This paper will elaborate the main characters in the book from three aspects: the living environment and characteristics of the white whale Moby Dick and his symbolic meanings; Captain Ahab’s living environment, characters and symbolic meanings; the symbolic meanings of Ishmael and his characters, and each of them has profound meanings. Through discussing these three aspects, we will have a better understanding of Moby Dick.

II. Analysis of Moby Dick

2.1 Moby Dick’s Living Environment
The ocean in the book is the place where Moby Dick lives. When it comes to the ocean, our first impression is that it is so vast and endless, and at the same time, it is also full of glamour, charm and temptations. The cunning, boundlessness, tranquility and purity of the sea constitute an apparent comparison with the land. It attracts people on the land with its unique charm. In the novel we can see the author Herman Melville shows that the water is always related to thought and the sea is the best place where the Captain Ahab could think and explore life. On the one hand, the kindness of the sea makes the crew on the ship feel that they are in their mother’s embrace. The brilliant day of the sea is as tantalizing as the sweet night, and the beauty of the ocean makes the crew surprise. Ishmael says in his autobiography that “it is this kind of primitive civilization that eliminates the ferity of these strange and savage whalers” ( Melville 5 ).
    On the other hand, however, the sea is not peaceful all the time. It is also turbulent. The indignation of the sea makes the crew feel that death comes, and also evokes their sorrowful, boundless life reverie. In the depiction of the sea, Melville does not merely indicate his natural glamour, but also represents the further connotation which reflected by the sea. The sea is the opposite of the land, and symbolizes the secret strength of nature, which has supernatural mysterious force. This power is endowed from the white whale, but is reflected by the unpredictable sea. Sometimes it is gentle, quiet, and tender, making people feel comfortable while frightening and stormy at other times. No matter in the sunny daytime or in the star-shinned night, the fatal destructive force of the white whale and potential dangers always hides behind the peaceful scene.
    At the end of the book, the sea returns to calm which hints that human and other species should live in harmony with each other and pursue coexistence. In the novel, we can interpret that the Captain Ahab represents the power from land, and the ocean symbolizes the nature. Although the land is symbolized by Captain Ahab with some limitations, it is comfortable and pleasant comparing with the ocean. While the ocean is vast and unpredictable, to some degree, it symbolizes danger. Meanwhile, water is the source of human life, so here the ocean also symbolizes the unpredictable fate. The Captain Ahab and the sea are on behalf of life and dangers in reality. When Captain Ahab decided to fight with the whale living in the sea, his action doomed to failure. Whoever tries to break the laws of nature will be broken by himself at last. Only if we human beings follow the rules of nature can we grasp our own fate.
2.2 Moby Dick’s Characteristics
    Moby Dick is the name of the book. Meanwhile it is also one of the most important figures in this novel. It is a large white whale in the South Pacific ocean. In a conflict with Captain Ahab, it knocked off Ahab’s legs and escaped, so, Captain Ahab decides his revenge for him. In this book, to some extent, we may say that Moby Dick is a clue, because everything happened around it. At last, the white whale Moby Dick killed all the sailors on the ship Pequod except Ishmael and disappeared in the wide blue sea. In the book, the white whale-Moby Dick is described through Captain Ahab’s dialogue with Starburk. In Starburk’s eyes, the Captain Ahab is blasphemous, which is indignity toward God or something sacred. This quite bitter accusatory word was spoken out from the Christian-minded Starburk’s mouth, there Melville aims to describe Captain Ahab as a cruel revengeful man. If Moby Dick is sacred, Captain Ahab can do nothing but take the action of blasphemy against him. Through indirect description of Moby Dick and direct cursing of a crazy man, Melville portrays the characteristics of Moby Dick with clues and hints. According to the sailor’s words, the white whale is seen in two locations at once at different places around the world. In this trait, the author is showing omnipresence, a sacred feature of godlike. People in the ship think that the white whale is eternal, which is his another godlike feature, because he is still alive after several harpoons. Captain Ahab himself had to admit that the power of Moby Dick is shocking, like god’s omnipotence. Ahab states in chapter XXXVI, “that inscrutable thing [Moby Dick’s power] is chiefly what I hate” ( Melville 177 ). In addition to the godlike characteristics of omnipotence and omnipresence, Moby Dick has got a reputation for tearing sinners. From the action in saving Steelkit and killing the unjust Radney, the white whale shows the godlike justice and mercy, as the crew hear from the sailors of the ship Town-Ho. 《白鲸》主要人物形象分析(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_18619.html