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. …víceméně