<正>Melville’sNoby-Dickissuchagreatbookthatisfullofsymbols,suggestingendlessmeanings,Ithink,thesymbolofwhitenessis,amongotherthings,adominantone.Asweknow,thecolorwhite,likeathickthread,goesthroughthewholebookfromtheopeningchapter,whenIshmaeldreamsthewhale“onegrandhoodedphantom,likeasnowhillintheair”totheconcludingepilogue,whenthewhalingshipdisap-pearsina“crearmypool”.Sowhitenessisakeywordtoap-proachthemysteryofthebook.ManycriticsbelievethatMobyDickisthedominantsymbolofall.Iagree,forMobyDickandwhiteness,Ias-sume,arereallytwoinseparableaspectsofonething:oneisthephysicalformofwhiteness,theotheristhespiritualsoulofthephysicalbodyofthewhale,Inotherwords,MobyDickisthepersonificationofwhiteness.So,whenItalkabouttheabstractcolorofwhiteness,Iamstressingthesuperficialchar-acterofMobyDickinsteadofaphysicalanalysisofhim.Then,whatdoeswhitenesssymbolize?Diffe
