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Article

Open Access

Interpretation of Confrontation Between Man and Nature in Moby Dick From the Perspective of Individualism

Author(s)

SUN Yueyue

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DOI:10.17265/1539-8080/2023.06.002

Affiliation(s)

University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

ABSTRACT

Moby Dick, the masterpiece of Herman Melville, is a novel with the theme of the ocean. It is known as the summit of the works in the field of the relationship between man and nature. The vivid and full characters and the symbol of the relationship between man and nature in this novel are praised by the world. The main characters in the novel, Ahab, Starbuck, and Ishmael, have different attitudes towards Moby Dick and nature. Ahab, as captain, wanted to kill Moby Dick for his own selfish desires, being a representative of extreme individualism; as a devout Christian, Starbuck’s believed that man should obey nature; Ishmael, the sailor, looked at nature with a rational and equal view. This thesis will apply individualism and other relevant theories to study Moby Dick to point out the causes and results of the battle between man and nature, so that readers can better understand the confrontation between man and nature and the adverse consequences of this confrontation under the background of the novel, stimulate people’s awareness of environmental protection, and inspire human beings to respect nature and protect nature.

KEYWORDS

Moby Dick, Herman Melville, individualism, man and nature

Cite this paper

US-China Foreign Language, June 2023, Vol. 21, No. 6, 214-221 doi:10.17265/1539-8080/2023.06.002

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