Symbolic Elements in Moby Dick

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Symbolic Elements in Moby Dick There is a symbolic element in every great literary work, which makes the author's message more tangible and real to his readers. In Herman Melville's Moby Dick, one such element is the idea of the "counterpane," or tapestry, of humanity, that is woven throughout the story as a symbol of the world's multiculturalism. Melville develops this symbolism on at least three levels, proving that the world is indeed a counterpane of diverse cultures, races, and environments, in which we, while supremely unique individuals, are always connected by our humanity. On a grandiose scale, Melville uses the open sea as a metaphor for the world and mankind. There are many creatures that depend on the water, and then still others who depend on the creatures that depend on the water. In order for everything to be balanced, inhabitants must learn to coexist peacefully while they try to meet all of the different needs they may have. The multiple ships that the Pequod meets during all of the gams in the story, each represented a different culture of people. For instance, the Jungfrau (or Virgin), was a ship from Germany, while the Rosebud was from France, and the Town Ho came straight out of Nantucket. Not only were the different ships different in style and accents, but their views on whaling and life were all greatly varied as well. There was also a great deal of irony in the meetings of the Pequod with the other ships. " . . . another homeward bound whaleman, the Town - Ho, was encountered. She was manned almost wholly by Polynesians" (Melville, 239). The ship that came from one of the most "white" places in the whaling world, was not being run by whites! The Pequod also encounters " . . . another ship, most mis... ... middle of paper ... ...ascinating scope of human emotions and characteristics that are unique to him, yet common to humanity. On three different levels, Melville has offered examples of his observations on the nature of mankind. In three different scales, from the grandiose sea, to the microcosm of a single human being, he tells the epic story of a whale hunt, while artistically incorporating a myriad of subtleties that describe both the beauty and darkness of the counterpane of life. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1) Chiu, Andrea. "The Interdependency of Mankind." Georgetown University, American Literary Traditions. *http://www.georgetown.edu/users/* 2) Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. 3) Robertson - Lorant, Laurie. Melville: A Biography. New York: Clarkson Pottor/Publishers, 1996. 4) "Works of Herman Melville: A Character Analysis." 1 January 1963. *http://www.monarchnotes.com*

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