On the Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea《老人与海》中的象征手法.doc

 老人与海中的象征手法 On the Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea AbstractThe Old Man and the Sea is Earnest Hemingways last major work which was published in 1952.The book is regarded as the most important work of Hemingways writing principle and classical one for its literary value. The Old man and The Sea capping his career and leading to his receipt of the Nobel Prize, this short novel is about an old Cuban fisherman Santiago and his losing battle with a giant Marlin. In a tragic sense, it is a representation of life as a struggle against unconquerable natural force in which only a partial victory is possible. Nevertheless, there is a feeling of great respect for the struggle and mankind. Readers are concerned about the symbolism all over the prose although its not quite a symbolic work .It intends to find out the hidden value behind the literal version by studying the symbolic images in the novel，such as the characters, the living environment and the animals. We can figure out the aesthetic and tragic meaning of these symbolic images to which Hemingways philosophic thoughts are related. The application of symbolism also decides the creation of the characters in the novel. In line with his traditional style Hemingway described a vivid image of the rugged old man Santiago. Santiago, as the representative of the code men，along with other characters for code men in Hemingways works，promoted its symbolic meaning to depth of philosophy. The spirit of code man also lights up the road of Hemingways life. The application of symbolism is also the best foot note for Hemingways famous iceberg theory. The images and settings are most common in life，but the symbolic meanings get right into the deepest inside of life itself. The one eighth of the iceberg above the water leads us to the truth of life which is the rest seven eighths under the sea. Key Words: The Old Man and the Sea；Symbolism；Code man；Iceberg Theory内 容 摘 要老人与海是美国作家海明威后期的一部重要作品。这部作品充分体现了作者的创作原则，成为一部在世界文学史上有着重要价值而为人们珍视的经典著作。这本书是海明威创作的最高峰,获诺贝尔文学奖,小说不长,讲的是古巴渔夫圣地亚哥与大渔搏斗的故事.表明人生与不可战胜的自然力的抗挣,只能取得部分的胜利.老人与海虽然不是一部严格意义的象征主义著作，其中大量的象征手法的运用却是毋庸质疑的。而且通过对小说中具体象征物的考察，即对“人物”、“生活环境”、“动物”这部分物象的分析，以此来阐释作品的价值和作家的创作意图。作家运用象征的手法向我们呈现了生中极具审美意味和悲剧意味的哲学之思，及其给我们以心灵的巨大震撼。同时，小说中象征手法的运用对作品中的人物形象的塑造起着决定性的作用。海明威为我们展示了一位有着硬汉性格的老人圣地亚哥，并使之成为硬汉形象的代表。在三天艰苦的捕鱼行动中，有着强大意志力的圣地亚哥与海明威其他作品中的硬汉形象一道，将“硬汉精神”提到了哲理的高度，这一精神也成为海明威自身生命的完美诊释。另外，这部小说的象征同时也是其“冰山原理”的一个注脚。小说描绘的是生活中非常细微的场景，然而，它的象征意义却直接指向生命本身，这微小的冰山一角使我们深刻领悟那生活在海平之下八分之七的真谛。 关键词:老人与海； 象征艺术； 硬汉； 冰山原理 ContentsINTRODUCTION11. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF SYMBOLISM32. SYMBOLISM REFLECTED IN THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA42.1 Symbolism Embodied by the Main Characters42.1.1 An Old Cuban FishermanSantiago42.1.2 The Young BoyManolin62.1.3 The Strong Baseball SportsmanJoe DiMaggio82.2 Symbolism Reflected by the Living Environment of the Old Man92.2.1 The Mystical Sea as the Physical Environment92.2.2 The Village as the Social Environment112.3 Symbolism Mirrored by the Animals in the Novel122.3.1 The Shark122.3.2 The Marlin142.3.3 The Lion153. THE INFLUENCES OF SYMBOLISM ON THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA17CONCLUSION18BIBLIOGRAPHY21ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS22IntroductionErnest Hemingway (1899-1961), a Nobel Prize winner for literature, was a myth in his own time and a myth in American literature. He was born in Oak Park, Illinois. As a boy, he had on the whole a happy boyhood though he had observed once that the best training for a writer is an unhappy boyhood. At that time, he wrote light verse and humorous stories. During World War I, he was severely wounded. His war experience proved so shattering and nightmarish that his life and writings were permanently affected. Hemingway was a glamorous public hero of sorts whose style of writing and living was probably more imitated than any other writers in human memory. He was so precisely, because he acted out the theme of his own books.It is a short novel about Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who has gone for 84 days without catch. Therefore the boy, Manolin, who used to sail with him, is forced to leave him and catch in another ship. The old man insists on fishing alone and at last, he hooks an eighteen-foot, giant marlin, the largest he has ever known. But the fish is very powerful and disobedient. It tows the old man and his boat out to sea for 48 hours, with the old man bearing the whole weight of the fish through the line on his back. The old man, with little food and sleep, has to endure much pain and fights against his treacherous hand cramp. To his great excitement, on his third day at sea, he succeeds in drawing the weakened marlin to the surface and harpoons it. On his way home, he lashes marlin alongside his boat because it is too big to be pulled into the boat. But unfortunately, they come across sharks in different numbers for four times. The old man fights to kill the sharks with as much might and many weapons as he can summon, but only to find a giant skeleton of his marlin left after his desperate defense. At last, Santiago, having lost what he fought for, reaches the shore and struggles to his shack. He falls into sound sleep, dreaming of African and the lions again. His struggle wins him much respect.Typical of this iceberg analogy is Hemingways style, which he had been trying hard to get. Hemingway himself once said, “The dignity of the movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eight of it being above the water.” According to Hemingway, good literary writing should be able to make readers feel the emotion of the characters directly and the best way to produce the effect is to set down exactly every particular kind of feeling without any authorial comments. Without conventionally emotive language, and with a bare minimum of adjectives and adverbs, seeming simple and natural. Hemingways style is actually polished and tightly controlled but highly suggestive and connotative.The application of symbolism is also the best foot note for Hemingways famous iceberg theory. The images and settings are most common in life，but the symbolic meanings get right into the deepest inside of life itself. The one eighth of the iceberg above the water leads us to the truth of life which is the rest seven eighths under the sea. This paper intends to find out the hidden value behind the literal version by studying the symbolic images in the novel，such as the characters, the living environment and the animals in order to get a better understanding and appreciation of the theme of The Old Man and the Sea. 1. A Brief Introduction of SymbolismThe symbolism is the one of the basic artistic techniques. In literature, “symbolism” refers to the use of abstract concepts, as a way to obfuscate any literal interpretation, or to allow for the broader applicability of the prose to meanings beyond what may be literally described.Many writersin fact, most or all authors of fictionmake the symbolic use of concepts and objects as rhetorical devices central to the meaning of their works. Hemingway uses symbolism extensively, to represent themes of The Old Man and the Sea. Ernest Hemingway said “There isn't any symbolism. The sea is the sea. The old man is the old man.” As The Old Man and the Sea is famous for the world, symbolism is always an eternal and controversial topic in The Old Man and the Sea. Actually, symbolism plays a big part in The Old Man and the Sea.The present paper deliberately discusses the symbolism concerned in the masterpiece from several aspects; with a view to help the reader gets a better understanding of Ernest Hemingways masterpiece. 2. Symbolism Reflected in The Old Man and the SeaIn Ernest Hemingways masterpiece, The Old Man and the Sea, he uses much symbolism to assist the readers understanding of the massage he is trying to portray. The Old Man and the Sea isn't just a book about an old man and the sea. There are many hidden meanings to it. Each element represents different things. 2.1 Symbolism Embodied by the Main CharactersIn this novel, Santiago, Manolin, Joe DiMaggio, three kinds of persons represent different meanings, but they are all the code man that can be destroyed but not defeated. 2.1.1 An Old Cuban FishermanSantiagoSantiago is the best representative of “the code man”. Santiago is a very old fisherman who doesn't have good luck when it comes to fishing. From the very first paragraph, Santiago is characterized as someone struggling against defeat. He has gone eighty-four days without catching a fishhe will soon pass his own record of eighty-seven days. Almost as a reminder of Santiagos struggle, the sail of his skiff resembles “the flag of permanent defeat.” But he does not feel discouraged, he keeps on fighting because he believes that “a man is not made for defeatA man can be destroyed” but not defeated. One day, when he is out at sea, he hooked a great marlin and realizes he is unable to quickly kill the fish, and it proceeds to tow him farther out to sea. “Now we are joined together and have been since noon. And no one to help either one of us” 1. The old man and the fish are both mere inhabitants of Gulf Stream, bonded by the fact that they are at the mercy of the sea. Santiago then says, “You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or nobler thing than you, brother.”1 The way Santiago says the statement sounds like he will do anything to catch the fish and even risk his own life. It takes courage to risk your life in the opening lines of the book Hemingway uses the numbers “eighty-four” which is seven times twelve, the two great “epic numbers” which have been incorporated into many Biblical text. The second line, where Hemingway uses another epic number forty, which was the number of days and nights Jesus spent in the desert. 2.1.2 The Young BoyManolinIn this novel, Hemingway creates a boy, named Mar Olin who follows the old man to fish when the boy is 5years old. So Marl Olin and the old man have the special relationship, not only the partner but also the friends. Santiago teaches the boy how to fish and the boy always takes the food for Santiago.“It was papa made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him,”“I know” the old man said. “It is quite normal.” “He hasnt mush faith.” “No,” the old man said. “But we have. Havent we?”“Can you really remember that or did I just tell it to you?”“I remember everything form when we first went together.”“What do you have to eat?” the boy asked.“A pot of yellow rice with fish. Do you want some?”“No, I will eat at home. Do you want me to make the fire?”“No, I will make it later on. Or I may eat the rice cold.“Keep warm old man,” the boy said. Remember we are in September.“What have you got?” he asked.“Supper,” said the boy. “We are going to have supper.”“I am not hungry.”“Come on and eat. You cant fish not eat.”“Youre my alarm clock,” the boy said.“I dont know,” the boy said. “All I know is that young boys sleep late and hard.”“I can remember it”, the old man said. “Ill waken you in time.”“No,” the boy said, “Tell them not to bother Santiago. Ill be back.”“I miss you,” he said. “What did you catch?”“I dont care. I caught two yesterday. But we will fish together now for I still have much to learn.” 2From the above dialogue, we can know that Manolin, in Santiagos life, play a very important role, they each other seems become one person may not lock in the life. Manolin as a child brought back the youth the old man lost and made him see him in the past time. Santiago is a lonely old man and has no child after his wife dead. So he sees Manolin as his child. From the 5 years old, the child has followed the old man to fish in the sea. He not only teaches the child how to become a good fisher but also teaches how to be a code man like himself.But unfortunately, Manolins parents do not agree their son follows Santiago to fish in the sea, moreover, he is told to stay away from the old man, be their think Santiago is a bad luck man. While the young boy likes to be around the old man and listens to what he had to say. When the old man would looks at Manolin he would see himself at a younger age, someone who cares more about the elderly and their heritage than the new ways bestowed on them. Manolin symbolizes the disciples of Jesus, the ones who will follow him to his death and then go out and preach his ways. He believes in the old man and takes charge and tells all other fisherman to stay away from Santiago after his return. He would take care of the old man when he said to him “Keep warm old man. Remember we are in September”. Manolin only wants good things for Santiago, he doesnt want anyone to hurt him or put him down for his accomplishments. A t last he comes back to the old mans side to fish with the old man. He wants to learn from the old man and to listen to what he had to say about him as a young man or of Joe DiMaggio. 2.1.3 The Strong Baseball SportsmanJoe DiMaggioJoe DiMaggio is a very important person to the old man, he is different from any other people in Santiagos life, because they have the same background, and they are the equal. Joe DiMaggio is one whose father is a poor fisherman just like he is. When he was out fishing he thought to himself, would the great DiMaggio ever stay this long as he did and quickly replied to himself that DiMaggio is young and strong and that his father was a fisherman so of course he would stay. This makes him feel better because now he can compare himself to his hero. Santiago thinks that DiMaggio will understand him because of their background being the same. He wants someone like the boy that will listen to him but understand him more and he believes DiMaggio could be that person. Joe DiMaggio also represents hope that the old man has for Marl Olin. He wishes that the boy will grow up quickly and become the great person like DiMaggio so that he will not be a poor fisher like he is. 2.2 Symbolism Reflected by the Living Environment of the Old ManHemingway uses the metaphor of the ocean to symbolize life and to depict the role that individuals play in life. The Villagers in the Village represent the individuals, who in observe their lives and are not active participants. 2.2.1 The Mystical Sea as the Physical EnvironmentThe sea is the symbol of Hemingways survival environment. For Santiago, the sea is a fearful place for exploitation. Despite Santiagos attraction to the sea, he recognizes its cruelty. He wonders: why did they make birds as delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? She is kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes so suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea