1、第1页，共24页。Herman Melville18191891was an American novelist,short story writer,essayist,and poet.Although Melville has been regarded throughout most of the twentieth century as one of Americas most powerful literary artists,particularly for his masterpiece Moby-Dick,he was largely unrecognized in his l
2、ifetime.About The Author 第2页，共24页。Moby DickType of work:symbolic workFirst publication:1851Setting:Most of the book takes place on various oceans,such as the Atlantic,the Indian,and the Pacific,in the early to mid 1800s.However,a good deal of the first part of the novel takes place in New England in
3、side and around Nantucket.第3页，共24页。Main Characters Ishmael以实玛利以实玛利the narrator,also a member of the crew of the Whaler Pequod.Ahab(亚哈伯亚哈伯)the egomaniacal自大疯狂的自大疯狂的captain of the Whaler Pequod.Moby Dickthe great white whale.Starbuckthe first mate大副大副of the Pequod.Queequeg标枪手魁魁格标枪手魁魁格)Starbucks skille
4、d harpooner and Ishmaels best friend.Pequod whaleshipTip：星巴克：星巴克(Starbucks)得名得名Moby Dick中的人物中的人物名称，书中爱喝咖啡的大名称，书中爱喝咖啡的大副就叫副就叫Starbuck。第4页，共24页。Ishmael,the narrator,having little money and finding life on shore grim,decides to go to sea.He signs aboard the whaling ship named Pequod.Its captain,Ahab,is
5、 a tall,broad man seemingly made of bronze.He has a white leg,made from the jaw of a sperm whale,because his own leg is torn away by Moby Dicka huge white whale.Plot Summary第5页，共24页。After loosing his leg he is determined to pursue Moby Dick and kill it.He hangs a doubloon on the mast as a reward for
6、 anyone who sights the white whale first.Eventually the white whale appears，and the Pequod begins its doomed fight against it.第6页，共24页。On the first day the whale smashes a whaleboat.The second day，another boat is swamped，the captains ivory leg is snapped off.When the third day comes,Ahab and his cre
7、w manage to harpoon the whale,but it carries the Pequod along with it to its doom.All on board get downed expect Ishmael,who is rescued by another whaler and survives to tell the story.第7页，共24页。Plot Ishmael yearns for a whaling adventure Meets Queequeg Sign with the whaleship Pequod Captain Ahab app
8、ears Only purpose of Ahab is killing Moby Dick Starbuck argues with Ahab Several sinister omens appear Find Moby Dick Two fights between Moby Dick&the crew First one:Moby Dick escapes Second one:All the crew die except Ishmael第8页，共24页。Meanings of Moby Dick to the Characters First,as to Captain Ahab,
9、Moby Dick is evil,is the one he wants to take revenge on,and it is his sworn enemy.Ahab vowed to avenge and kill Moby Dick for ripping his leg,so he considered Moby Dick as his aim of conquest.He heat Moby Dick,think of it nothing but the embodiment of evil,it makes him furious,painful,and messed up
10、 all his life.In order to chase and hunt down Moby Dick,Ahab abandoned his family,even sacrificed all sailors life.To Ahab,Moby Dick is the evil he must defeat and destroy.第9页，共24页。Second,as to the first mate Starbuck,Moby Dick is the symbol of the power of juggernaut.He is clear that Moby Dick is n
11、ot a normal whale as those they had met,it can destroy the ship and kill all people on the ship.He tried to persuade Captain Ahab to give up chasing Moby Dick,but he failed.Though he predicted their tragic fate,he can do nothing to stop it.Therefore,in Starbucks eyes,Moby Dick is a horrible guilloti
12、ne.第10页，共24页。Third,as to the second mate Stubb,Moby Dick is a good chance for him to make profit.In that time,blubber,spermaceti and whalebone play a very important role in peoples daily life,so whaling was lucrative and became the economic pillar industries.So as to Stubb,Moby Dick is his tool to m
13、ake money.第11页，共24页。Lastly,as to Ishmael,Moby Dick is the symbol of nature.In the 42 chapter,Ishmael thinks that the whiteness of Moby Dick is the present from nature.In Ishmaels eyes,Moby Dick is both gorgeous and evil.It can be peaceful,kind and beautiful,however,it also can be brutal,cruel and cr
14、azy.Like his whiteness,its not only the symbol of purity and innocence but also the symbol of death and evil.第12页，共24页。Meanings of Moby Dick to ReadersAs to Melville,Moby Dick is the symbol of nature,one of the most common interpretations of the whale is in its comparisons to nature.Melville depicts
15、 the whale as being graceful and peaceful in its natural habitat,much like nature in general.He shows that when an outside force interrupts the true course of nature,it can result in violence and unexpected actions of either of the two.The whale is also similar to nature in that it is bound by natur
16、al laws,but that within these laws they are capable of being powerful and immortal,at the same time being temperate and peaceful.第13页，共24页。SymbolismThe landThe seaThe PequodThe voyageAhabAhabs PipeStarbuck The DoubloonQueequegs CoffinMoby Dick第14页，共24页。Land:a symbol f safetySea:a symbol of adventure
17、 and dangerThe Pequod:a symbol of the human worldThe voyage:tends to imply the vogage of mind searching for truth and knowledge of the forces working in the universe that control men and their destiny.第15页，共24页。Starbuck:a symbol of good and noble.the Doubloon:a symbol of the lure of evil and the ent
18、icements to greedAhab:a symbol of solipsism,revenge and then evilAhabs Pipe:The pipe that Captain Ahab smokes throughout the voyage represents happiness in Ahabs life.Once he tosses it over the edge of the ship in his pursuit to find Moby Dick,all his happiness is lost.第16页，共24页。Queequegs Coffin Que
19、equegs coffin alternately symbolizes life and death.Queequeg has it built when he is seriously ill,but when he recovers,it becomes a chest to hold his belongings and an emblem of his will to live.He perpetuates the knowledge tattooed on his body by carving it onto the coffins lid.The coffin further
20、comes to symbolize life,in a morbid way,when it replaces the Pequods life buoy.When the Pequod sinks,the coffin becomes Ishmaels buoy,saving not only his life but the life of the narrative that he will pass on.第17页，共24页。Moby Dicka metaphor for the human gralationship with the Christain God:God is un
21、known and cannot be pinned downis hidden all the timethe depths conceal unknown truthsunknown and unknowable truthsinscrutable,mysteriousmirror its environmentonly the surface of the ocean is available for human observation and interpretation第18页，共24页。Moby Dick possesses various symbolic meanings fo
22、r various individuals.(1)Symbol of nature for human beings,because it is mysterious,powerful,unknown.(2)Symbol of evil for the Captain Ahab.(3)Symbol of good and purity because of its whiteness.Moby Dick第19页，共24页。THEMESSearch for truth:The story deals with the human pursuit of truth and the meaning
23、of existence.Conflict between Good and Evil.Conflict between Man and Nature.Isolation between man and man;man and nature;man and society.Solipsism(唯我论).第20页，共24页。Writing Style(1)His works are symbolic and metaphorical.voyage-search and discovery,the search for the ultimate truth of experience.the Pe
24、quod-the ship of the American soul Moby Dick-a symbol ofevilgoodnessbothits whiteness-paradoxical colordeath and corruptionpurity,innocence,and youth第21页，共24页。(2)He manages to achieve the effect of ambiguity through employing the technique of multiple view of his narratives.Moby Dick is portrayed fo
25、r the reader from different angles.The author is unwillingness to commit himself,and the reader is thrown upon himself for judgement.(3)He tends to write periodic chapters(掉尾章的手法.the last paragraph of chapter one pulling all thing into one sentence is a good illustration inpoint.第22页，共24页。第23页，共24页。谢谢！第24页，共24页。
