Moby-Dick as an Icon for America

Mgr. Iveta Plachá

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

In my thesis I concentrated on four main periods in the development of Moby-Dick as an American icon. These periods were 1851 and the 1850 when the book was first published but was not recognized by the public nor appreciated by the critics; the 1920s when the first adaptation of Moby-Dick appeared on the screen; 1940s when the Second World War meant a breakthrough in the perception of Moby-Dick as a symbol of America; and finally the current development of this symbolism and its importance for America. The aim of my thesis was to prove that the Second World War and the attack on Pearl Harbor strongly influenced the significance of Moby-Dick, not only as an icon but also as a novel. I compared the White Whale to America and captain Ahab to Japan during WWII. Within my research I examined historical, cultural and philosophical changes since 1851 up to present which influenced the fame of Herman Melville’s novel and I tried to find the reason of why Moby Dick became such an icon for America as late as ninety years after being first published.

Keywords

Adolf Hitler, Ahab, Ahab´s leg, America, Fascism, George W. Bush, Herman Melville, Isoroku Yamamoto, Leviathan, Mad captain, Moby Dick, Moby-Dick, Monomaniacal leader, Pearl Harbor, Pequod, Slavery, Starbuck, Stubb, Terrorism, The 1920s America, The 1940s America, The Battle of Midway, The Sea Beast, The United States of America, USA, White symbolism, White Whale, World War I, World War II

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 26. 5. 2008

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 4. 6. 2008
• Supervisor: Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Prajznerová, M.A.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Bachelor programme / field:
Philology / English Language and Literature