Cultural Confusion In Melville's Polynesian Trilogy

Melville is one of the most significant writers in American literature; however, for his thinking was beyond the time he completely fell into oblivion from civil war to the First World War. Now, he is widely read and studied. Although most of him works were written in the middle of the 19th century, sensitivity of modernism is still can be found. Literary critics have studied him and his works from different perspective while little has been written in his early South Sea stories. The thesis strives to demonstrate the author's confusion in American's over seas expansion.Among contemporary criticisms beginning with "post", post colonial criticism is of considerable significance. In 1978, Edward W. Said exposed that the relations between Orient and Occident is one of power, of domination, of varying degrees of a complex hegemony in his Orientalism. Despite the diverse techniques, critics all criticize Orientalism, which is the deep-rooted bias of the west against the east in politics, social lives and literary works. Post-colonialism analyses imperial invasion in culture and the invisible pattern between super powers and other countries. Its pragmatic functions initiate me to choose in the thesis. The thesis will explore Melville's attitude towards the distorted images and the deprivation of discourse of the east, especially the writer's cultural confusion in his Polynesian Trilogy.This dissertation consists of four chapters. Chapter one is a brief introduction to Melville's life and his experience, theme and theory used in this dissertation as well as the study on this field domestic and abroad. Chapter two, which is about to be composed of five sub-titles, expounds the cultural conflict and bewilderment of identity from different angles. Chapter three elaborates the causes of Melville's bewilderment, or to be specific, his bewilderment is due to the conflicts of values and his personal experiences. The last chapter is the conclusion in which the thesis of post colonialism and Melville's works are discussed. The thesis which has been ignored by most researchers expounds the post colonialism in Melville's works and it would be more conducive to a downright interpretation of his works. It helps us to understand his ideology and strong protest against exploitation and suppression over colonies. He criticizes the negative effects of colonial expansion culturally and ideologically, meanwhile, he was restricted by the time and felt confused about the disparity between the eastern and western cultures. The conflicts between colonizers and the colonized may remind us in the world today that the best solution lies in the harmonious coexistence and mutual respect.