Unit-5-Herman-Melville

HermanMelville(1819-1891)Hisliferepresents:oneofthegreatesttragediesintheNorthAmericanliteraryhistory,oneofthegreatestlossestoAmericanliterature,oneofthemostdisgracefulepisodesofcriticalstupidityintheUnitedStates.LifeMelvillewasborninNewYorkCity.Bothhisparentscamefromwell-to-dofamilies,butlatertheirfamilybusinessfailed.Melville’schildhoodwashappytotheageof11,whenhisfatherdiedindebt.Littleeducationandbegantoworkearly.Hedriftedintovariousoccupations:abankclerk,asalesman,afarm-handonhisuncle’sfarmandaschoolteacher,andfinally,in1839,hesignedonaBritishmerchantship,theSt.Lawrence,andsetsailforLiverpoolEngland.UnhappymarriagewithElizabethShaw.HisdeathfromaheartattackonSeptember28,1891wententirelyunheededbythegeneralpublic.Melville'sliteraryreputationremainedindeclineuntilhewasrediscoveredinthe1920's,whenageneration,disillusionedbytheGreatWarbegantoappreciatethedepthofMelville'sspiritualstrugglesandthe'modern'experimentalstyleofhisstories.Melville’sMajorWorks1)Typee«泰皮»2)Omoo«欧穆»3)Mardi«玛地»4)Redburn«雷得本»5)WhiteJacket«白外衣»fromhisadventuresamongthepeopleoftheSouthPacificislandsanaccountofhisvoyagetoEnglandhislifeonaUnitedStatesman-of-warMelville’sMajorWorks6)Pierre«皮埃尔»7)BillyBudd《比利•巴德》(asignthathehadresolvedhisquarrelwithGod)Clarel《克拉莱尔》(apoem)Melville’sMajorWorksMoby-Dick«白鲸»，«莫比•狄克»anencyclopediaofeverythinghistory,philosophy,religion,thewhalingindustryaShakespeareantragedyofmanfightingagainstfatesMobyDickTypeofwork:symbolicnovelFirstpublication:1851Author:HermanMelvilleSetting:Mostofthebooktakesplaceonvariousoceans,suchastheAtlantic,theIndian,andthePacific,intheearlytomid1800’s.However,agooddealofthefirstpartofthenoveltakesplaceinNewEnglandinsideandaroundNantucket.PrincipalCharacters:Ishmaelschoolteacherandpart-timesailor;aPresbyterian,likeMelville,heprojectsCalvinisticthinkingtemperedbyhisbackgroundinliteratureandphilosophy.Hediscussessuchissuesasfreewill,predestination,necessity,anddamnation.HeisthesolesurvivorofthePequod.CaptainAhabAmanwhoisobsessedwiththekillingofawhitewhalethathasmaimedhim.Hehasascarwhichextendsfromhisheadtohisleg.StarbuckHethefirstmate,isboldenoughtocriticizeAhab'svengeance,considersmutinybutfails.StubbHeisthesecondmatewhoiscarefree,indifferent,andfatalistic.MobyDickItistheWhiteWhale;theworld’slargestcreature.Itispowerful,legendaryimageofnature.Itswimspeacefullyintheseauntildisturbedbyhumans,thenshowsaterriblefuryandanger.ForAhab,MobyDickisthesymbolofevil.MobyDick---Chapter41IshmaelcomparesthelegendofMobyDicktohisexperienceofthewhale.Henotesthatspermwhaleattackshaveincreasedrecentlyandthatsuperstitioussailorshavecometoregardtheseattacksashavinganintelligent,evensupernaturalorigin.Inparticular,wildrumorsaboutMobyDickcirculateamongwhalemen,suggestingthathecanbeinmorethanoneplaceatthesametimeandthatheisimmortal.Ishmaelremarksthateventhewildestofrumorsusuallycontainssometruth.Whales,forinstance,havebeenknowntotravelwithremarkablespeedfromtheAtlantictothePacific;thus,itispossibleforawhaletobecaughtinthePacificwiththeharpoonsofaGreenlandshipinit.MobyDick,whohasdefiedcapturenumeroustimes,exhibitsan“intelligentmalignity”inhisattacksonmen.MobyDick---Chapter41IshmaelexplainsthatAhablosthislegwhenhetriedtoattackMobyDickwithaknifeafterthewhaledestroyedhisboats.Farfromland,Ahabdidnothaveaccesstomuchinthewayofmedicalcareandthusunderwentunimaginablephysicalandmentalsufferingontheship’sreturntoNantucket.IshmaeldeducesthatAhab’smadnessandhissingle-mindeddrivetodestroythewhalemusthaveoriginatedduringhisbedriddenagony.Chapter41isfullofphilosophicalstatements.Thereisnoconversation,noplotinit,buttheauthordescribesMobyDickingreatdetail.Thoughfewhaveseenitinperson,manyhaveheardofit.Itissupernatural,fierce,cunning,malignant,andubiquitous.ToAhab,itisasymbolofevil.AfterMobyDickshearsoffhisleg,hehasnotonlybodilywoes,butalsointellectualandspiritualirritations.SymbolsinMobyDick1).ThePequod2).MobyDick3).Queequeg’sCoffin4).Ahab5).Starbuck6).theDoubloon7).Sea8).VoyageofthePequod1.ThePequodasymbolofdoomnamedafteraNativeAmericantribeinMassachusettsdidnotlongsurvivethearrivalofwhitemen(extinct)ispaintedgloomyblackandcoveredinwhaleteethandbonesthemementosofviolentdeathlikeaprimitivecoffin2.MobyDickishiddenallthetimemirrorsitsenviormentunknownandunknowabletruthsonlythesurfaceoftheoceanisavailableforhumanobservationandinterpretationthedepthsconcealunknowntruthsametaphorforthehumanrelationshipwiththeChristianGod:Godisunknownandcannotbepinneddowninscrutable,mysterious2.MobyDickvarioussymbolicmeaningstothepequod’screwaconceptontowhichtheycandisplaytheiranxietyaboutdangerousandfrighteningjobstoAhabamanifestationofallthatiswrongwiththeworldItishisdestinytogetridofthissymbolicevil3.Queequeg’sCoffinQueequeg’scoffinalternatelysymbolizeslifeanddeath.Queequeghasitbuiltwhenheisseriouslyill,butwhenherecovers,itbecomesachesttoholdhisbelongingsandanemblemofhiswilltolive.Heperpetuatestheknowledgetattooedonhisbodybycarvingitontothecoffin’slid.ThecoffinfurthercomestosymbolizelifewhenitreplacesthePequod’slifebuoy.Whe