SymbolisminTheOldManandtheSea

1、Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea作音王藝沛老人與海中的象征意義Abstract:The Old Man and the Sea tells a story about an old Cuba n fisherma n and his battle on the sea. It is wellknown as one of Hemingway's masterpiece. The theme is deep, and it is a song of heroism. The words "A man can be destroyed bu

2、t not defeated" has gen tly Ian ded in every on e's heart. Through it we can see Hemi ngway's famous iceberg tech niq ue, which is a simple but highly suggestive style. It was vividly embodied in this work, thus he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his " mastery of the art of moder n

3、 n arrati on".Key words:iceberg tech niq ue; symbolismCLC number : 1106 Document code : AArticle ID : 1672-1578(2011 ) 01-0015-021、IntroductionRegarded as a gia nt both in America n literature and the world literature, Ernest Hemin gway was born on July 21, 1898, at Oak Park, Illi no is. In his

4、 childhood, in flue need by his father, he was interested in music, pictures, hunting, fishing and the like.His variety of in terest particularly the love of fish ing extremely affected all his life especially helped him a lot in his writing. For example the novel The Old Man and the Sea by which he

5、 won the Nobel Prize in literature In 1954 has got much writing inspiration from his fishing experienee. It can be said that this work fully presents the "iceberg" principle of Hemingway.The images presented in The Old Man and the Sea and the imagination extended by them are various and pr

6、ofound, and it is just its extensiveness and richness that makes this work with the characters of more tha n 26,000 become an immortal classic.2、Symbolism analysis in the novel2.1 The Defin iti on of symbolismIn literature, a symbol is a thing that sta nds for or suggests someth ing else by reas on

7、of relati on ship, associati on, conven ti on or accide ntal resembla nee, especially, a visible sig n of someth ing in visible. The symbol gen erally dose not sta nds for the meaning, not for anything absolutely defi nite; it evokes an object that suggests the meaning. Hemin gway perfectly used &qu

8、ot;symbolism" in this novel writing.2.2 Hemin gway's "iceberg theory" related to symbolismAs the paper men ti oned forgoing, Hemin gway was too good famous for his iceberg tech niq ue. He believed a good writer does not n eed to reveal every detail of a character or action; the on

9、 e-eighth that is prese nted will suggest all other meanin gful dime nsions of the story, whereas the other seve n-eighth of which is con cealed ben eath the surface of the water in which it floats. Thus Hemin gway's Ian guage is highly symbolic and suggestive. There won't be great difficult

10、ies to un dersta nd the literary meaning of his short sentences and simple words if one takes it for gran ted, but a work by Hemin gway dema nds deliberate atte nti on. In other word, one has to keep a close eye on Hemin gway's words and to read betwee n the lines because of his highly symbolic

11、Ian guage.2.3 Symbolism an alysisFor the sake of convenience, here the paper will give the irrevere nt eleme nts a loss. Put it simply, it will chiefly focus its attention on discussing the symbols in the novel and what on earth they symbolize in the following passage.2.3.1 The titleTo begin with, t

12、he title of the book itself is a symbol. The old man represents the human race and the sea symbolizes nature. The whole story could be eyed as the metaphor of the struggle that takes place between human beings and the nature. But the story also indicates that nature is to some extent superior and th

13、at the humankind is not able to win this fighting. To support this thesis I apply here a statement made by the old man "It is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun and the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers." Santiago knows that mankind

14、is always inferior; he admits he is happy that he does not have to try and kill the moon or the stars because he knows they are much stronger and that he would always be defeated in a fight against them. The old man, Santiago to some degree symbolizes Christ in many ways. His name derives from San D

15、iego (Saint James), suggesting the old man's ties to the Christian religion. And he embodies much of that religion. For instance, his strong right hand is his salvation and his left hand is the traitor to his body, he carries his mast up the hill to his home and falls beneath it like Christ bear

16、ing cross. And finally in one unmistakable symbolism line, he carries out as a man would "felling the nail goes through this hand and into the wood" Yet Santiago in fact is not a fervent Christian. The holy images that adorn his shack belong to his dead wife not to him. And he admits he is

17、 not a very religious man even as he offers God a promise to say numerous prayers if God will allow him to catch his fish. As a matter of fact there is also a pagan element running through Santiago characters (as there is though much of actual Cuban nature); in many ways the sea is the deity predati

18、ng Christianity. In addition, Santiago also serves as a metaphor for the creative artist.2.3.2 The old man, SantiagoThe old man, Santiago, is a very old and poor fisherman, but after reading the novel, after reading the stories about he playing the hand game with a great black man who regarded as th

19、e strongest man on the docks, and the fight between he and that large marlin, the struggle with the sharks, I changed my mind. I thought he is a very tough and powerful man with great determination, courage and confidence. I can find his optimism, confidence, wisdom, perseverance and bravery anywher

20、e in the book.2.3.3 The little boyThe boy Manolin in the story took the beautiful and bright days back for the old man. Starting from five ， the child learning to fish on board from the old man . Although the child is young, hut he isn' t childish ,he learned from the man not only the ability of

21、 catching fish, but also the spirit of self-esteem and the understanding of the hardships of life and man's responsibility. Hemingway revealed his sympathy to the weak, the contempt for the rich, and the dissatisfaction of the gap between rich and poor, so he let the child return to the old man

22、when he feel lonely and hopeless after the failure. Manolin symbolized the disciples of Jesus. The ones who would follow him to his death and then go out and preach his ways. He is like a rising sun giving the unlimited hope to the people. The old man would finally be defeated by the time, but his s

23、pirit can be multiplied and passed.2.3.4 The MarlinThe marlin represented many different things.For example, he symbolized strength and durability by putting up such a struggle. By doing this he also made Santiago a legend among the other fishermen.The marlin could also represent the great struggle

24、we all go through. Accomplishing or obtaining something does not always end one's journey.Once Santiago hooked the fish he still had to bring it home. Magnificent and glorious, the marlin symbolizes the ideal opponent. In a world in which "everything kills everything else in some way,"

25、 Santiago feels genuinely lucky to find himself matched against a creature that brings out the best in him: his strength and courage, his love and respect.2.3.5 The other fishermanAll of the other fisherman in the story are the people that want the newest equipment and want to do away with the old w

26、ays of living.They like the people that had to choose between setting Jesus free or a murder free and they chose the murder because they did not understand him and his ways which frightened the crowd.The fishers represent anyone who would rather think about themselves rather than others.In ways the

27、fishers are like the sharks wanting to take things away from Santiago while Santiago is much like the marlin.2.3.6 The lionsThe lions in Santiago's dreams represented his lost youth and his decreasing strength.For instance, when he needed strength on his long and strenuous voyage he thought of h

28、is dreams of the lions, and of them playing on the beach without a care in the world.With this in his mind it seemed to make him stronger and gave him the endurance to continue.The lions could also symbolize pride.Like the lions Santiago had pride.He was proud of his fishing skills.He was able to ke

29、ep his lines straight and at varying levels to improve his catch of fish.He was better at this than the younger, richer, generation.3、ConclusionThe novel is rich in symbolism that enhances both the plot and the Themes. All of the symbols employed by Hemingway add to the basic theme that life is an e

30、ndless struggle with illusory rewards. In order to gain nobility in life, a person must show bravery, confidence, courage, patience, optimism, and intelligence during the struggle. Then, even if the prize is lost, the person has won the battle, proving himself capable of retaining grace under pressure, the ultimate test of mankind.We had known symbolism is the most striking feature in the novel, evidently, only a complete and correct analysis of these symbols can help one understand the book better and deeper. The analysis mentioned above will certainly make