Moby Dick (1851)
—— Herman Melville
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About The Author
Herman Melville（1819—1891） was an American novelist,short story writer,essayist,and poet.
Although Melville has been regarded throughout most of the twentieth century as one of America’s most powerful literary artists,particularly for his masterpiece Moby-Dick,he was largely unrecognized in his lifetime.
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Moby Dick
Type of work:symbolic work
First publication:1851
Setting:Most of the book takes
place on various oceans,such as
the Atlantic,the Indian,and the
Pequod.
副就叫Starbuck。
Moby Dick—the great white whale.
whaleship
Starbuck—the first mate（大副）of the Pequod.
Queequeg（标枪手魁魁格)—
Starbuck’s skilled harpooner and
swamped，the captain’s
ivory leg is snapped
off.When the third day
comes,Ahab and his crew
manage to harpoon the
whale,but it carries the
Pequod along with it to its
Ishmael’s best friend.
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Plot Summary
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.It’s captain,Ahab,is 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 Dick—a huge white whale.
Ishmael（以实玛利）—the narrator,also a member of the crew of the Whaler Pequod.
Tip：星巴克(Starbucks)
Pequod Ahab(亚哈伯)—the egomaniacal得（名Moby Dick中的人物
自大疯狂的）captain of the Whal名er称，书中爱喝咖啡的大
doom.All on board get
downed expect
Ishmael,who is rescued
by another whaler and
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survives to tyearns for a whaling adventure Meets Queequeg Sign with the whaleship Pequod Captain Ahab appears 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
Eventually the white whale appears，and the Pequod begins its doomed fight against it.
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On the first day the whale
smashes a
whaleboat.The second
day，another boat is
Pacific,in the early to mid
1800’s.However,a good deal of
the first part of the novel takes
place in New England inside and
around Nantucket.
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Main Characters
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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 anyone who sights the white whale first.
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Meanings of Moby Dick to the Characters
First, as to Captain Ahab, 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 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.