolic meaning of White-6

3.2 Ishmael and the hunting-7

3.2.1 Symbolic meaning of Ishmael-7

3.2.2 Symbolic meaning of Pequod-8

3.2.3 Symbolic meaning of hunting-9

3.2.4 Symbolic meaning of sea-9

Ⅳ. The Thematic Significance of Moby-Dick-10

4.1 The Criticism of Oppression in the society-10

4.2 The Critique of Man’s Crazy Plunder of Nature-11

Ⅴ. Conclusion-12

References-13