分析《白鲸》的象征手法.docx
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分析《白鲸》的象征手法.docx
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分析《白鲸》的象征手法
毕业论文
题目:
分析《白鲸》的象征手法
Title:
OntheUseofSymbolisminMobyDick
Introduction
ThenovelMobyDick,writtenbyHermanMelville,isgenerallyregardedasoneofthemostpopularandtheworld’sgreatestmasterpiecesinAmericaliterature.Inthisbook,Symbolismisgivenafulluse,providingreaderswithanotherwaytounderstandthenovelandcreatingtheliteraryvalueabovetimeandspace.
MelvillewasborninNewYorkCityonAugust1,1819.Hisparentswereofmiddle—classfamilybackground.Hischildhoodwasasecureandcomfortableone,buthisfatechangedin1832,whenhisfatherdiedandleftthefamilywithhugedebts.Thereforehewasforcedtodropout,andengagedinlotsofjobs.Amongthem,theearlysailingexperienceswerequiterewarding.Itnotonlybecameastoreofrawmaterialsforhisvisionsoflifebutalsobroadenedhishorizon.Thatistosayhisrealeducationwasatsea.Oncehesaid“awhale—shipwasmyYaleCollegeandmyHarvard.”MelvillebeganworkingonMobyDickabouta“whalingvoyage”in1850whenhewashalfwayinthework;hemetHawthorne,whoisanAmericanShakespearetohim.AsaresultofhisimpactsforHawthorne,MobyDickappearedinlate1851.
MobyDickisawhalingtalebasedonMelville’sexperiencesofsailor’syears;thedirectsourceMelville’ssailingexperiencesaccumulatetohiswriting.Inadditiontoadetailedaccountoftheoperationsofthewhalingindustry,thenovelisalsoconsideredasanencyclopediaofeverything:
history,philosophy,religion,etc.(洊波.2000.P.80).Unluckily,itwasoverlookedinitsauthor’stimeduetoitsdeepworryabouthumancivilizationandgloomyatmosphereofpessimism.Melville’sreputation“surgedfromthelesserAmericanwritersintotherarefiedcompanyofShakespeareandafewfellowimmortalsofworldliteraturesothatonlyWhitman,James,andFaulknerwereseenashisAmericanequals.”(Gottesman2044).Hisliteraryreputationnaturallyleadstoastudyofthestoryofthebigwhale.DiscussingontheuseofSymbolisminMobyDick,wementionTheWhiteWhale,Ahab,theshipPequod.Thispaperwillshowthetragedybyanalyzingthesymbolicmeaningofthefactors.
ChapterI.EmbodimentofMysticalColorinMobyDick
InWebster’sNewWorldCollegeDictionary,theword“mystic”means“beyondhumancomprehension;mysteriousorenigmatic”andinthesecondentryundertheword“mystical”,itinterpretsthewordas“ofmysticsormysticism;ESP.relatingtoorbasedonintuition,contemplation,ormeditationofaspiritualnature”(Agnes954).AccordingtoStevenFanning,“mysticismisthedirectintuitionorexperienceofGodoreveryreligioustendencythatdiscoversthedirectwaytoGodthroughinnerexperiencewithoutthemeditationofreasoning.Theconstitutiveelementinmysticismisimmediacyofcontactwiththedeity(Fanning2).
InMobyDick,theessenceofmysticismisnotseeninadirectmanner,butitisinmeditationwithsomesymbols.ThatistosaysomesymbolicdesignsofTheWhiteWhalearecoloredwithaheavymysticalatmosphere.WithregardtosymbolicmeaningofTheWhiteWhale,ithasdifferentviews.Somepeoplethinkitrepresentsvirtueandinnocence,otherssupposeitisasymbolofinnerevil.Stillotherssayitsymbolizesnature.Tosumup,manifestationofmysteriouscolorinMobyDickisattainedbysymbols.
1.1SymbolofNature
Natureisalltheplants,animalsandthingsthatexistintheuniversethatarenotmadebypeople.TheWhiteWhaleisananimallivinginthewaterthatnursesitsyoungandbreathesairjustlikehumanbeings.Inlinewiththedefinitionofnature,obviouslyitbelongstoasortofspeciesinanaturalworld.Inthenovel,MobyDickisequaltoimmenseocean,namelynature.MelvilleprefacesMobyDickwithabrieflistofthewordsfor“whale”inthirteendifferentlanguages.Thenheaddsalistof“Extracts”fromvariousreferencestowhalesfoundinliteratureallovertheworld.Oneoftheimportantreasonsofhavingcompiledlistofremarksisthat“Hewantsustorealizethatthewhalehassincetimeimmemorial,beenasymbolofthepowerfulandmysteriousforcesofnature.”Meanwhilethewriterexpressesanothersubjectwhichillustratestherelationshipbetweenpeopleandnature.WhenthecaptainAhabcapturesMobyDick,whohastornawayhisleg,itimpliestheinevitableresultofpeopleandnaturefight:
thedestructionofhuman.
Asweallknow,MobyDickisafierceandcunningcreature,soithaspowerstokillhumanaboard.Intheeyesofordinarypeople,whalesaresuchgreatpowersthattheyarefrightened.Onthecontrary,somehunterswhoaregoodatwhalingalwaystakevoyagestopursuewhales.Perhapsitisawaytoearnmoney.Howeveritisverydangeroustodosoandthisactionmayresultinextinctionofwhales.Finallyitbreakstheecologicalbalance.Neverthelesshumanmustpayaheavypriceandnatureiscapableofdestroyingthehumanworldsuchassomemajordisasters:
earthquake,volcaniceruption,flood,debrisflowetc.Inthemoderntime,withdevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,manycountriesmakeeveryefforttopromoteeconomyintheexpenseofenvironment.Consequentlyitcausessomenaturaldisastersasifnaturehadrevengedonpollutionoftheenvironment.Inthebooktheauthorconveysamessagethatifhumanplunderednatureendlessly,humanwouldtakeariskofdyingout.Man,nomatterhowhardhetries,isdoomedandhastoyielduptothemercyofnature.
1.2SymbolofEvil
ToPequod’screw,thelegendaryWhiteWhaleisaconceptontowhichtheycandisplacetheiranxietiesabouttheirdangerousandoftenfrighteningjobs.SincetheyhavenodelusionsaboutMobyDickactingmalevolentlytowardmenorliterallyembodyingevil,talesaboutthewhaleallowthemtoconfronttheirfear,manageit,andcontinuetofunction.ToAhab,TheWhiteWhaleisanevilbecauseittakesoffhislegonapreviousvoyage.AhabisabsorbedingreathatredandswearstotakerevengeonMobyDick,awhitewhalethattortureshimbothphysicallyandspiritually.LateAhabinsistsonchasingthewhale.Inordertokillthewhales,heaskspeopleonaboardtoassisthimbythetemptationofmoney.Duringthreedaysofthewar,theydefeateachotherbyturn.Butonthethirdday,AhabkillstheWhiteWhale,yetallthehumanbeingsinvolved,exceptthenarrator,dieintheprocess.ActuallyAhabclaimsthatMobyDickischieflywhathehatesandhebelievesthatMobyDickisamanifestationofallthatiswrongwiththeworld,andhefeelsthatitishisdestinytoeradicatethissymbolicevil.Fromthetragedy,theconclusionisreachedthatMobyDickthreatensandharmsthehuman,evenkillsthehuman.
Consideringhumannature,thepurposeofMobyDickistorevealtheexistenceevilinlifeandhuman’spirit.Thereisaproverb“Nomanisperfect.”Afterall,humanisnotGod,andeverypersonhasmeritsandshortcomings.Ineffect,evilisn’tterrible,anditmainlydependsonhowwetreatit.Sometimeswemayshowourweaknessesinreallife,butjustasthesayinggoes,ahorsestumblesthathasfourlegs.Regardlessofourshortcomings,weenjoyameaningfulandfruitfullifeingeneral.
1.3SymbolofVirtueandInnocence
InMelville’slife,hewenttoseaatabout20.Graduallyhedevelopedloveforseaandarousedhisdesireforadventure.In1841,hesignedonforalongwhalingcruisetotheSouthSeas.Atthattime,whalingwasanimportantindustryforNewEngland,andpeoplewouldhuntwhalestogetthespermwhichwasusedinmakingperfume.Workingasasailor,hegainedalotofinformationaboutwhalingwhichdisplayssomerealsituationaboutcapturingwhales.Apartfromthesefacts,thenovel’ssettingistodescribetheageofrapidlydevelopingthewhalingindustryin19thcentury,andAhabontheshipPequodisengagedinwhalingfor40years.It’sclearthatitiscommontocatchwhalesinAmericansociety.
Ontheotherhand,Americanliteraturegivesauniquesymbolic“white”andculturehasaspecialmeaning.Melvillehasintentioninthechoiceofwhitecolor.Inthecommonsense,thewhitecolorreflectspureandinnocent,andwethinknatureisquiet,peacefulandfriendly.Aslongashumanisabletounderstandpeopleandnatureoftherelationshipbetweensuchco—existenceanddoesn’tdisturbit,naturewillnotdestroyhuman.Otherwisehumandoomstodie.Innaturalworld,theWhiteWhalesliveacarefreelife;theynevertaketheinitiativetoclosetoandattackhuman.Howeversailorstrytoconqueranddestroythem,atlasttheyaretobedestroyed.
ChapterII.OntheDualityofCaptainAhab’sPersonality
CaptainAhabisthemainhumancharacterofthenovel.Tosomeextent,justiceandwickednesscanbeobservedonhim,whodemonstratesanadmirablequality:
dauntlessness,courage,richexperience;andwhopossessessomefearfulevilpower:
monomania,selfishness,despotism.(白凤欣.2007.第34卷2期).AsthecriticM.H.Abramsstated“suchatragicheroAhabmovesustopitybecauseheisn’tacompletevillain,andhismisfortuneisgreaterthanhedeserves;butwhathemakesusfearisthatwerecognizesimilarpossibilitiesoferrorinourownlesserandfallibleselves.”ThewordssummarizetheexistencedualityofAhab’spersonality.
Unliketheheroesofoldertragicworks,Ahabsuffersfromafatalflawthatisnotnecessarilyinbornbutinsteadstemsfromdamage,inhiscasepsychologicalandphysical,inflictedbylifeinaharshworld.Heisasmuchavictimasheisanaggressor,andsymbolicoppositionthatheconstructsbetweenhimselfandMobyDickpropelshimtowardwhatheconsidersadestinedend.Ahab’smotivation,personalityanddestinyreflectthetragedyofheroismtemperament.Melvillesuccessfullycreatesthetragicherowhich
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