《老人與海》作品分析研究英語學(xué)專業(yè)

1、AbstractThe Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingways last major work, is regarded as the most important work of Hemingways writing principle and classical one for its literary value. The novel can be read on more than one level of meaning, which contributes to the success of the novel. It is an exciti

2、ng but tragic adventure story. The application of symbolism decides the creation of the characters in the novel. Hemingway describes a vivid image of the tough man, Santiago, who has the unconquerable spirit of man. It also expounds the attitude of the authors and the writing. This research paper co

3、ncentrates on the heroism of Santiagos manhood in the “The Old Man and The Sea”. Among the various explanations to this center of interests, the paper takes up the view that the protagonist Santiagos optimism and unyielding character after unending and inconceivable sufferings should be really appre

4、ciated and respected. The readers can comprehend the preferable novel and excavate the inner world and feelings of Hemingway.To support this thesis, the paper is developed into four major parts. The first part focuses on introduction about Hemingways life and the story background. The second part pr

5、esents Santiagos manhood by analysis of his character and spirits. The third part pictures the connotation implied in the old manman can be defeated but such defeat can be turned into spiritual victory. The fourth part is about Spirit Connected with the Authors Life. Key words: Santiago, Manhood, Co

6、nnotation, Character, Unconquerable spirit, Religious significance, 摘 要老人與海是美國作家歐內(nèi)斯特海明威后期的一部重要作品。這部作品充分體現(xiàn)了作者的創(chuàng)作原則，成為一部在世界文學(xué)史上有著重要價值而為人們珍視的經(jīng)典著作。這篇小說蘊(yùn)含著不止一層意義，這也是促成這部小說成功的關(guān)鍵。這是一個激動人心的帶有悲劇性的冒險故事。故事通過象征手法的運(yùn)用，決定著小說人物個性的創(chuàng)造。海明威描述了一個硬漢的形象，桑地亞哥，他具有不可征服的精神力量。本文主要解讀圣地亞哥的英漢形象，具體分析其人物性格和精神使讀者們可以更好的理解作品的完美無缺和挖掘海明

7、威的內(nèi)心世界和感受。關(guān)鍵詞：圣地亞哥，硬漢形象，隱含意義，性格特點(diǎn)，不可戰(zhàn)勝的精神力量，宗教意義，F(xiàn)igure analysis of the old man and the sea manhood of Santiago1. Introduction1.1 Hemingways life and literary careerRegarded as a giant both in American literature and the world literature, Ernest Hemingway was born on July21, 1898, at Oak Park, Illin

8、ois. In the childhood, influenced by his father, Hemingway was interested in music, pictures, hunting, fishing and the like. His variety of interest, especially the love of fishing extremely affected all his life and he drew much writing inspiration from his fishing experience. Taking adventures als

9、o plays a vital role in his life and for the reason that he experienced the two world wars. As a noticeable representative of the “Lost Generation”, Hemingway published the books of this sort, The Sun Also Rises at the age of 26. Because the book chiefly deals with the living attitude of the post-wa

10、r generation, especially the lives of those wounded soldiers and the loneliness and disillusionment of the modern people whose ideal was shattered at the time when “God is dead”, they thought life was nothing and meaningless. In this case, Hemingway became the spokesperson for the The Lost Generatio

11、n. Actually the parable of a mans struggle against the nature, The Old Man and The Sea was published in 1952. Acknowledged as his best works, the novel reinvigorated Hemingways literary reputation after the violent attacks，he received from Across the River and Into the Tress. The positive reaction t

12、hat followed the novel included praise not only from the reviewers but also from a board spectrum of the mass, from ordinary readers to fellow men of letters. The publishing of this work showed that Hemingway had shown he could still achieve a major triumph, whether or not the reviewers and critics

13、or the public could appreciate the true value of his achievement. The Old Man and the Sea was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and Hemingways famous iceberg technique, which is a simple but highly suggestive style, was vividly embodied in the work, thus he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his “mast

14、ery of the art of modern narration”.1.2 Introduction to the backgroundThe old Man and the Sea is a fable of an old mans life which was told by Hemingway.Hemingway is a famous American writer of modern times. Seeking way out and seeking the understanding of life is the theme that Hemingway wanted to

15、explore. He was an unyielding man, so he portrayed the distinctive individual character of “the character of unyielding man”. From all the works of Hemingways, we can find that when Hemingway chose personage, he especially liked to choose beggar, hunter, solider and so on, they could protect their d

16、ignity by resisting with the world which is full of hostility, they maintain a graceful demeanor under great force, but on target. The characters of the protagonist are different from that of the early days novel. All the characters of the protagonists in his novel show his inward world-he was an un

17、yielding man, and has the desire to be the best one in the world, all these can be improved by the protagonists that are suffering but strong-minded. As a mouthpiece of “the lost generation”, Hemingway suffered cold shoulder and attack almost ten years in the commentary field. In order to save the d

18、esperate situation, Hemingway wrote a work that he firmly believes to be the best works in his life, which was called The Old Man and the Sea, which is the inheritance and development of Hemingways unyielding character.1.3 General description of the storyThe story accounts for five days in the life

19、of Santiago an old Cuban fisherman, three of which are spent at sea. He is not the narrator: it is a third person narrative but imbued with his perspective and his consciousness. Santiago is out of luck: he has gone 84 days without catching a single fish. As a result the parents of his young prot

20、33;gé Manolin have forced Manolin to fish on another boat.Nonetheless Manolins respect and affection for the Old Man lead him to care for Santiago and provide basic essentials for him. Manolin is captivated not only by the Old Mans abilities as a deep-sea fisherman but also his recounting of pa

21、st heroic adventures; his “knowledge” of American Baseball and its contemporary hero, Joe DiMaggio. Santiago dreams of “l(fā)ions roaming on the beach” in an Africa he sailed to as a young man.On the 85th day Santiago sets sail and shortly hooks a huge Marlin. He allows the Marlin to exhaust itself by t

22、owing the Old Man far into the ocean. On the morning of the 86th day the Old Man sees the Marlin surface and realizes he has a major battle on his hands. In preparation he eats the raw tuna he has used as bait and recalls the successful arm-wrestling exploits of his youth. Another day passes and San

23、tiagos energies are virtually exhausted: but the Marlin is more so. He reels the great fish in and after considerable effort he straps the fish to the side of his skiff. Mans heroic attempts to repel them, devour the flesh of the Marlin, leaving the skeletal remains only to be brought back to port.O

24、n landing Santiago is utterly exhausted: the skeleton is judged that of the largest fish any of his peers have ever seen.Manolin looks after him and promises him that they will fish together again.The Old Man falls asleep, again dreaming of lions on a distant shore.2. Analysis of Santiagos manhood2.

25、1 The connotation SantiagoSantiago: =s James, a Spaniard from the Canaries originally. Biblically a fisherman, then a fisher of men. St. James was the patron saint of the conquistadores, the Spanish conquerors of the Caribbean and South America, who believed they were bringing heroic values to the N

26、ew World.Hemingway's ideal of manhood is nearly inseparable from the ideal of heroism discussed above. To be a man is to behave with honor and dignity: to not succumb to suffering, to accept one's duty without complaint, and most importantly, to display a maximum of self-control. The represe

27、ntation of femininity, the sea, is characterized expressly by its caprice and lack of self-control; "if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them". The representation of masculinity, the marlin, is described as great, beautiful, calm, and noble, and Santiago stee

28、ls him against his pain by telling himself, "suffering like a man. Or a fish," referring to the marlin. In Hemingway's ethical universe, Santiago shows us not only how to live life heroically but in a way befitting a man. 2.2 The image and character of SantiagoThe old fisherman Santiag

29、o in the Old Man and the Sea is the finest and the best known of Hemingways heroes. The most important thing about him is that he behaves perfectly honorably, with great courage and endurance. Hemingway succeed in revealing the outstanding qualities of the old manself-confidence. The old man is thin

30、 and gaunt, he has deep wrinkles, discolored clothes, but his eyes are perhaps the key to his soul. It is clear that he has optimistic nature. It is hope and strong belief that encourage him to persist in going fishing. He no longer dreamed of storms, fights, contests. He only dreamed of places now

31、and of the lion on the beach. He is old now and his youth or strength is left behind him. His dream gives him braveness. All above shows the old man is steadfast.2.2.1BravenessThe character of Santiago is complex in novel. Firstly, the old man is presented as a brave and courageous man. He reaches t

32、he sea where nobody has ever tried before. Surrounded by darkness, latent geographical dangers, fierce birds and sharks which may destroy him at any moment, he rows his boat on the sea for two days and two nights, really a unique and daring journey. Even when he is too exhausted and has no gaff and

33、harpoon to kill the swamp of sharks, his bravery is not shattered. He still makes use of his strength and wisdom to boat home.2.2.2 DignitySantiago is a man of dignity for which Hemingway shows his great interest and praise. To the old man, a mans most important quality is his dignity. He should saf

34、eguard it for all his life and under no circumstance can be he takes it lightly. He has confidence on fishing and dignity of himself; he is serious of his dignity. When the story develops, we are gradually led to see the wisdom and actions he takes to protect his dignity.2.2.3 UncertaintyThe old man

35、 is not a saint he has his weakness of uncertainty. He is driven through the two opposing forces between certainty and uncertainty, confidence and difference. This is best presented in his long monologue as he is fighting with the marlin and the sharks. The old man sometimes feels he needs companion

36、 to give him confidence and certainty about himself. His mentioning of the boy several times proves that he finds his weakness and uncertainty growing out of his strengths and weakness. 來2.3 Unconquerable Spirit of ManSantiago, a hero, is the spiritual man. His life is not good condition. He is so p

37、oor that he has no pot of yellow rice and fish to eat. However, Santiago is so confident that he faces bravely towards his fate and trouble. He uses his own spirit to defeat difficulties. When he fights with the marlin, “I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this, he said. Now that I have h

38、im coming so beautifully, God help me endure. Ill stay a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I cannot say them now” (Hemingway 1993:75). When he fights with the sharks, “I could not expect to kill them, he thought. I could have in my time. But I have hurt them both badly and neither on

39、e can feel very good. If I could have used a bat with two hands I could have killed the first one surely. Even now, he thought.” (Hemingway 1993:99) All these reveal his personality, his optimistic attitude towards life. The readers can not only see his confidence, his hope, and his strong will in h

40、is cheerful and undefeated eyes, but see his great ambition and courage to challenge the nature and decide his fate in his never-stopping pursuit in the sea.Being heroic and manly are not merely qualities of character, which one possesses or does not. One must constantly demonstrate one's herois

41、m and manliness through actions conducted with dignity. Interestingly, worthiness cannot be conferred upon oneself. Santiago is obsessed with proving his worthiness to those around him. Triumph over crushing adversity is the heart of heroism, and in order for Santiago the fisherman to be a heroic em

42、blem for humankind, his tribulations must be monumental. Triumph, though, is never final, as Santiago's successful slaying of the marlin shows; else there would be no reason to include the final 30 pages of the book. Hemingway vision of heroism is Sisyphean, requiring continuous labor for quinte

43、ssentially ephemeral ends. What the hero does is to face adversity with dignity and grace, hence Hemingway's Neo-Stoic emphasis on self-control and the other facets of his idea of manhood. What we achieve or fail at externally is not as significant to heroism as the comporting ourselves with inn

44、er nobility. As Santiago says, "Man is not made for defeat.A man can be destroyed but not defeated" (Hemingway 1993:89). Hemingway's ideal of manhood is nearly inseparable from the ideal of heroism discussed above. To be a man is to behave with honor and dignity: to not succumb to suff

45、ering, to accept one's duty without complaint, and most importantly, to display a maximum of self-control.3. Whats conveyed in the old man3.1 Religious SignificanceSantiago, the hero, Hemingway implied clearly, is either a human being or a spiritual being. He has the double identities with human

46、ity and divinity. Hemingway creates the image of Santiago, a man of bravery, wisdom, dignity and diffidence; he purposefully makes the old man different both from people of his ages and of all times, just as the novel says, “there are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you.”

47、(Hemingway 1993:17) He is distinct and superior to others. Like Coleridges Ancient Mariner, Hemingways Cuban fisherman is a character allowing the imagination of his creator to operate simultaneously in two different worlds of meaning and value, the one real and dramatic, the other moral and devotio

48、nally symbolic. 3.2 Philosophy of life The work deeply reveals Hemingway"s philosophy of life and life attitude.This thesis intends to reach a thorough understanding of Hemingway"s philosophy of life through the novel The Old Man and the Sea: when facing the cruel social reality and misera

49、ble fate, man should be brave and struggle with all the pains and sufferings, loving life and treasuring life. The story of the old man- Santiago just reflects Hemingway"s philosophy of life. He does not catch a single fish for eighty-four days but he does not feel discouraged. He goes to sea a

50、lone, and finally hooks a giant marlin. His fighting against the marlin and later sharks shows his struggling spirit. In addition, the description of the environment and plot also reflect Hemingway"s philosophy of life: the meaning of life neither lies in the "success", nor lies in th

51、e "failure", but in the struggle itself. Furthermore, the novel is rich in symbolism that enhances both the plot and the theme. The sea is boundless, full of raging waves and hidden reef. It is cruel, savage and insidious, just like the real world where Hemingway lives. So the novel actual

52、ly discloses and criticizes seriously the cruelty and ruthlessness of American society. It calls for people to struggle against the dark world, and to set up a new life style. This is the social significance of the novel.Hemingway"s philosophy of life has a profound influence on modern American

53、 values. At the same time, it has extensive significance on the whole world. In Hemingway"s world, you will learn how to adopt a correct attitude towards failure, and how to struggle in adversity. His "code hero"-Santiago is a guide to all human beings. He represents the spirit of the

54、 time. And the novel The Old Man and the Sea has brought luster to the realistic literature.4. The Success in Spirit Connected with the Authors LifeHemingway was rejected for regular military service in World War I because of poor eyesight in his left eye, so he drove a Red Cross ambulance in Italy,

55、 distributing chocolate to Italian troops. While recuperating from serious wounds in a Red Cross hospital in Milan, Hemingway fell in love with Nurse Agnes von Kurowsky, who later rejected him as he was too young.As a foreign correspondent in Paris, Hemingway began to raise funds for the Loyalist ca

56、use in Spain. In 1937, he went to Spain as a war correspondent covering the Spanish Civil War. When World War II began, he volunteered to serve as a spotter for the U.S. Navy, outfitting his own fishing boat, the Pilar, to hunt for German submarines off the Cuban coast.(Dong Hengzhuan, 59)His life w

57、as meaningful and his experience had given him a lot of help with his works. However, after these experiences, there were 237 pieces of the bullet that had been ever left in his body. The hurt of the illness and the exhaustion of creativity for literature made him suffer a lot. His condition was the

58、 same as the old man. So he put the success in spirit forward to comfort himself which was also a good way to deal with his present situation.5. ConclusionIn sum up, The Old Man and the Sea mixes many complicated themes in the short space. Multiple themes mingle together, which can reach the perfect

59、 state without any mistakes. The novel is an original and peculiar entirety created by Hemingway. Obviously, the novel expresses an exciting but tragic adventure story. Facing the terrible adversaries, the old man makes last victory with excellent confidence and power. With the successful application of symbolism, the sea, the marlin and lions all have the wide and eternal significance. The symbolism f