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2021-02-15 20:33
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2021年2月15日发(作者:英语读书笔记)


















论《白鲸》中的生态启示







目:











Ecological Enlightenment in


Moby-Dick




















Student: Jiang Nana


Supervisor: Ma Xiaoying




Department of Foreign Languages



Tangshan College



June, 2014





论《白鲸》中的生态启示









赫尔曼·麦尔维尔是十九世纪美国 最伟大的作家之一


,


被誉为“最伟大的海


洋预言家和诗人”


。他的作品以对环境的详细描写及人与自然关系的精辟探讨而


著名


,


其中《白鲸》更是被毛姆列为当今世界 最伟大的十部作品之一。在这部小


说中


,


麦尔维尔将笔触从描绘自然的美丽和奥妙转向抨击工业革命和人类文明对


大自然的伤害 。


通过这部作品


,


麦尔维尔意在告诫人 类如果继续对自然施以暴行


,


那么人类最终将如捕鲸船“皮阔德 ”一样走向灭亡。



“生态批评”


的概 念出现于


1978



,


由鲁克尔特在他的文章


《文学与生态学


:


一次生态批评实验》中首次提出。生态批评旨在用文学研究的方法


,


对文本进行


解读


,


揭示 生态危机的本源


,


唤醒人类的生态意识。



论文试图从生态批评的视角


,


探讨


《白鲸》


蕴含的生态启示


,

< p>
重申人与自然之


间维持平衡关系的重要性。虽然《白鲸》这部作品讲述了一 个悲剧故事


,


但它仍


然给人类传递了希 望


,


作为故事唯一幸存者的以实玛利给人类带来了含有希望之< /p>


光的警示:人类应该重视人与自然关系的和谐


,

< br>从现在起重建人与自然之间的平


衡关系


,


这是人类生存和发展的必经之路。




关键词


:白鲸;生态启示;生态批评理论







Ecological Implications in


Moby-Dick





Abstract


Herman


Melville


is


one


of


the


greatest


American


writers


in


the


19th


century,


who has been called the greatest marine poet and prophet. His works are famous for


the detailed description of the environment and incisive discussion on the relationship


between man and nature. His work


Moby-Dick


is listed by Maugham as one of the ten


greatest


works


in


the


world.


In


the


novel,


Melville


not


only


depicted


the


natural


beauty


and


mystery


but


also


attacked


the


industrial


revolution


and


human


civilization



s exploitation on nature. Melville warned us if we human continued doing


something evil to nature, we would be destroyed like Pequod.


The


concept


of



ecocriticism


< p>


was


first


put


forward


in


1978


by


William


Rueckert in his article



Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism



. This


article


aims


to


interpret


the


text


by


the


method


of


literature


research


to


reveal


the


source of ecological crisis and awaken the ecological consciousness of human beings.


This thesis aims to explore the ecological enlightenment in


Moby-Dick


from the


perspective of ecocriticism. It reiterates the importance of the balance between human


and nature, and also points out that although


Moby- Dick


tells us a tragic story, it still


brings hope to human beings. As the sole survivor, Ishmael brings the light of hope to


human


which


warns


that


we


human


beings


should


attach


importance


to


the


harmonious


relationship


between


man


and


nature,


and


rebuild


the


balance


between


human and nature from


now on. And this


is


the only


road to


human



s survival


and


development.


Key words


:


Moby- Dick


; Ecological Implications; Ecocriticism




Contents



Introduction


.


... .................................................. .................................................. ..........


1



Part I Different Ecological Views Presented in


Moby-Dick



.


.....................................


3



1.1 Ahab: revenge on nature


.


......... .................................................. .......................................


3



1.2 Starbuck: profit-seeking from nature


.


.................................................. ...........................


4



1.3 Ishmael: appreciation of nature


.


.... .................................................. ................................


6



Part II Different Fates Resulted from Different Ecological Views


..........................


8



2.1 Pequod



s destruction


.


.................................. .................................................. ....................


8



2.2 Ishmael



s lucky survival ................................... .................................................. ..............


8



Part III Modern Enlightenment of


Moby-Dick


.................. .....................................


1


0



3.1 Ecological enlightenment


.


.. .................................................. ...........................................


1


0



3.2 Practical significance ........................... .................................................. .........................


11



Conclusion ............................ .................................................. ....................................


1


4



Acknowledgements ...................... .................................................. ............................


1


5



Notes


...................... .................................................. .................................................. ..


1


6



Bibliography .......................... .................................................. ...................................


1


7






Introduction


Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet.


His first two books gained much attention, though they were not bestsellers, and his


popularity declined precipitously only a few years later. By the time of his death he


had


been


almost


completely


forgotten,


but


his


longest


novel,


Moby-Dick


,


largely


considered a failure during his lifetime, and most responsible for Melville's fall from


favor with the reading public, was rediscovered in the 20th century as one of the chief


literary masterpieces of both American and world literature.


Moby-Dick


or


The Whale


(1851) is the sixth book by American writer Herman


Melville. The work is an epic sea story of Captain Ahab



s voyage in pursuit of Moby


Dick, a great white whale. D.H. Lawrence called it the greatest book of the sea ever


written.


Jorge


Luis


Borges


praised


that


Moby-Dick



abounded


with


unforgettable


phrases.


Today it is


considered as one of the Great


American Novels


and a leading


work of American Romanticism.


Critics have long tried to reveal its profound connotation from different angles


such


as


religion,


race,


colonialism.


Until


the


20th


century,


with


the


deterioration


of


ecological


environment,


ecocriticism


appeared


as


a


new


perspective.


Abroad,


some


scholars


began


research


on


the


relationship


between


man


and


nature


in


Moby- Dick.



For


example,


in


the


book


Literary


Criticism


in


the


19th


Century



written


by


Harris,


Fred


Cajun


thought


that


the


European


traditional


idea



beings


sequence




before


Copernicus times influenced



people in Melville



s age to ponder on the relationship


between


man


and


nature.


Other


critics


tried


to


study


the


relationship


between


Melville's view of nature and Emerson



s. For example, John B. Williams in his book


the


white


flame:


Emerson's


influence


on


Melville


pointed


out


that


Emerson



s


transcendentalist thoughts had important influence on Melville's view of nature.






At


home,


many


scholars


also


began


to


study


Moby-Dick



from


the


angle


of


ecology.


In


the


article



Moby- Dick


:


the


tragic


prophesy


of


the


relationship


between


man


and


nature



,


Mr.


Yue


Qingyun


pointed


out


that


in


Moby-Dick


,


the


author


pondered


on


the


relationship


between


human


and


nature


from


three


aspects


and


warned human with a tragic end: the result of man



s hatred to nature is doomed to be


an


irreparable


tragedy.


Mr


Zou


Yugang


,


in


his


article



Ecological


Interpretation


of


Moby-Dick




said


that


Moby- Dick


shows


its


readers


a


dream- like


ecological


system.


Conqueror


Ahab


and


explorer


Ishmael,


in


their


own


unique


ways,


interacted


with


Moby Dick on behalf of the non-human members. With symbolism, through Ahab



s




tragic ending and Ishmael



s survival, Melville expressed a kind of modern ecological


view ahead of his times: man should coexist with nature harmoniously.






This


thesis


aims to


analyze the ecological


implications of


Moby-Dick


from the


perspective of ecocriticism. It reiterates the importance of the balance between human


and nature and calls on people to protect nature.



































Part I Different Ecological Views Presented in


Moby-Dick




Moby-Dick


reflects people's different understanding of nature in the 19th century


and


shows


multi-dimensional


perspectives


of


the


relationship


between


man


and


nature.



1.1 Ahab: revenge on nature


Ahab is the Captain of the ship Pequod, who have sailed on the sea for nearly


forty


years,


catching


whales


and


surviving


in


the


fights


with


the


storm


in


countless


times.


Before


he


came


to


the


stage,


the


shipowner


told


us


that


when


they


met


a


typhoon in the sea of Japan, it was Ahab who led the crew escaped unhurt, which let


the


readers


learn


Ahab’s


courage


and


ability.


But


as


a


very


common


accident


of


whaling,


Ahab


was


bitten


off


a


leg


by


a


sperm


whale,


and


more


importantly,


this


accident caused a great change in his deep heart. Afterwards his only driving force out


to sea was to persue the whale and kill it. In his eyes, the white whale was not only the


enemy of his body but also the foe of his spirit. With a determination to revenge, he


started a three-year hunting trip, which was also a three-year destruction of nature. To


satisfy his own lust for revenge, Ahab put control on other crew members. Eventually


the ship sank and all the crew died except Ishmael.



“Ahab”


is one prototype from the old testament,


as the king of Israel, who did


something


considered


evil


by


God.


He


believed


in


the


other


idols,


and


committed


interracial


marriage.


What



s


more,


he


was


egged


on


by


the


queen


Jezebel


to


kill


Naboth, and took his grapes garden. He refused to listen to the prediction and warning


of the prophet, repeatedly ignoring the redemption God gave him. He was an evil king


in


god's


sight,


a


heinous


person.


Eventually


when


he


fought


with


the


Jewish


king


Jehoshaphat, he was shot to death, and to fulfill the prophecy of god, his blood was


licked up by the dogs.






In the novel, captain Ahab is also an imperial figure called by people a king of


the sea. As a captain, he is as diplomatic and competent as the king Ahab. He knew


that people were greedy in characteristics and he took the advantage to buy the soul of


the crew with a Spanish coin. He made passionate speech, making his hatred of the


white whale become the hatred of the other members of the ship. We can also learn


from mouth to mouth that Ahab is a man of courage. Although more than 40 years of


sailing experience takes away his leg, he is still able to get the trust of the owner as a


captain. Captain Peleg even described him as a God-like person. At the same time, he


is arrogant in personality like the King Ahab, committing something evil regardless




god's exhortations. He not only held contempt for the people around, claiming to be


the master of their soul, but also rebelled against god to kill the white whale. In the


Bible, although the great white whale is a demonic beast, it is also a proud creation of


God and symbolizes God



s divine power. In the Bible, God also sends the big fish as


a messenger to punish those who disrespect him. In


Moby-Dick


, the priest mentioned


a


will of god. A whale is no doubt a messenger sent by God to enforce his law on earth.


So Ahab revolts against God by pursuing and killing the white whale. In his pursuit of


Moby Dick, Ahab was continuously warned by God through the sun, lightning, flame,


birds and other natural objects and natural landscapes but he turned a deaf ear to all


these and persisted in killing the white whale, which eventually led to the tragedy of


the whole vessel.


To Ahab, the only purpose to the sea was for revenge. The white whale bitted off


one of his legs, and what



s more, his dignity as human. So Ahab regarded the whale


as not only the enemy of his body but also the foe of his spirit.


“Aye,


a


ye!


it


was


that


accursed


white


whale


that


razeed


me;


made


a


poor


pegging


lubber


of


me


for


ever


and


a


day!”


Then


tossing


both


arms,


with


measureless imprecations he shouted out: “Aye, aye! and I'll chase him round


Good


Hope,


and


round


the


Horn,


and


round


the


Norway


Maelstrom,


and


round


perdition's


flames


before


I


give


him


up.


And


this


is


what


ye


have


shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over


all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out.”


[1]







With such a crazy motivation, Ahab went out to sea. He didn't realize that Moby


Dick



s attack was out of instinct to survive, not its evil soul. He wrongly regarded its


attack as a kind of shame. As khan on the sea, Ahab, who had dominated the sea for


forty years, could not accept this kind of whaling failure. In his view, man held the


position as master of the whole universe while Moby Dick discomfited his position.


This frenzy of revenge tortured Ahab and made his eyes stare at his target even when


he was sleeping. As Conrad said:


“What makes mankind tragic is not that they are the


victims


of


nature,


it


is


that


they


are


conscious


of


it”


.


[2]


Ahab


recognized


he


was


a


victim


of


the


white


whale


representing


nature


and


then


with


anger,


he


hoped


to


achieve


the


purpose


of


conquering


nature


through


hunting


Moby


Dick,


which


was


doomed to be a tragedy.


1.2 Starbuck: profit-seeking from nature







Captain Ahab, regardless of the interests of


the shipowner


and the safety of the


crew, wanted to chase and kill Moby Dick to revenge for himself. He was governed


by


Satan and


became a


madman who completely


lost


his


calmness


as a captain. At


this


moment,


the


ship



s


daily


affairs


were


in


the


charge


of


the


whaling


ship's


chief


officer


Starbuck.


Starbuck


was


the


first


who


dare


to


come


out


against


Ahab


on


his


revenge


plan.


Unlike



crazy


Ahab,


Starbuck


is


very


rational


and


prudent.


As


to


whaling life, he always said



I will have no man in my boat


who is not afraid of a


whale



.


[3]



Because


Starbuck


knew


very


well


that


it


was


more


dangerous


to


keep


company with a fearless person than with a coward. In Starbuck's view, he was not


the crusading


warrior


who pursued danger. He


knew clearly that



I


am here in


this


critical ocean to kill whales for my living, and not to be killed by them for theirs



.


[4]



In such a dangerous industry as whaling, Starbuck kept a calm mind, knowing that his


life was far more important than catching a whale and to whale was for the sake of his


own survival, for earning a living, not for some worthless reputation. His coming to


whale was driven by economic interests, not revenge for his commander. As for his


father


and


brother



s


death,


he


could


remain


indifferent.


He


took


it


as


the


fate


of


whaling people which they must bear. Maybe someday he himself would also fall into


the same fate as his father and brother for people have to pay for what they have done


sooner or later. If we compare the whaling purposes of Ahab and Starbuck, we can see


that Ahab regarded himself as a



king



above the sea and when he was attacked by


the white whale he felt that his honor as a king was disrespected and encroached while


Starbuck took all the whale



s behavior including its attack on human as necessary to


get


its


survival.


It


attacked


people


out


of


instinct.


To


revenge


on


its


attack


was


certainly


unreasonable.


So after he knew the real


purpose of Ahab he said


to


Ahab




Vengeance


on


a


dumb


brute!


That


simply


smote


thee


from


blindest


instinct!


Madness! To be enraged with a dumb thing, Captain Ahab, seems blasphemous.



[5]




Melville created


Moby-Dick


in the 1860s when America's industrial capitalism


achieved its rapid development and whaling was one of the most important economic


sources of income. The rapid development of whaling resulted in the modern people



s


desire inflation. All


came from


whaling,


such


as the decorations on pequod, the oil


people


used


for


light,


the


oil


king


and


queen


used


for


their


crowning,


and


the


ambergris used by Mr., Mrs. and Miss. Whaling industry had brought the money and


some prosperity of the port.







People got great satisfaction from the development of whaling which also made




people's


desire


infinitely


expand.


people


continuously


expanded


the


scale


of


their


plundering


on


the


sea.


And


America


was


undoubtedly


the


most


dramatic


for


its


whaling industry. The character of Starbuck was one common figure in that time who


went out to sea for economic profit.


In


chapter


36,


after


Ahab


declared


his


revenge


plan


to


the


crew


Starbuck


put


forward two opposing views. First, from the perspective of material interests, he said


to


Ahab



I


came


here


to


hunt


whales,


not


my


commander



s


vengeance.


How


many


barrels will thy vengeance yield thee even if thou gettest it, Captain Ahab? it will not


fetch


thee


much


in


our


Nantucket


mar ket.



[6


]


By


these


words,


Starbuck


pointed


out


that revenge on the white whale could not get the corresponding economic interests.


Second,


due


to


his


obedience


and


submission


to


nature,


he


thought


revenge


on


the


white whale was blasphemous, saying that



to be enraged with a dumb thing, Captain


Ahab, seems blasphemous!



[7]


He held ambivalence towards Ahab



s revenge plan. On


one hand, he was a Christian and should obey god and nature. On the other hand, he


had deep sympathy on Ahab



s disaster and had nothing to do with the evil thing Ahab


did. As Ahab



s revenge desire became more and more intense, the struggle between


Ahab


and


Starbuck


was


becoming


more


and


more


fierce.


Starbuck,


from


the


perspective of economic interests, gave some reasonable advices for many times but


finally he gave up before Ahab.



1.3 Ishmael: appreciation of nature


Ishmael, in the first person, reviewed this whaling process. In addition, he is also


the


protagonist


of


the


novel,


a


common


sailor


on


whaling


ship.


During


this


voyage


Ishmael had been exploring the relationship between human and nature. Unlike Ahab


and


Starbuck


who


could


only


see


the


opposition


between


man


and


nature,


Ishmael


respected and appreciated nature and explored its intrinsic essence.


The


young


sailor


Ishmael


is


a


funny,


carefree


seeker,


and


he


also


has


the


temperament of the philosopher and the sentimental character. He chose to be a sailor


not for money or power. “Chief among these motives was the overwhelming idea of


the


great


whale


himself.


Such


a


portentous


and


mysterious


monster


roused


all


my


curiosity.”


[8]


He likes the carefree life. He also has the air of a philosopher, thinking


that


water


is


the


cause


of


human


thinking.


Ishmael’s


view


of


nature


can


be


known


through his view of ocean and the whales. He is full of respect and love for nature. We


can get a clue in chapter 1. As a depressed and poor primary school teacher, he was


tired of terrestrial life and longed for mysterious marine life. Why could the sea hook




up


his


strong


interest?


On


one


hand,


the


marine


life


can


drive


off


the


spleen


and


regulate the circulation. On the other hand, Ishmael thought that things faraway were


full of mystery. Thus, in the eyes of Ishmael, life on land was dull while life on sea


was mysterious; the former can even cause mental despair, making people feel lonely


and melancholy while ocean has a therapeutic effect. From all the above, we can see


that Ishmael values the beauty of ocean and his determination to seek the beauty of


nature. In the novel, Ishmael described in detail the type and structure of the whale,


conveying


his


love


of


nature


and


the


whale.


In


chapter


45,


Ishmael


told


us


some


stories about big whales and named them such as Tom, Jack and Miguel. Moreover,


he even compared them to the king of Persia and Julius Caesar, reflecting a kind of


equality and respect among all creature. In chapter 87,


Ishmael


compared the scene


where


whales


got


panicked


for


human’s


hunting


with


that


where


people


got


into


a


panic in


a fire and


fled


for survival.


So it seems that there is


no reason


to


laugh at


these frightened whales because humans also become flustered in emergency. In the


novel, Ishmael patiently showed us the whaling and whales, drawing us a picture of


the vibrant life on the sea. As to the sea, Ishmael held a manner of love and humility.


Whales and the sea are the symbols of nature. Ishmael’s


appreciation of whales and


the


sea


shows


his


understanding,


appreciation


and


respect


of


nature


and


other


creatures.






In the novel, Ishmael gave two different kinds of opinions on the persecution of


man to man and man to animal. In his view, a Fijian who, to cope with the coming


famine, took a preacher pickled in the cellar was more justifiable and worth to forgive


than


those


who


killed


geese


and


used


their


livers


to


make


liver


cakes.


Because


the


former’s


behaviour


was


to


meet


the


basic


needs


to


survive,



which


was


a


kind


of


physiological


instinct of people; the latter’s action was


for


fun and pleasure.


If


you


give up the ethics of human society and stand on the point of equal views of all beings,


you will know there bears no difference to eat a person or animal when in hunger.






All in all, Ishmael kept different views from Ahab’s and Starbuck’s. He did not


keep human’s interests as center but thought about nature as equally as human.














Part II Different Fates Resulted from Different Ecological


Views






In


this


novel,


different


characters


had


different


ecological


views,


which


led


to


their different endings.


2.1 Pequod’s


destruction


If the whale is a symbol of nature, the whaling fleet Pequod is a microcosm of


the


human


society,


which


has


the


characteristics


of


all


kinds


of


relationships


and


structures in human society.





In


the


19th


century


whaling


was


semi- mechanized.


Without


an


advanced


productivity, the whalers needed to risk his life to drive a boat near the great whale,


cast the harpoon rope, and then let the big whale struggle violently in the sea. It was


lucky that the big whale soon got dead. Otherwise, the whalers would meet with the


whale



s attacks like Moby Dick, during which the boat might capsize. Despite of all


these,


due to


the lucrative profit, whaling was


still a booming industry


at


that time.


Pequod reflected the reality.





On


pequod,


captain


Ahab


stands


at


the


top


followed


by


the


chief


mate,


the


second


mate


and


the


third,


in


the


bottom


the


white


sailors


and


colored


ones.


The


whaling ship Pequod really looks like a miniature hierarchical society. At the cultural


level, Pequod reflects a multicultural human world. Sailors on board comes from all


over


the


world.


The


ethnic


composition


is


complex,


there


being


whites,


blacks,


Indians, tribal people from tropical islands and so on. In terms of religion, there are


Christianity,


oriental


zoroastrianism


and


Queequeg



s


original


idol


worship.


The


miniature human society, under the guidance of captain Ahab, started a fight against


the white whale which stands for nature.






Ahab and his crew fought with the big whale Moby Dick for three days. In the


end, ship Pequod sank and all the crew except Ishmael got dead.


And now, concentric circles seized the lone boat itself, and all its crew, and


each floating oar, and every lancepole, and spinning, animate and inanimate,


all round and round in one vortex, carried the smallest chip of the Pequod out


of sight.


[9]








The


tragedy


seems


to


warn


us:


in


the


presence


of


nature,


human


beings


are


not


invincible.


2.2 Ishmael



s lucky survival






The name of Ishmael also stems from the old testament. Scripture says that he is


the son of Abraham



s concubine Hagar. After Abraham's wife Sarai also had her own


son, Hager and Ishmael were abandoned. When the two people got lost in the wild,


little


Ishmael



s


cry was


heard by God who sent


angels


to


comfort


them


with


water.


And God told them the descendants of Ishmael would take the throne. So < /p>



Ishmael



later means



God is


listening



.


In the novel,


God was


also


listening. when all crew


died under Moby Dick



s attacks, Ishmael survived and got rescued by the captain of



Raj



.






We


have


talked


about


the


different


ecological


views


of


Ahab,


Ishmael


and


Starbuck in the previous chapter. And human



s views towards nature decide the future


of


the


world


and


our


fate.


That


is


the


reason


why


Ishmael


could


survive


from


the


devastating disaster. From the end of the novel,


Moby-Dick


conveys an idea: human


should keep a harmonious and equal relationship with nature. Otherwise, human will


get punished by nature sooner or later.






Ishmael's


survival


symbolizes


the


victory


of


the


harmony


between


man


and


nature. And his mission is to bring the lesson of Ahab to human. Ishmael was filled


with awe to nature. He was friendly to nature. Whether on the ship or on the masthead,


Ishmael was always looking at sea and appreciating the beauty of the whales. And he


came


to


the


sea


because


the


marine


life


could


drive


off


the


spleen


and


regulate


the


circulation.


Ishmael never belonged to the group who went out to sea for economic


profit and revenge. So his survival at end of the novel is not surprising.



















Part III



Modern Enlightenment of


Moby-Dick







Moby-dick



contains


rich


ecological


ethic


thoughts


which


influence


younger



writers


and


modern


environmentalists.


As


a


profound


ecological


apocalypse,


this


novel not only has the rich ecological meaning, but also has warnings and guidances


to the reality. The theme of relationship between man and nature in M


oby-Dick


has its


modern values which embody ecological enlightenment and practical significance.


3.1 Ecological enlightenment


Strictly,


Moby- Dick



does


not


belong


to


ecological


literature,


but


it


ends


with


a


tragedy, inspiring human from the opposite side to realize the necessity of respecting


nature.


Some


ecological


apocalypses


the


novel


contains


influence


the


younger


generation writers and modern environmentalists.





From the ecological view, the first revelation of


Moby-Dick


is to stimulate the


human



s


consciousness


of


environmental


protection


through


the


review


of


western


civilization. The 19th century witnessed lots of great changes. The western countries


carried


out


a


series


of


successful


reforms


such


as


the


renaissance,


religious


reform,


science


and


technology


revolution


and


the


enlightenment,


and,


effectively


demonstrating the power of human reason and the power of science and technology.


At that time, environmental problems was not so prominent and people immersed in


the joy of achievements in the industrial society brought by science and technology.


People thought it was


“his right and duty to subdue, organize,


investigate and exploit


to serve his profane mental curiosity or his acquisitive material


appetites.”


[10]



Only a


few


people


such


as


Melville


had


a


sense


of


crisis


and


pondered


over


the


western


civilization.


First


of


all,


Melville


revealed


people



s


desire


of


marine


life.


Under


the


industrial


civilization,


People


at


that


time


became


alienated


like


machines,


so


they


were eager to have a close contact with the sea which stands for nature. Ishmael, the


narrator of the novel was a representative. The neurotic youth with depression desired


strongly to go out to sea. Second, Melville praised the primitive culture and accused


western civilization of natural hazards. In the beginning, Ishmael was filled with fear


of Cannibal Queequeg but later they became bosom friends. Queequeg who wanted to




enter the civilized country and learned their civilization at an early age later found the


so- called civilized men were more despicable than barbarians. Here, from the angle of


Queequeg, Melville indirectly criticized the western civilization, the cradle of evil. In


addition, Ishmael thought highly of Queequeg and became interested in his primitive


culture. In the eyes of Ishmael, Queequeg instead of being



civilized



influenced the



civilized



people and moralized them. Melville expressed his


hatred and reflection


on


the


western


civilization


by


comparing


the


primitive


civilization


and


western


civilization. Melville also saw western civilization



s harm to nature. Pequod was such


an example. The captain Ahab wen out to sea for revenge. Other crew represented by


Starbuck drifted out to sea for the sake of wealth. But they had one thing in common:


for their own interests to conquer and pillage nature. Melville thought human could


not conquer nature no matter how advanced the science and technology was. Melville


realized the dangers of western industrial civilization to nature, and at the same time,


the western civilization was also the real cause of the tragedy of Ahab. Ahab's javelin


hit the white whale but unfortunately his neck was entangled by the rope and he was


hanged like a criminal. Obviously, Ahab did not die of the attacks of the white whale,


but died of the modern industrial civilization.






Facing the increasingly serious ecological crisis, how could human beings get out


of the problems?


Moby-Dick


provides us


with


the second enlightenment:


respecting


nature is the ultimate redemption of human. Human beings should treat nature as an


equal entity, respect its intrinsic value, and should not be selfish to satisfy their own


desires and do harm to nature. In Melville



s eyes, all life is sacred with no different


grades.


And


he


advocates


moral


extension


to


the


animals.


At


the


end


of


the


novel,


Ahab


and


other


crew


on


Pequod


died


and


only


Ishmael


got


survived.


Why


did


Melville create such an end? What



s the difference between Ishmael and Ahab? Their


purposes out to sea are totally different and their ecological views are different. The


author


tries


to


tell


us


that


we


human


beings


should


learn


from


Ishmael.


To


respect


nature is to save ourselves.


3.2 Practical significance



In recent years, with the vigorous development of the green movement and the


rapid


awakening


of


human


ecological


consciousness,


the


research


of


ecological


criticism develops quickly with the relationship between man and nature as one of the


most important topics. In


Moby-Dick


, Melville expressed his attention to nature and


the relationship between human and nature, which is very useful to solve ecological




crisis we are facing today.




In history, the relationship between human and nature are, in order, dependence,


exploitation,


plunder


and


harmonious


coexistence.


In


the


primitive


age,


human


was


weak in power and greatly depended on nature, so they had a sense of awe to nature.


With the improvement of



productivity, human used their limited abilities to exploit


and utilize nature. When it came to the industrial civilization era, human, with their


power getting stronger and stronger, began to conquer nature. This period witnessed


human



s boundlessly plundering on natural resources and ecological environment was


unprecedentedly destroyed. Nature, at the same time, took revenge on human beings.


Gradually we human realized our mistake and began to keep harmony with nature.





In


the


21th


century,


modernization


with


industry


as


its


core


has


brought


us


unprecedented


prosperity.


Industries


of


steel,


petroleum,


chemical


and


others


are


booming,


while


hidden


behind


all


these


is


a


series


of


crisis.


First,


the


industrial


civilization


has


brought


unprecedented


destruction


to


the


ecological


environment.


Now we can hardly see the charming natural scenery and the primitive tribal life, but


instead,


we


often


see


the


ugliness


and


dilapidated


scenery


in


which


ocean


is


overfished; desert rapidly expands; coverage rate of forest falls sharply; fresh water is


becoming


more


and


more


scarce;


species


extinction


is


accelerating


on


the


planet.


Second,


the


industrial


civilization


leads


to


the


imbalance


of


human


spirit.



Human


beings begin to pursue material benefits crazily. And they feel empty and bored in the


material


consumption.


Their


inspirations


are


repressed.


They


even


don't


even


know


what they really want. Mankind has become the slaves of the material. This kind of


spiritual imbalance leads to a series of social problems, such as drug abuse, crime and


suicide. In the novel, Ahab is a victim of industrial civilization who falls into spiritual


crisis


and


alienation.


Third,


the


industrial


civilization


leads


to


nature



s


revenge


on


human. Engels in the


Dialectics of Nature


once warned that we won



t be reveling in


our human victory over nature, and for each such victory, nature will take revenge on


us. On the one hand, there are some climate anomalies, such as floods, El Nino, heat


waves,


cold


waves,


which


are


threatening


human



s


lives.


on


the


other


hand,


environmental


degradation


threatens


human


health,


triggering


a


series


of


illnesses


such


as


SARS


and


cancer.


In


Moby-Dick


,


the


white


whale



s


attacks


on


human


symbolize nature



s resistance to human. This situation just confirms Rachel Carson



s


words that human beings are unaware that they are just part of nature, and the final


price of conquering nature is burying themselves. In the 21st century, Melville



s point


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