Introduction
Evaluating fiction due to the use of literary analysis tools is a valuable practice in identifying the unique interpretations and thoughts laid down by writers. As a topic for research, symbolism in the novel Moby Dick: Or, the White Whale by Herman Melville will be considered from the perspective of the ideas used by the author and the subtexts utilized to reflect the key messages. This work is an example of classic literature and is rightfully included in the world’s creative heritage. According to Yadav and Yadav, in the novel, “the mechanism of symbols has been applied in the form of pain and suffering” (212). This background allows asserting about the religious context of individual Melville’s ideas and makes it possible to talk not only about the romantic nature of the prose but also its tragic implications. Moby Dick, as the personification of the world’s horror, is a combination of human fears and the embodiment of suffering that always stands next to joy and hope.
Main Author’s Subtexts and Symbols
In Moby Dick, one can find all the hallmarks of a classic maritime novel. At the same time, unlike many other works of this genre, not only people are the key characters. Melville’s achievement is that he conveys the sea not just as a background but as a full character of the narrative. This element enters people’s consciousness, determines the way of their thoughts, and forms specific behavioral traits. The ocean image becomes a symbol of real life that is unique in its variety of trials and dangers. Melville offers to “consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part” (262). This assessment is an open hint of how human life harbors fears and threats that, as a rule, are hidden and appear unexpectedly.
While considering this background, the numerous crew members of the ship on which the narrator travels may be considered people who struggle with lie challenges. Yadav and Yadav state that death is a natural phenomenon reflected in the novel as an inevitability when meeting the mysteries of the Universe, which are hidden in the depths of the sea (213). As another subtext, one can draw attention to the international crew, which can be interpreted as the reflection of the America of that time. Attracting people from all over the world not only by whaling but also by its opportunities, the country became home to people of many cultures. This diversity is reflected in Moby Dick where sailors, despite their distinctive backgrounds, are in the same ocean of life. When describing social inequality as one of the ambiguities, the narrator asks a rhetorical question: “who ain’t a slave ?,” by using biblical reasoning as his justification (Melville 10). Thus, in the image of the ship carried away by the captain’s fanatical madness, one can find both timeless and concrete social and political meanings.
Philosophy as an Aspect of the Narrative
Melville’s novel cannot be divided into separate parts because all the elements of the narrative are intertwined and create a comprehensive picture. At the same time, one can single out the philosophical direction of thought as an integral component that is included in almost every subtopic. As Yadav and Yadav remark, by combining allegorical objects, the author strives to emphasize the philosophy of life and link the behavior of the crew members and creatures from the ocean depths with real challenges (213). In the reasoning of the characters and, in particular, the captain, the philosophical attitude to problems and adversity is fundamental. As Melville writes, despair and blind self-confidence to overcome difficulties is a characteristic feature of people who have no choice but to rely on the mercy of higher powers (216). This combination of philosophy with a religious background creates Moby Dick’s unique plot and sets the novel apart from many other classic literary works.
Greatness and obedience are significant behavioral concepts that are displayed in the narrative. Melville emphasizes “the growing awe of Ahab” as the encounter with the dire sea monster approaches (516). At the same time, the captain himself is the indisputable authority for the ship’s crew, and submission to him is a natural aspect of the interaction among the characters. Thus, by raising the philosophical problems of human existence through symbols, Melville shows how complex the world order is in terms of its hierarchical order.
Conclusion
Symbolism is one of the key literary devices used by Herman Melville in his novel to convey the natural character of the human fears of inevitability. Religious and philosophical issues overlap, and one cannot separate one concept from the other one due to the indivisible structure of the narrative. Due to the imagery presented, a number of social nuances are raised, including class inequality and domination based on hierarchy. The novel’s artistic value is high, and Melville’s subtexts are the main drivers of the success of this work.
Works Cited
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick: Or, the White Whale. Page, 1892.
Yadav, Meenakshi Sharma, and Manoj Kumar Yadav. “A Determined Observation and the Investigation of Moby Dick as a Symbol of Evil.” International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, vol. 2, no. 2, 2019, pp. 212-220.