Revenge In Moby Dick

When we talk about"revenge"in the British and American novels, naturally, we'll think of Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Moby Dick is the focus of modern literature research and it's also the window of American Romanticism. It deeply impresses us with Ahab's self-reliance, monomania and the resolution to conquer Nature. Many critics have made great contributions to criticism of a certain aspect about the revenge. This thesis, however, analyzes generally and carefully captain Ahab's revenge from four aspects. Chapter one discusses the connotations of the theme of revenge. The revenge is not only the expression of moral exploration about evil and good but a deep meditation on fixed fate and free will. Chapter two analyzes Ahab's character from three aspects. Ahab is a man of self-reliance, madness and stratagem. Self-reliance and madness are the inner forces of his revenge. And being good at strategies is the weight to take revenge. Chapter three exhibits to us the different opinions about the meaning of Moby Dick. Ahab regards Moby Dick as the incarnation of evil while Ishmael convinces that Moby Dick is just an animal and it's meaningless and nothingness in moral. Chapter four makes analysis of deep roots of the revenge. Ahab's vindictive chase for Moby Dick is not only the challenge to God but also the pursuit of the terminal truth. Through the multianalysis, we can dig up the spiritual conflicts of the avenger as well as the necessity of downfall as a tragic hero because human being can't escape from his fate, which is beyond his knowledge. Nevertheless, Ahab reaches the spiritual summit by perishing together with Moby Dick. At the same time, to break loose the fetter, to probe into the value of human spirits and to reveal the conception of existence are just the ultimate goal and the value of the thesis.