How does the symbol of the whalebone leg support the theme that emotional suffering often goes along with, or even surpasses, physical pain?

In this  classical novel, the captain wears a prothesis in his leg made out of whalebone ivory because a white whale that gave the name to the book, destroyed his leg in an earlier incident.

The suffering that Captain Ahab has it's not only physical, it is emotional, not having his leg, means that he has lost part of his manhood. It's a symbol for energy and determination, that he finally one day he will go back and hunt the whale and get even because of that incident.

The Answer is C.) It shows Ahab’s fixation on the whale who took his leg.  

what is the context here? we need to know what story you're talking about : )