Studies-of-Ahab-in-Moby-Dick

BADissertationStudiesofAhabinMobyDickBACandidateSupervisorWestAnhuiUniversityMay,2012iAcknowledgementsHereIavailmyselfofthisopportunitytoexpressmyheartfeltgratitudetoallthosewhohavehelpedmeinthecourseofwritingthispaper.First,Iwouldliketothankmydearsupervisor,Mr.Wang,forhisconstantencouragementandguidance.Hehaswalkedmethroughallthestagesofthewritingofthisdissertation.Hehasofferedmevaluableideas,suggestionsandcriticismwiththeprofoundknowledgeinhisresearchexperience.Withouthisconsistentandilluminatinginstruction,thisdissertationwouldnevercometoitspresentform.Second,Iwouldliketoexpressmyheartfeltgratitudetoalltheteacherswhoeducatedandcultivatedmetobeaqualifiedteacherinthefutureinthepasttwoyears.Third,Iwouldalsoliketothanktheparticipantsoftheinvestigationinthefourmiddleschools.Withouttheirhelp,theresearchcouldnothavebeencompletedsuccessfully.Lastmythankswouldgotomybelovedfamilyfortheirlovingconsiderationsandgreatconfidenceinmeallthroughtheseyears.Ialsoowemysinceregratitudetomyfriendsandmyfellowclassmateswhogavemetheirhelpandtimeinlisteningtomeandhelpingmeworkoutmyproblemsduringthedifficultcourseofthethesis.iiAbstractThereisnodoubtthatHermanMelville’slongestnovelMobyDickisoneofthemasterpiecesoffictioninthenineteenth-centuryAmericanliterature,foritis“notonlyaverybigbook;itisalsoapeculiarlyfullandrichone,andfromtheveryopeningitconveysasenseofabundance,ofhighcreativepower,thatexhilaratesandenlargestheimagination.”CaptainAhabisacontroversyandcomplicatedfigureinMobyDick.ThestudiesofAhabinthepasthasbecomeincreasinglyinvolvedvariousaspects.Ahabisafigurewithmanyfaces,amongwhichthemostsignificantanddecisiveonesarehisindividualist,arroganceandhumanity.Hepersistsintakingrevengingonthewhitewhaleisquitecompatiblewithsuchcharacter.Besides,hisfateisalsoleadstohisattachmentbehavior.Inthisessay，IwillmainlyanalyzethefateandcharactersofAhabinordertohelpreadersunderstandMobyDickbetter.Keywords:Ahab,Bible,Individualist,Humanityiii摘要毫无疑问，赫尔曼·梅尔维尔的长篇小说“白鲸记”是19世纪美国小说的文学杰作之一。因为“它不仅是一部非常厚的书，它也是一个独特的，富有丰富内涵的书。它不拘泥于当时，传达出丰盈感和高创造性的力量以激发和扩大读者想象”.白鲸记中的亚哈船长是一个富有争论的和复杂的人物形象。过去对亚哈的研究涉及越来越多的方面。在白鲸中，亚哈是一个具有多面性的人物。其中最重要的和决定性的是他的个人主义，偏执和人类。因为这些性格，他执着于对白鲸的报复。此外，他的命运也是导致他偏执行为的原因。在这篇文章中，我着手于分析亚哈船长的命运和性格特点，用来帮住读者更好的理解《白鲸》这本书。关键词：亚哈；圣经；个人主义；人性ivContentsAcknowledgements…………………………………………………...…..iAbstract(EnglishVersion)……………………………………………….iiAbstract(ChineseVersion)……………………………………………....iiiContents………………………………………………………………….ivChapterIIntroduction……………………………………………………11.1AboutAuthor………………………………………………………11.2AboutMobyDick………………………………………………….2ChapterIIFate：AhabfromtheBible………..………………………..42.1ArrogantAhabs…………………………………………………….62.2Anti-GodAhabs……………………………………………………7ChapterIIIUniquefeaturesofCaptainAhab………………………….....93.1Anextremeindividualist…………………………………………...93.2Ahab’spessimisticattitudetowardlife…………………………...123.3Ahab’shumanity…………………………………………………..15ChapterIVConclusion………………………...………….…………….18Bliography………………………………………………………………19）1ChapterⅠIntroduction1.1AboutAuthorHermanMelvilleisanAmericannovelist,shortstorywriter,poetandessayist.Hisworkisoftenclassifiedaspartofthegenreofdarkromanticism.HeisbestknownforhisnovelMobyDickandBillyBudd,thelatterofwhichwaspublishedafterhisdeath.HermanMelvillewasborntoaprosperousmerchantfamily.Attheageof12,hisfatherwasbankruptanddied.Hismotherraisedeightchildrenalone.Fromthatmiserabletime,hebegantoworkasafarmland,asalesman,abankclerkandaschoolteacher.In1841,heworkedasacabinboyonthewhalerAcushnet.HelaterjoinedtheUSNacy,andstartedvoyagesonships,sailingacrosstheSouthSea.Thisexperienceenrichedhislifeandexpendedhishorizon.What’smore,helearntthefirst-handedinformationaboutwhalingandshippingwhichhelaterusedinhisworks.HermanMelvillereceivedlittleformaleducation,buthelearntbyhimselfstudiously.Hewasafranticreader.Hehadmanyfavouritewriters,suchasEmerson,Hawthorne,ThomasCarlyle，Shelley,ThomasBrowne,Lyell’sGeologyandShakespeare.Heexperiencedmoreafterreadingsomanyfamousbooks.Melvillewasalsoaponderingman.Duringhislife,hewasincessantlysearchingforthetruthandtheessence）2oftheworld.Hewasalsointerestedinphilosophyandwasveryfamiliarwithissuesinherentinthemetaphysics.MostofMelville'snovelswerepublishedinEnglandfirstlyandtheninAmerica.MobyDickorTheWhalehasbecomeMelville'smostfamousworkandisalwaysconsideredoneofthegreatestliteraryworksofalltime.MelvillealsowroteBillyBudd,WhiteJacket,IsraelPotter,Redburn,Typee,Omoo,Pierre,TheConfidenceManandmanyshortstories,includingBartleby,theScrivener:AStoryofWallStreetandBenitoCereno,andworksofvariousgenres.1.2AboutMobyDickThefirsthalfofthenineteenth-centurywasaneraofexpansionandatimeofconquestandpossession,theburgeoningcapitalismtakingplacealmostallovertheearth.Thegaponthemapwasfilledandthecontinentswereexploitedandresourceswerecruciallyconsumed.Peoplewereontheirwaytoconquertheoceans.Inaddition,theUnitedStateswasayoung,growingandenergeticcountrywithtremendousnationaloptimism,whichasserteditsindependencebytriumphingintheWarof1812.Aftertheirindependence,Americanswereproudofthenationandbelievedtheirsweetnessfuture.Thisissueaffe