神坛上的《白鲸》与神坛下的《海狼》——析两部作品不同的伦理学蕴含

梅尔维尔的《白鲸》和杰克.伦敦的《海狼》虽同为海洋小说,但两部作品却有着不同的伦理学蕴含。《白鲸》着力表现的是人与自然之子白鲸的斗争,而在人与人之间的关系上却体现为一种和谐;相比之下,《海狼》中直接描写猎捕海豹经历的篇幅却并不多,它以将近三分之二的篇幅描写了船长海狼拉尔森与其下属之间的矛盾冲突和船员自身之间的敌视争斗。《白鲸》具有一种形而上的意义,它在一个象征性的层面上表现了美国资本主义自由竞争时代末期人们内心的自由意志与宗教精神的矛盾冲突;《海狼》则是进入资本主义垄断阶段的美国社会生活的现实主义写照,它关注的是按自然法则进行生存竞争的人们之间的争斗,以及这种争斗的最终精神出路。

Moby Dick And The Sea-Wolf:An Ethical Perspective

This paper discusses different ethnical implications in two novels.Although Melville's Moby Dick and Jack London's The Sea-Wolf are both sea novels,they have different ethical implications.The former focuses on the struggle between man and a white whale,son of Nature,while interpersonal relationship remains quite harmonious in the novel.In contrast,little space is devoted to seal hunting in The Sea-Wolf,two thirds of which describes the conflicts between Wolf Larsen and his subordinates as well as the hostility and fighting among the sailors.Moby Dick has some metaphysical significance in that the conflict between man's free will and religious spirit when free competition faded away in the United States is symbolically revealed.The Sea-Wolf,depicting an increasingly monopolistic American society,highlights the fierce conflict among people who fight for existence and their spiritual salvation.