Analysis of the symbolism of the Pequod in Moby Dick
"Moby Dick " is a typical work of the most use of symbolism in American literature.The whaling ship named Pequod also has profound symbolic significance.
Pequod, an Indian race eliminated by the white American, was one of the most tragic-fated Native American Indian nations. The name of Pequod itself indicated sinking doom of the whaling ship and the tragic end of the ship crash. Meanwhile,the voyage of Pequod was also a symbol of long-life misery journey. All the hardships of hard work was only for the end to perish, and the strong natural forces cannot be resisted by the great determination or perseverance as well as the ultimate fate of destruction cannot be changed.Although Pequod that was characterized by human wisdom played a significant role in the whaling process, the tragedy between the Moby Dick and human beings embodied nature and mankind cannot conquer mutually. Thus the stubborn confrontation will only bring disastrous consequences.
In the novel, Pequod was portrayed as a company with all the shareholders, a floating factory at sea, which has the typical characteristics of capitalist industry in nineteenth Century. In the
voyage, money and power were regarded as the priority , and the sailors had to follow the orders of the ship management, duing to gain the poor bit of shared revenue as the reward of the great risk through exploitation and oppression. For example, Stubb even dropped the crew struggling into the sea to hunt down a whale just for money with no remorse.Obviously, the sea world was rather a pure ideal paradise than a murder factory or battlefield.The sailors were originally intended to escape from the modern civilization,while they became the victims regrettably.
At the beginning of the foundation, the United States had inherited the expansion spirit of the Saxon nation. And this spirit had become even more fanatical in the mid-nineteenth century: Gold Rush prompted the United States to be the rival imperialist powers with Europe.The navigation of Pequod to some extent represented the extension of the spirit of the overseas expansion.
The symbolism of Pequod was more than a world that was fraught with crazy and cruel hatred or killing. Through the perspective of the narrator Ishmael, the novel reveals the theme of love and friendship , which cannot be ignored. All the sailors had realized the interdependence among human beings, excluding extremely
self-enclosed individualism of the Captain Ahab.They were eager to pursue the understanding and friendship, believe the beauty and virtue in the human soul, and appreciate others merits in initiative. Meanwhile,the sailors had the intent to be intimate companions and sincere with each other.In spite of the ugly appearance, they perceived the noble humanity by rustic soul. In addtion they passionately pursued simple and sincere friendship.Thus they shared weal and woe and attached much significanae to the unity.
In short, symbolism are widely adopted in Moby Dick , thus the Moby Dick , Captain Ahab and Pequod all have respective symbolic significance. Moby Dick as a whole is a glimpse of whaling industry in the mid 19th century America and Pequod is an epitome of American society.。