Without intentionally trying to be crude, it can be said that the leg symbolizes two things: phallic manhood and human science versus nature. With regards to the first symbolism, it is necessary to point out that Moby <u>D ick</u> bit Ahab’s leg almost up to the groin, where his p enis and thus his manhood are located. Of course, the animal did not calculate such action but for Ahab it is a very painful and symbolic act of emasculation. The fact that the peg leg that he uses in made of whale<u>bone</u> further reinforces this analysis and Ahab is irrationally determined to have revenge for what he psychologically interprets as such. Also, Ahab personifies the industrial arrogance of civilized individuals who believe that nature is to be completely tamed, exploited and controlled by mankind. Thus, by turning the whalebone into an artificial leg, Ahab is asserting his towering dominance over nature.
