Whale totem

Author: (American) Melville / Yang Shanlu / Gao Lu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: If Wolf Totem is an allegory of inland civilization, then Whale Totem is an immortal epic symbolizing the spirit of ocean civilization. "From a modern perspective, this is merely a totem of American spirit—the obsession with conquest, conquering the great whale, conquering oneself. Everyone is driven by a mad goal, revealing their raw nature bare. This work creates a spiritual labyrinth where everyone can find their corresponding password. It has gained eternal symbolic meaning." — Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
Life is but a great maritime hunt. No book has evered me as much as Whale Totem, gripping my heart tightly. — Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft
The sea is the limit of imagination; it brings you death and miracles. Only when I read Whale Totem for the time did I truly understand the depth to which words and life can reach. — Ernest Hemingway, renowned American writer
If one must choose the greatest and most outstanding novel from the history of American literature, my answer is Melville's Whale Totem. — Ge Fei, renowned Chinese writer
Whale Totem is a novel I particularly admire. — Ma Yuan, renowned Chinese writer
Whale Totem is a somber symphony—imbued with realism and the breath of the sea, depicting the bloodthirsty pages of Captain Ahab leading his crew to hunt the white whale. Inside the book, Melville poses a question: why must the white whale be evil, not good? Ahab, covered in hostility, is cruel, harsh, and vengeful. He should be evil. Thus, a battle of good and evil erupts in the sea. Of course, when reading this novel, one need not pay attention to whether it contains symbolism—simply the powerful and fierce figure of Ahab fills the entire work with a thick emotional tone, making one read with a racing heart.
In Whale Totem, the white whale is fierce, mysterious, immense, and beautiful, representing a mysterious force that is both hostile to humans and unconquerable, entirely a totem of nature. The sea thats the white whale is unpredictable, treacherous, and filled with immense destructive power; it is the largest arena for the struggle between humans and nature. Captain Ahab is a "great godless figure who resembles a god," the "khan of the ship, the king of the sea." He pursues the white whale with near-madness, not only seeing it as his physical enemy but also as the enemy of his reason and spirit. Ahab ultimately meets his doom in a fatal, step-by-step fashion, sinking into the sea.