Making Meaning of the Pandemic through Symbols in Literary work
Irma Rahmawati, S.S., M.Sas., Wahyu Budi, S.S., M.Sas.

Universitas Dian Nusantara

Abstract

Pandemic COVID-19 is still a thing people think and deal with. It affects everything, including literature. Arguably, making meaning of a pandemic through literature can be a helpful strategy to cope with the situation. This paper aims to observe the meaning of the symbols in a novel by Herman Melville, Moby Dick. The story possesses various symbolic meanings and can relate to the metaphorical point of view of the pandemic. The paper focuses on finding the symbols, the themes represented, and the meaning of the symbols for each character and relate them to post pandemic situation using a qualitative methodology.
The theory of symbolism by Susanne Langer is employed to identify and analyze the symbols in Moby Dick. This paper results on the relevance of the symbols and create meaning for the situation of the Covid-19 Post Pandemic.

Keywords: Post Pandemic, Literature, Novel, Symbolism

Topic: Communication and Multimedia