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1、廊坊师范学院本科生毕业论文题目：白鲸的象征意义姓名：魏玲玲指导教师：吴秀兰系别：英语系专业：英语教育年级：02 接本完成时间 2004 年 5 月 20 日2A Reading of Symbols in Moby DickByWei LinglingProf: Wu XiulanSubmitted to the B.A. committee in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the English Department of Langfang Teachers Col
2、lege2004/5/203题题目：目：白鲸的象征意义摘要摘要:白鲸使美国作家麦尔维尔誉满全球,它不仅是一部惊心动魄的灾难历险小说，也是一部被赋予象征意味的哲理小说。其中的白鲸被描写成无处不在，无所不能的万能的上帝。埃哈布船长为复仇远涉重洋捕捉白鲸，最后自己，同伴与白鲸同归于尽的事迹，既表现了人类的勇敢与忍耐，也反映了他们的偏执与疯狂。另一个贯穿全文的象征就是“床单”，它象征世界不同文化的混合与交织，世界就像一块由多种布拼凑而成的床单，由不同的文化、种族、背景交织而成，人们在一起相互依靠，相互依存，小说中来自不同国家的船员就是最生动形象的体现。关关键词键词：白鲸; 埃哈布; 上帝; 人类; 床
3、单4Title: A Reading of Symbols in Moby DickAbstract: Moby Dick is not merely a whaling tale or sea adventure, but also a philosophic novel with symbolic meanings. Moby Dick represents God owing to his godlike characters and his awfully severe beauty. Ahab symbolizes the league human with evil. In the
4、 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 worlds multiculturalism. Melville develops the symbol proving that the world is indeed a coun
5、terpane of diverse cultures, races, and environment, in which we are always connected by our humanity. Key words: Moby Dick; Arab; God; human; counterpane 5ContentsI. Introduction .6II. The Symbolic Meanings of Moby Dick .71. Moby Dicks Characteristics .72. Moby Dicks Whiteness.83. Moby Dicks Power
6、and Strength .8III. The Symbolic Meanings of Ahab .91. The Name Ahab . .102. Ahabs Madness.103. Ahabs Characters .12IV. The Symbolic Meanings of Counterpane .141. The Grandiose Sea.14 2. The Crew of the Pequod.143. The Character Queequeg.16V. Conclusion .18Notes.19Bibliography.206I. IntroductionMoby
7、 Dick is Melvilles masterpiece, but it is overlooked in its authors time. The revival interest in Moby Dick in the 1920s is of the most dramatic reversals in all literary history. From a by-line in the textbooks, Melville becomes, overnight, one of the half-dozen major American literary figures of t
8、he 19th century. Some critics hold it the greatest American novel. They assert that there is no other character as commanding as Ahab and no other book as full of such action, religion, philosophy, detailed information about a way of life, democratic beliefs, humor, tremendous variety of style and a
9、llusions. Therefore, Moby Dick has been studied and analyzed on different points by hundreds of writers. Some writers focus on the protagonist Ahab, who is seen as the tragic hero; some writers state that all moral judgments are accompanied with tensions, paradoxes and ambiguities, and take many ill
10、ustrations to prove their statement; some writers study the brotherhood of man in the novel, the theme of which is the idea of comradeship between human beings, no matter how different. However, the paper will take Melvilles symbols as the subject matter.What does make him become a master of symboli
11、sm? 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 report on the whaling voyages he undertook in the 1830s and early 1840s. Many critics think that his initial book didnt contain characters such a
12、s Ahab, Starbuck, or even Moby Dick, but the summer of 1850 changed Melvilles writing and his masterpiece. He became friend, with author Nathaniel Hawthorne and was greatly influenced by him. He also read Shakespeare and Miltons Paradise Lost. Their influences lead to the novel Moby Dick completed a
13、nd published in 1851. Although ignored by critics after its release, Moby Dick took an important place in the world literature.In Moby Dick, Melvilles imagination has achieved its great peak through 7employing every means and technique he can reach, among which symbolism is the most thought-provokin
14、g and well-studied one. The symbolism of the white whale can be interpreted in many ways. The paper concerns that Moby Dick is the symbol of God. Ahab, the captain of the ship, represents the league human with evil. He questions the fate that God sends upon him and wants to challenge him. The idea o
15、f “counterpane” is the third symbolic element, which is woven throughout the story as a symbol of the worlds multiculturalism. II. The Symbolic Meanings of Moby DickMoby Dick is introduced through Ahabs speech and his dialogue with Starburk. Starburk accuses Ahab of blasphemy, which is irreverence toward God or something sacred. Melville places this rather bitter accusatory
