ABSTRACT
Herman Melville is one of the most famous American novelists in the 19th century, and Moby Dick is his masterpiece. Many scholars have studied this work from different perspectives, among which is symbolism, one of the most important perspectives. It is the key to understanding this novel. The use of symbolism in this work enriches the meanings and the theme, and makes it no longer a simple adventurous voyage novel. This paper first introduces the author, the work and symbolism systematically. It then analyses the symbolic meanings of characters, such as Moby Dick, Captain Ahab, the land and the sea, Pequod and Ishmael. It finally discusses the exemplification of symbolic meaning and reveals its profound theme. In this work, symbolization is given a full use. This paper shows how the writer skilled at the use of symbolism by the analysis of the different characters. It will also show the great influence of symbolism on American literature.
1. Introduction 1
2. Moby Dick and symbolism 2
2.1 Background of Moby Dick 2
2.2 The definition of symbols and the function of symbolism 4
2.3 Symbolism in literature 5
3. Symbolism in Moby Dick 5
3.1 The symbolic meanings of Moby Dick 6
3.2 The symbolic meanings of Captain Ahab 7
3.3 The symbolic meanings of other things 9
4. Exemplification of symbolic meanings 12
4.1 The relationship between human beings 12
4.2 The relationship between capitalist civilization and nature 13
5. Conclusion 14
Acknowledgements 15
References 16
