His novel, Moby Dick, is a combination of his life, his times, his genius and his struggle to understand the nature of man's very existence. A symbol is a person, place or thing that represents something larger that itself. Many of the images seen in Moby Dick mean more than what they are. The sea and the Pequod are symbolic. The members of the crew each represent a different view of life.
Every image represents something larger than itself.
Find a picture of some person, animal or object that can symbolize something other than what it is and bring it to class. As a class, decide on a few that are most thought provoking. After contemplating each picture that was selected, write a few sentences about what is symbolized by the image. Share your sentences, then compare and contrast your thoughts about the picture. Discuss the similarities and differences of the responses.