On The Symbolic Meanings in Moby Dick.docx

On The Symbolic Meanings in Moby Dick.docx

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OnTheSymbolicMeaningsinMobyDick

本科毕业论文（设计）

题目:

OnTheSymbolicMeaningsinMobyDick

论《白鲸》中的象征意义

姓名:

学院:

外国语学院

专业:

英语专业（师范类）

班级:

英语2010级1班

学号:

指导教师:

职称:

讲师

OnTheSymbolicMeaningsinMobyDick

Supervisedby

Inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirement

FortheB.A.degree

SchoolofForeignLanguages

AnhuiScienceandTechnologyUniversity

June2014

Abstract

HermanMelville（1819-1891）isoneofthedistinguishedwritersofAmericainthe1900s.ItcansaythatMobyDickishisrepresentativework.Andthisworkisgenerallyregardedasoneofthemostsymbolicnovelsintheworldliterature.However,literarycircleshasnotattachedimportancetoMobyDickwhenitwaspublishedin1851.Itwasnotuntiltheearlytwentiethcenturythatthisshiningstarhasyieldedunusuallybrilliantresultsandhaswonhundredsofthousandsofwritersandcriticsfavor.Thehitting-pointsoftheirresearcharedifferent.Whilethesymbolismisstrikingamongthem,andsymbolismplaysanimportantroleintheunderstandingtoreaders.

HermanMelvilletakesadvantageofagooddealofsymbolisminMobyDick.Tosomeextent,symbolismisexertedbytheauthorincisivelyandvividly.ItissaidthatsymbolismderivedfromthesymbolicmovementofFrenchinthelatenineteencentury.Andithasalreadybecomeanimportantwritingtechniquetonovels.ItisnoticedthatHermanMelvillehaspresentedvividlytheprofoundmeaningsofMobyDicktoreadersthroughsymbolism,whichpromotesthecomprehensionofreadersandtheycanacknowledgeAmericansociety,culture,religionbeliefsofthe19thcenturyandthedevelopmentofsymbolismtoAmericanliterature.

InHermanMelville’swriting,therearetwobigcluesthatappealtopeople,namelyprotagonistAhabandMobyDick.Itisdesignedthattheyaretwoopposingcamps:

HumanandNature.Inthenovel,bigotedandselfishAhabpledgeshislifetocatchMobyDickforthesakeofhishatredoflosingaleg.Andfinallyallpeople（exceptIshmael）diedasaresultofAhab’srevenge.Theirfatesinacertaindegreereflectthefinalfatesbetweenhumanandnature.Inthearticle,Melvilleusessymbolismadeptly.Consequentlywecangeteachelement’ssymbolicmeaningswithcolorandlife.Inthispapertheauthorwilltrytoanalyzedifferentsymbolicimages,suchaspeople,importantcluesandsignificanteventssothatshowthesymbolismofMobyDicktopeople.Ihopethatmyanalysiswouldenrichpeople’sunderstandtothiswork’sthemes.What’smoreimportantisthatIhopepeoplecouldreallycomprehendtherelationbetweenhumanandnature.DonotactlikeAhab,hisonlypurposeforlifeistobreakthepowerofnature.Itisnotadvisabletolossatbothsides.Ofcoursewecan’tbeconceitedorunderestimateourcapabilitiestowardnature.Harmoniouscoexistenceisthebestchoiceforbothsides.

ThewholethesisiscomposedoffivepartscombinedwiththeuseofsymbolisminMobyDick.ThefirstpartwillgiveusabriefintroductiontoHermanMelville,MobyDick’splotandthebackgroundinformation;Inthesecondchaptertheauthorwillrepresentthedefinitionofsymbolandsymbolism;ThethirdchapterwillanalyzeAhab’ssymbolicmeanings;theforthpartistotalkaboutthesymbolicmeaningsofMobyDick;andthelastpartpresentsusthesymbolismofPequod.Finallythethesisreachesaconclusion.

KeyWords:

MobyDick;HermanMelville;CaptainAhab;Symbol;Symbolism

中文摘要

赫尔曼·麦尔维尔（1819-1891）是美国19世纪著名作家之一，《白鲸》可以说是他的代表作。

这部小说被认为是世界上最有象征意义的小说之一，然而在1851年《白鲸》的问世并没有引起文学界的重视，这颗璀璨明星直到20世纪才大放异彩，赢得无数作家和评论家的亲睐。

他们的切入点各不相同，而象征手法是其中重要一项，对于作品的理解起着十分重要的作用。

在《白鲸》中，麦尔维尔使用了大量的象征手法，象征主义的应用可以说是淋漓尽致。

象征主义源于十九世纪晚期的法国象征主义运动，它已成为现代小说中一种重要的创作手法。

通过运用象征主义手法，赫尔曼·麦尔维尔形象而生动地表达出了《白鲸》中的深刻含义,这促进了广大读者对《白鲸》这部作品的理解，让读者对19世纪美国的社会、文化、宗教信仰有了深层次的体会，同事也推动了象征主义手法在美国文学史上的发展。

在赫尔曼·麦尔维尔的笔下，《白鲸》中有两大线索吸引着人们的眼球，即主人公（船长）亚哈与莫比迪克，他们可以说是小说中的两大对立阵营：

人与自然的对立。

偏执，自私的亚哈为报失腿之深仇大恨，誓死追击白鲸，直至最终的灭亡，这也象征着人类社会与自然地最终命运。

文章中，作者娴熟地运用象征手法，使得各个要素在作品中的象征意义活灵活现。

本文将通过分析小说中具有不同象征意义的人物、重要线索、意象和重要事件，从而向人们展示《白鲸》中的象征意义，希望能进一步丰富人们对这部小说及其主题的理解。

更重要的是，我希望借助白鲸这部作品，人们能够真正领会人与自然地关系，能与自然和睦相处。

而不像亚哈那样，一心就想冲破自然界的力量，两败俱伤，何必呢？

在自然界面前，我们不能狂妄自大，当然也不要妄自菲薄，融洽相处才是王道。

本文结合《白鲸》中的象征主义手法的运用，把文章共分为五个章节，第一章节简要介绍作者与作品及时代背景；第二部分讲述象征和象征主义；第三章分析亚哈在《白鲸》中的象征意义；第四章节通过作者对白鲸的描写，从而揭示白鲸的象征意义；第五章展示捕鲸船皮阔得号象征意义，最后得出结论。

关键词：

白鲸；赫尔曼·麦尔维尔；亚哈船长；象征，象征主义

Contents

AbstractinEnglish………………………………………………………………

AbstractinChinese………………………………………………………………Introduction…………………………………………………………………………Chapter1ABriefIntroductionofAuthorandWork……………………

1.1TheIntroductiontoHermanMelville……………………………………………

1.2PlotOverview………………………………………………………………

1.3BackgroundInformation…………………………………………………

Chapter2SymbolandSymbolism……………………………………………

2.1ABriefIntroductiontoSymbol……………………………………………

2.2ABriefIntroductiontoSymbolism………………………………………

2.3TheFunctionofSymbolism………………………………………………

Chapter3TheSymbolsinMobyDick…………………………………

3.1AhabHimself………………………………………………………………

3.2Ahab’sSpirits………………………………………………………………

3.2.1ExploringtheFinalTruth……………………………………………

3.2.2TheSpiritofSelf-identity……………………………………………

3.2.3TheSpiritofHeroism…………………………………………………

3.2.4TheEmbodimentofRevolutionarySpirit……………………………

3.3TheSymbolofAhabHuntingMobyDick…………………………………

3.4TheSymbolofMobyDick…………………………………………………

3.4.1MobyDickitself……………………………………………………………

3.4.2TheSymbolofWhiteness……………………………………………3.4.3TheSymbolofCapitalismModeofProduction………………………

3.5TheSymbolofShip’sName:

Pequod………………………………………

3.6OtherObjects’Symbol………………………………………………………

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………

Introduction

HermanMelville,Americanauthor,best-knownforhismasterpieceoftheseaMobyDick.“Ihavewrittenawickedbookandfeelasthelamb,”MelvillewrotetoHawthorne.MaybeMelvilleisright.Whenthisnovelwaspublished,itdidnotbringMelvillethefamehehadacquiredinthe1840s.However,MobyDickispopularwiththereadersandcriticsafter1919.ItissaidthatthisbookisthereflectionofMelville’stime.Andthisnovelwashonoredas“ThemostabundantexpressionofAmericanimagination”.

MobyDickisastoryaboutAhab.WhaleshipPequod,wascommandedbyCaptainAhab.Ahabmadealivingbywhaling.Moreover,hewassophisticatedinsailing,andsailingformorethanfortyyears.Oncehelostalegaccidentlywhenfightingwithanenormousandferociouswhitewhale.Fromthenon,Ahabvowedtorevenge.Heabandonedhiswifeandchildren,andputallhisegginonebasket,thatwasrevenge.ThenAhab’sburningdesireforrevengereallywasthecenterofthestory.AttheendofMobyDick,AhabfoundandattackedMobyDick.Onthefirstday,thewhaleoverturnedaboat;onasecondday,itswampedanother.Whenthethirddaycame,Ahabandallhiscrewmanagedtoplungeaharpoonintoit,butalloftheremainingwhaleboatsandmenarecaughtinthevortexcreatedbythesinkingPequodandpulledundertotheirdeathsexpectIshmael,whosurvivestotellthetale.

MobyDickcouldbereadasathrillingseastory,anexaminationoftheconflictbetweenhumanandnature-thebattlebetweenAhabandthewhitewhaleisopentomanyinterpretations.Itisapioneernovelbuttheprairieisocean,oranallegoryontheGoldRush,butnowthegoldiswhale.Andthereadersaredeeplyimpressedonapluralityoflinguisticdiscourses,philosophicalspeculations,andShakespeareanrhetoricanddramaticstaging.MysteriousCaptainAhab,acombinationofMacbeth,JobandMilton’sSatan,devotedhislifetohisrevenge.AndAhabrevealstohiscrewthepurposeofthevoyageistohuntandkillMobyDick,whohadcostAhab’slegonapreviousvoyage.

TherearetworeasonstoMobyDick’spopularity.Firstly,HermanMelvilledescribesmoredetailsaboutwhalingspectacle;secondly,it’senduringfascinationandpredominantliteraryvalueliesintheapplicationofallkindsofcomplicatedsymbolismwhollyexpressesMelville’sideastowardstemporalculture,religionandsocialdevelopment.Inbrief,symbolcanexpressparticularsignificanceandinterpretsomekindofideasbythespecificimages.

ThusitcanbeseenthatsymbolismplaysavitalroleinliteratureandweareavailabletorealizethatpredictableperfectsymbolisminMobyDick.Let’sturnintotheworldofsymbolismofMobyDick

Chapter1ABriefIntroductionofAuthorandWork

1.1TheIntroductiontoHermanMelville

HermanMelville,（August1,1819 –September28,1891）whowasborninNewYork,wasanAmerican novelist,poet,andwriterofshortstories.HewasthethirdofeightchildrenborntoMariaGansevoortMelvilleandAllanMelville,aprosperousimporterofforeigngoods.Whenthefamilybusinessfailedattheendofthe1820s,theMelvillesrelocatedtoAlbanyinanattempttorevivetheirfortunes.However,becauseofastringoffuturebadluckandoverwork,hisfatherdrovetoanearlygrave.AndtheyoungMelvillehadtostarttoworkforhisfamilywhenhewasonlythirteenyearsold.

Afterafewyearsofformaleducation,Melvillewasforcedtoleaveschoolandtobecomeanelementaryschoolteacher.Fromthattimeon,Melville’scareerbegan.Attheageofnineteen,Melvillemadehisfirstseavoyage,asamerchantsailoronashipboundforLiverpool.Inthesummerof1842,MelvilleandoneofhisfellowsailorsgotinMarquesasIslands.WhileMelvillebecameseparatedfromhiscompanionandlamedabadleg,hespentamonthaloneinthecompanyofthenatives.Withthehelpofthisexperience,MelvillecreatedhisfirstnovelTypee:

APeepatPolynesianLife,publishedin1846.Melvillesetouttowriteaseriesofnovelsdetailinghisadventuresandhisphilosophyoflifewiththevoluminousknowl