How is symbolism reflected in Moby Dick, the first American prose epic by Herman Melville?
(1) IT TURNS OUT TO BE A SYMBOLIC VOYAGE OF THE MIND IN QUEST OF THE TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, A SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION INTO MAN’S DEEP REALITY AND PSYCHOLOGY.(2) THE PEQUOD IS THE MICROCOSM OF HUMAN SOCIETY AND THE VOYAGE BECOME A SEARCH FOR TRUTH. THE WHITE WHALE, MOBY DICK, SYMBOLIZES NATURE FOR MELVILLE, FOR IT IS COMPLEX UNFATHOMABLE, MALIGNANT, AND BEAUTIFUL AS WELL. FOR THE CHARACTER AHAB, HOWEVER, THE WHALE REPRESENTS ONLY EVIL. FOR THE AUTHOR AND READERS AND ISHMAEL, THE NARRATOR, IT IS STILL A MYSTERY, AN ULTIMATE MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSE, INSCRUTABLE AND AMBIVALENT, AND THE VOYAGE OF THE MIND WILL FOREVER REMAIN A SEARCH, TO A DISCOVERY OF THE TRUTH.
