白鲸记英文读后感

白鲸记英文读后感

白鲸记英文读后感

Moby-Dick

is a

highly

symbolic work, and is interesting in that

it also addresses issues such as natural history. Other themes include

obsession, religion, idealism versus pragmatism, revenge, racism,

hierarchical relationships, and politics.

Symbolism

All

of

the

members

of

the

Pequod’s

crew

have

biblical

-sounding,

improbable, or descriptive names, and the narrator deliberately avoids

specifying the exact time of the events and some other similar details.

These together suggest that the narrator

—

and not just Melville

—

is

deliberately casting his tale in an epic and allegorical mode.

The white whale itself, for example, has been read as

symbolically

representative

of

good

and

evil,

as

has

Ahab.

The

white

whale

has also been seen as a metaphor for the elements of life that are out

of our control, or God.[citation needed]

The

Pequod’s

quest

to

hunt

down

Moby

-Dick

itself

is

also

widely

viewed

as

allegorical.

To

Ahab,

killing

the

whale

bees

the

ultimate

goal

in his life, and this observation can also be expanded allegorically so

that the whale represents everyone’s goals. Furthermore, his vengeance

against

the

whale

is analogous

to

man’s

struggle

against

fate.

The

only

escape from Ahab’s vision is seen through the Pequod’s occasional

encounters with other ships, called gams. Readers could consider what

exactly Ahab will do if he, in fact, succeeds in his quest: having

acplished his ultimate goal, what else is there left for him to do?

Similarly,

Melville

may

be

implying

that

people

in

general

need

something

to reach for in life, or that such a goal can destroy one if allowed to