1、 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 explore. He wa
2、s 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 dignity by resi
3、sting 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 unyielding man,
4、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 desperate situa
5、tion, 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 of Santiago an
6、 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 protg Manolin have fo
7、rced 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 past heroic adventures; his
8、“knowledge” of American Baseball and its contemporary hero, Joe DiMaggio. Santiago dreams of “lions 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 towing the Old Man far into
9、 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 Santiagos energies are virtua
10、lly 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.On landing Santiago is utte
11、rly 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 manhood2.1 The connotation Santiago
12、Santiago: =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 New World.Hemingways ideal
13、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 ones duty without complaint, and most importantly, to display a maximum of self-control. The representation of femininity, the sea, is c
14、haracterized 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 steels him against his pain by telling himself, suff
15、ering like a man. Or a fish, referring to the marlin. In Hemingways 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 Santiago in the Old Man and the Sea is the finest and the best known of
16、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 and gaunt, he has deep wrinkles, discolored clothes, but his eye
17、s 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 and of the lion on the beach. He is old now and his youth or stre
18、ngth 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 the sea where nobody has ever tried before. Surrounded by darkness
19、, 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 harpoon to kill the swamp of sharks, his bravery is not shattered
20、. 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 safeguard it for all his life and under no circumstance can be he ta
21、kes 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 is not a saint he has his weakness of uncertainty. He is driven
22、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 to give him confidence and certainty about himself. His mentioni
23、ng of the boy several times proves that he finds his weakness and uncertainty growing out of his strengths and weakness. 来2.3 Unconquerable Spirit of ManSantiago, a hero, is the spiritual man. His life is not good condition. He is so poor that he has no pot of yellow rice and fish to eat. However, S
24、antiago 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 him coming so beautifully, God help me endure. Ill stay a hundred
25、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 one can feel very good. If I could have used a bat with two hands I
26、 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 his cheerful and undefeated eyes, but see his great ambition and c
27、ourage 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 ones heroism and manliness through actions conducted with dignity. Interestingly,
28、 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 emblem for humankind, his tribulations must be monumental. Triumph, thou
29、gh, is never final, as Santiagos 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 quintessentially ephemeral ends. What the hero does is to face adversity with dig
30、nity and grace, hence Hemingways 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 inner nobility. As Santiago says, Man is not made for defeat.A man can be destroyed
31、 but not defeated (Hemingway 1993:89). Hemingways 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 ones duty without complaint, and most importantly, to display a maximum of self-
32、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 humanity and divinity. Hemingway creates the image of Santiago, a man of bravery, wisdom, dignity and diffi
33、dence; 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.” (Hemingway 1993:17) He is distinct and superior to others. Like Coleridges Ancient Mariner, Hemingways
34、 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 devotionally symbolic. 3.2 Philosophy of life The work deeply reveals Hemingways philosophy of life and life
35、attitude.This thesis intends to reach a thorough understanding of Hemingways philosophy of life through the novel The Old Man and the Sea: when facing the cruel social reality and miserable 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 Hemingways philosophy of life. He does not catch a single fish for eighty-four days but he does not feel discouraged. He goes to sea alone, and finally hooks a giant marlin. His fighting against the marlin and later sharks shows
