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

ABriefAnalysisoftheSymbolisminMobyDickI. IntroductionThewriter-HermanMelvilleHermanMelville(1819-1891)wasanAmericannovelist,shortSIOfywriter,essayistandpoet.HeisbestknownforhisnovelMobyDickandthepi)slhunousnovellaBillyBudd.HisfirstthreebooksgainedmuchCOrUCmpOraryattentionClypee,()nu>o,RedbuniYandafterafast-bloomingliterarysuccessin(heIaccI84()s,hispopularitydeclinedprecipitouslyinIhcmid-1850sandneverrecoveredduringhisIifdim已FortwentyyearsbeforehisdeathinI891.HermanMelvillewasaibrgotlennun.Thisisbeslrc<xtedinacoupleobituarynotices:,Hcwonconsiderablei'amcasanauthorbythepublicationofabookin1X47(actually1846)cntilcdTypee.Thiswashisbcs(work,althoughhehassincewrittenanumberofocherstories,whichwerepublishedmoreforprivate(hanxbliccirculation.During(hetenyearssubsequenttolhepublicationofthisbookhewasemployedaltheNYCustomHouse."(NYDailyTribune.September29.1891),*OflateyearsMr.Melville-pbablybecausehehadceasedhisliteraryactivity-hasfallenintoaliterarydecline,asaItSUIlofwhichhisbooksareIiuleknown.Probably,ifthetruthwereknown,evenhisowngenerationhaslong(boughthimdead,soquidhavebeenthela(eryean>ofhislife?(ThCPress.September29.1891)Soonafterhisdeath,therewasashortrevivalofinterestinMelville'swork.ManyofhisWOflswerexblishedagainandsowereImllyappreciativescholarlyevaluations.AsecondMclvilkrevival(>kplace*bu(1919coincidingwith(heCentenniiilofMelville'sbirth.ItwasMuntilthe"MelvilleRcviva,atthistimethathisWOrkwonrecognition,especiallyMoby-DickwhichholdsadistinctivepositionintheAmericanliterarytraditionthatnootherworkcanmatch.InwritingMohy-Diek.MelvilleaemxedanarrativealtogetherdifTere11IhanWhalhehadwrittenbefore.II. SymbolisminMobyDickInMobyDick,Melvilleemploysstylizedlanguage,symbolismoexplon?numerouscomplex(hemes.Throughtheuincharactersjourney,theconceptsofclassandsocialstatus,goodandevil,andtheexistenceofGodarcallexamined,asIshniaclspeculatesuponhispersonalbclicfeaxlhisplaceintheuniverse.Thehookprojectshumaninstincts,characteristicsandmotivationsontoanimals.MobyDick,thewhale,isruthlessinattacking(heSaiIoISwhoattempt(ohuntandkillhim.butitisAhabwhoinvestsMobyDicksnaturalinstinctswithmalignantandevilintentions.Infact,itisno<thewhalebutthecrippledAhabwhoalonepossessesthischaracteristic.Symbolismisusingaperson,place,orthingtorcprcscmsomethingelsewhichislargerandoftenuntouchable,hisusedinliteraturetogiveauthorsobjectivitywhiletbeirviewsarestillexpressed.Somesymbolsstandforthings(hatareobviouswhileothersneedamoreinvolvedexplanation.Moby-dickissuchagreatbookthatisfullofsymbols,suggestingendlessmeanings.TheresearchonSymbolisminMobyDickhasbeingverypopular.ThescholarsholdthatInHermanMeIvilletSMobyDick,onesuchelementistheideaofheIaPeSIfyofhumanity,(hatiswoventhroughoutthestoryasasymboloftheWorierSmulticulturalism.InMobyDick.Ihc(hemeofhumanisticrelationshipswithnatureisexpressed.ThefollowingpartemphasizesananalysisofthesymbolisminMobyDick.1. 'lheSymbolismofMobyDkkanditsWhitenessMobyDickwasamixedsymbol.,Ihccolorofthewhaleisasymbolthatcanbeintcre<eddifTcrcndy.ThewhitenessofthewhalecanhavetraditionalmeaningsinAmerica,s>chasinnocenceand>ui(y.However.(oSOnlePeOPlethecolorwhitecanbesymbolicofdeath,solitude,strength,power,andagodlikeappearance.TbCaplainAhab,thewhaleisnolonlythebeastthatbithisleg,butalsoasymbolofevil.BecausethewhalehasremovedAhab,slegandattackedsomewhalers,MelvilleshowsthatMobyDickiscapableofgrcaviolence.However,healsoshowsthewhalelivingpeacefullyandtranquillyatseauntilheisattackedbylhcmen.ThisshowslheConInIdiCIiOnofthewhitenessof(hewhalebecauseMelvilleemphasizesthatwhitecanmeanbothtranquilityandgood,aswellasterrorandevil.Amanhuntingamalevolentbeastchatravagesthecountrysideisnotanewstory.BeowulfhuntsGrendel.Si.Georgekills(hemaraudingdragon.TheMessiahdefeats1.eviathan.Oftenthemonstertakestheformof“asea-monster".Thoughtheherousuallyperishesinthecftbrt.hisdeathfbstcr¾"communalrejuvenation'*and"restoresthatworldtoitsdivinepurposcs,(Foulkc333).TliroughoutMobyDicktlhewhaleisgivendivinefeaturesandoftencompared(oGod.JustasmanypeoplefearGodtheyalsofearMobyDick.ThecharactersinMoby-DickallseemtohaveadifferentOUUOOkonthesymbolismofthewhale,!bCaptainAhab,thewhaleSymbaliZCSallthatisevilinlheuniverse,andheassumesapersona)destinedrevengetokill(hewhale.Indestroying(hewhale.Ahabisalsodestroyinghisownfearsandevilsha(facehimintheworld.MObyDickissymbolicofnature.OnCofthemostcommoninterpretationsofthewhaleisinitscomparisonslonature.Melvilledepictsthewhaleasbeinggracefulandpeacefulinitsnaturalhabi(aitmuchlikenatureingeneral.Heshowsthatwhenanoutsideforceinterruptsthetruecourseofnature,itcanresultinviolenceandunexpectedactionsofeitherofthetwo.Moby-Dickrepresentsabasicnaturallaw.butthatwithintheselawstheyarccapableofbeingpowerfulandimmortal,atthesameIimCbeingtemperateandpeaceful.2. TheSymbolismofNamesi. Ahabhab,(hePcquod'scaptain,representshothanancientandanxkmtypeofhero.IKingsdescribesIhecon11icibetweenKinghabandhiswifeJezebel.ElijahtellsAhabthatfc,intheplacewheredogslickedt