毕业论文——郭茂清(1)

英语论文

OUTLINE

Abstract

Key Words

I. Introduction

II. The Symbolic Expression in the Work

2.1. The Main Character--Santiago

2.2. The Sea

2.3. The Greedy Shark

III. The Meaning of the Symbol in the Work

3.1. The Dauntless Man

3.2. The Beautiful but Sometimes Cruel Environment

3.3. The Destructive Force of the World

IV. Conclusion

4.1. The Function of Symbolism in the Work

4.2. The Evaluation of Symbolism in the Work Bibliography

中文标题、摘要、关键词

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英语论文

The Symbolism of The Old Man and the Sea

Author: Guo Maoqing Number: 10680406 Tutor: Tang Jie

Abstract: The Old Man and the Sea is one of Ernest Hemingway’ best known novels in the world. There are so many symbols in the novel. But with regard to the symbolism, it has been talked differently, and was equivocal in the explanation by Hemingway himself. The protagonist, the living environment, the sea, the shark, the marlin are not themselves but have significant symbolic meaning. Here the paper will analyze its symbolism thoroughly through some aspects such as the leading character, the living environment and Hemingway’s philosophy of life reflected by the symbols, with a view to help the reader get a better understanding of this novel.

Key Words: Ernest Hemingway; The Old Man and the Sea; symbolism

I. Introduction

The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway’s most successful novels. And it helped Hemingway won Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. The story told us that a Cube fisherman, Santiago, after 84 days without catching a fish, hooks a giant marlin. The old man holds on while the big marlin pulls him further and further on the sea for two days. Finally he kills the marlin. So he ties the big marlin to his skiff and he prepares to return. But on the way home, a brutal shark sees the fish and begins to attack the old man and his skiff. Santiago is so brave that he struggles against the shark with the harpoon, the oar, the knife and the short club. The result is that the shark eat the marlin all but left the bones. Half dead with exhaustion, Santiago goes back home with the bones of marlin. He is so tired but excited. Soon he fall asleep and dreams of his golden time.

There are many symbols in this novel, such as the old man, the sea, the boy, the shark,the marlin and so on. The paper only focuses on the important symbols and analyzes the deep meaning of them.

So, what is symbolism? The definition of symbolism is that symbolism is an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to express abstract or mystical ideas through the symbolic use of images. In literature, it is a writing style of using something to stand for something else by reasoning of relationship, association, accident resemblance, or a visible sign of something invisible.

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英语论文

II. The Symbolic Expression in the Work

There are many symbols in the novel. For example: the main character Santiago, the sea, the marlin, the shark and so on. In the novel, they are not only themselves but also have special meaning.

2.1. The Main Character--Santiago

One may lose the battle in life, but the old man can achieve a moral significance after his courage, bravery and ability to endure have been tested. Because hope does not die, power is not off. Even the hope is slim, we also must try our best to fight for it. The author believes that, hope makes the old man to fight with the marlin, fight with the sharks and fight with his own will.

At the begining of the novel, the author portrays the image of the old man. “ The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of the neck. The brown blotched of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his cords. But none of these scars were flesh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert”. When we read here, we maybe show our sympathy to the old man and think he can not do anything. Further more, Santiago’s life is not in good condition. He lives in a shack in which there is only a bed, one chair and a place on the dirty floor to cook with charcoal. He is so poor that had no “ pot of yellow rice and fish to eat”. While sailing for fishing, he has only a bottle of water with him. He leads a lonely life. His wife died leaving him no children.

Except a boy he once taught to fish, he has few friends. It seems that few people care him. What is more, he is a failure in catching fish. For eighty-four days he fished in a skiff without taking a fish. Eighty-four days is a long period of time. Eighty-four days without a fish is very unfortunate for a fisherman. For a weather-beaten, poverty-stricken and lonely old man like Santiago, the misery might be beyond anyone’s intolerate. For a man can tolerate failure, but can not tolerate continuous failure. Too much failure will sure defeat a man even with strong will. For this reason, we may arrive at the conclusion that Santiago will give up fishing. But to our surprise, the color of the character is brighter in the following, “everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated ”. The eyes of the old man are not stuffy and he has the eyes those “were the same color as the sea” that only the young man has, which 3

英语论文

shows the old man has a young heart as the young. “He fitted the rope lashings of the oars onto the thole pains and, learning forward against the thrust of the blades in the water, he began to row out of the harbor in the dark”. The old man firmly insists that he will not always be unfortunate, and ships into the deep sea without looking back.

What makes the old man make such a decision under the difficult condition? Through the man, the author points out——even though life is harder, even the wretched standpoint, “ But who konws? Maybe today. Every day is a new day”. This is the hope for the future, never giving up hope for the future.

The author further strengthens the character of the old man——the Code Hero.

The process of the old man’s fishing is just like the human’s whole life. Everyone in the world lives a hard life and has to face the vast and vast sea, the greedy sharks with sharp tooth, and along with himself is just a boat and his soul that support him live in the world. Facing with the respected but fearsome nature, the human being is so insignificant. However the author has raised such a question: by what the human being should have to live in the world? At the same time, the author answered this question by portraying the way that the old man faces the sea and deals with the sharks along.

When a big fish is hooked, at the first round of contest, the old man suppresses his own desire and waits the fish to eat the hook quietly. The old man’s silent sounds reflect his strong desire from the deep heart. With patient the old man faces the silent before the battle. Next is the contest of the strength. The old man “swing with each arm alternately on the cord with all the strength of his arm and the pivoted weight of his body.” But nothing happened. The fish is so big that can pull away the boat to the wider deep sea. At one side is a very old man, and at the other side is unfathomable sea and unknown injuries, the readers can image the picture. The old man’s admirable courage is also demonstrated by the opponent——the sea and the sharks.

On the returning voyage the old man suffers greater challenge: the marlin’s blood draws the sharks group. The author uses much ink to portray the sharks. These portrays aim to describe the old man’s spirit. The harder the fish and the sharks are to defeat, the taller the old man’s image is.

Definitely a midget in spiritual could not become an actual giant. If a person has strong will but he takes no actual action, he is still a midget. Santiago does not only have spiritual 4

英语论文

power, he also prove his power and strength by his action. By describing the process of his fishing the marlin and fighting with the sharks, Hemingway shows us another characteristic of Santiago as a code hero. That is, to display great tenacity and to show the death——defying spirit in the actual battle.

With his exceeding self-confidence he gets rid of his bad luck and catches the fish which is longer than his skiff. The marlin is immense and strong. Santiago and the marlin, neither side is ready to yield. The great fish is also a remarkable and respectable fish. In the old man’s attitude to the fish there is the type of gallantry and heroism that Hemingway admires. This gallantry, this heroism, is paralleled by the stoical heroism of the great marlin, like his opponent, neither gives up.

2.2. The Sea

The sea stands for the world we live in. We live in the world just like a skiff floating in the boundless sea. Sometimes she is peaceful and we can live with happiness. Like the old man Santiago, he also had ever caught many titanic fishes. Through his recollection we know he was respected by local villagers for his defeating the strongest black man of the harbor. Sometimes we are teased by the world. Santiago had been without caught a fish for eighty-four days. Although he was confident about his own fishing skills and endured the intolerable tiredness, he lost his game in the way home eventually. Also we are disturbed by the unpredictable world. Though the poisonous man-of-war was the most falsest creature in the sea, it was nice food for turtles. But the hateful sharks would cut the turtle’s legs and flippers off when the turtles were sleeping on the surface of the sea. And little fishes would be eaten by tunas. All scenes that portrayed in the novel lead readers to relationships among human beings in contemporary world. In this world each people are connected with their interests. The people of upper class take up all kinds of resources of society. In contrast the people of lower class strive for a better life but in vain. The sea is something that Santiago must rely on. He could not live without the sea and the sea is his resource of life. It is also true of us. Though cannot predict what will happen to us, we also have to struggle in this world.

2.3. The Greedy Shark

The sharks in the novel are strong and greedy. They come up so fast and without caution. They hit the skiff for fish and even the fish is not belong to them. Sometimes they 5