英语专业论文Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea.docx
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英语专业论文SymbolisminTheOldManandtheSea
SymbolisminTheOldManandtheSea
1.Introduction1
2.Briefintroductiontosymbolism3
2.1Thedefinitionofsymbolandsymbolism3
2.2Symbolisminthenovella5
3.Ananalysisofsymbolisminthenovella6
3.1AnanalysisofSantiago’scharacterandhissymbolicmeaning6
3.2AnanalysisofManolin’scharacterandhissymbolicmeaning10
3.3AnanalysisofJoeDiMaggioandhissymbolicmeaning12
3.4Theseaanditssymbolicmeaning13
3.5Themarlinanditssymbolicmeaning14
3.6Thesharksandtheirsymbolicmeaning16
3.7Thelionsandtheirsymbolicmeaning17
4.Conclusion18
References20
1.Introduction
HemingwayisoneofthefamousmodernAmericanwriters.Hewritesmanynovelsandshortstories.TheOldManandtheSeaisgenerallyregardedasthebest.Itwaspublishedin1952.Withitsvividcharacterization,simplelanguageandprofoundmeaning,itstandsoutasoneofHemingway’sexcellentbooks.ItalsoearnsitsauthorthePulitzerPrizeinfictionin1952anddirectlyleadsHemingwaytobetheNobelPrizelaureate“forhispowerfulstyle–formingmasteryoftheartofmodernnarration,asmostrecentlyevincedinTheOldManandtheSea.”
RegardedasagiantbothinAmericanliteratureandtheworldliterature,ErnestHemingwaywasbornonJuly21,1899,inOakPark,Illinois.Hismotherwasamusicteacher,aloverofhighculture.Hisfatherwasaphysician,fondofhuntingandfishing,whooftentookyoungErnestwithhimonhistrips.Influencedbyhisparents,hewasinterestedinmusic,hunting,fishing,boxingandbullfighting.
Hisvarietyofinterestespeciallytheloveoffishingextremelyaffectedallhislifeandhedrewmuchwritinginspirationfromhisfishingexperience.Takingadventuresalsoplaysavitalroleinhislife,andforthisreason,heexperiencedthetwoworldwars.Asanoticeablerepresentativeofthe“LostGeneration”,Hemingwaypublishedthebookofthissort,TheSunAlsoRises.Thebookchieflydealswiththelivingattitudeofpost-wargeneration,especiallythelifeofthosewoundedsoldiersandthekindoflonelinessanddisillusionmentofmodernpeoplewhoseidealswereshatteredatatimewhen“Godisdead”.Theythoughtlifewasnothingandmeaningless.Inthiscase,Hemingwaybecameaspokesmanforthe“LostGeneration”.
In1952,HemingwaypublishedTheOldmanandtheSea.Actually,thenovellaisaparableofman’sstruggleagainstthenature.HemingwaywritesthisnovellabasedonatruestoryofaCubafisherman--Santiago.Heisanagedandsolitarymanwhomakesalivingbyfishing.Aftereighty-fourdayswithoutcatchingafish,hegoesfaroutandhooksagreatfish.Forthreedays,theoldmanholdsonwhilethefishpullshimfurtherandfurther.Finallyhekillsthefishandtiesittohisskiff.Ashesailsslowlytoport,brutalsharksbegintotakehisprizeaway.Hemakeseveryefforttostruggleagainstthemwiththeharpoon,theoar,theknifeandtheshortclub.Thesharkseatallbuttheskeletonofthefish.Halfdeadwithexhaustion,hebringstheskeletonhomeandmakeshiswaytobedanddreamsaboutthelions.
Thenovellaisnotjustastoryaboutanoldmanandthesea.Hemingwayusesmanysymbolsandtherearemanyhiddenmeaningsinit.Eachelementrepresentsdifferentthings.Thispaperaimstoexploresymbolisminthisbookanddiscussthosesymbolsandtheirsymbolicmeanings.
2.Briefintroductiontosymbolism
2.1Thedefinitionofsymbolandsymbolism
Symbolismistheuseofsymbols,oftentocommunicateextrasensorymeaningorsignificance.Itisasoldasliteratureitself.ItaboundsinthebibleandintheGreekandLatinclassics(LiangYuling,1999:
91).Thereisnosymbolismwithoutsymbol,andsoitisnecessarytoillustratethetermsymbolbeforediscussingsymbolism.
Theword“symbol”comesfromtheGreekverbsymballein,“toputtogether”,andthenounsymbolon,“sign”(M.H.Abrams,2004:
311).Asymbolisasignthathasfurtherlayersofmeaning.Inotherwords,asymbolmeansmorethanitliterallysays.Themoreprofoundthesymbol,thegreaterthecomplexityofthelayersofmeaningis.Whileawriterintendstoexpresscertainmeaningsbymeansofsymbols,themeaningheorsheexpresseswillexceedwhatwasconsciouslyintended(LiuYing,2006:
8).
Dr.FrankLentricchiaandThomasMclanghlindefinedthisliterarytermas:
“asymbolisrepresentationofanidea,thing,concept,orquality.Asymbolisanobject,whichstandsforsomethingelse;itisaword,whichwhilesignifyingsomethingspecific,alsosignifiessomethingbeyonditself.Withasymbolwehavetoinferthemeaningandassociations”(Lentricchia&Mclanghlin,1995:
5).
Asymbolalwaysrepresentssomethingthatremainstobedemonstrated.Itisinacertainsenseavisiblesignofsomethinginvisible.Symbolsarevitallyconnectedtotheideawhichtheypresent.Symbolspresentandrevealandbringusintocontactwiththerealitywhichtheyembody.Symbolsareusedwhenawriterwantstoexpresshisunderstandingofsomethinginhismind,whichisnotdirectlyobservableintheeverydayworld.Thewriterhastouseasymbolbecausehecanonlyconveyhiscomprehensionofsomethingabstractbyusingobjectsandwordsfromthefamiliarworld.Thewriterstartswithanobjectintherealworldandmakesitsymbolicbyloadingitwithameaningwhichisnotexplicitlystated(LiuYing,2006:
9).Symbolsareessentialforafullunderstandingofliteratureandsymbolsaretheelementsofsymbolism.
SymbolismoriginatedinFrance.SymbolistmovementisaliteraryandartisticmovementthatoriginatedwithagroupofFrenchpoetsinthelate19thcentury,spreadtopaintingandthetheatre,andinfluencedtheEuropeanandAmericanliteraturesofthe20thcenturytovariousdegrees(LiuYing,2006:
5).
Withregardtosymbolism,Dr.FrankLentricchiaandThomasMclanghlinconclude“Symbolismisthesystemuseofsymbolstorepresentoralludetosomething.Inthemostliteralsense,alllanguagesaresymbolic.Inanarrowersensesymbolismistheuseoficonicfigureswithparticularconventionalmeanings”(Lentricchia&Mclanghlin,1990:
75).
Symbolismtendstobroadenthereaders’perceptions,givingthemeaningtotheobjectbeyonditsconcreteuseorintendedmeaning.AsBarnetpointsout,“Whenweread,wemayfeelthatcertaincharactersandcertainthingsinthestorystandformorethanthemselves,orhintatlargermeanings”(Barnet.etal.2002:
195).Itmaybeclearthattheauthorhasmentionedcertainitemsorideasinordertoinducethereaderstothinkmoredeeplyaboutsomething.
Onthewhole,symbolismisanimportantelementinliterature.Symbolismmeansthesystematicuseofsymbolsorpictorialconventionstoexpressanallegoricalmeaning(M.H.Abrams,2004).Symbolismisaseriesoflinksbetweenman’sapprehensionoftheworld,andthewayhecanconveyhisapprehension.Manywriters,infactmostfictionauthors,usesymbolismasarhetoricaldevicecentraltothemeaningoftheirworks.Theirliteraryworksareoftenadmiredfortheirartfuluseofsymbolism.ThisthesisattemptstoresearchthesymbolismusedintheOldManandtheSeaandtrytofindsomesymbolicmeanings.
2.2Symbolisminthenovella
SincethepublicationofTheOldManandtheSea,therehasbeenmuchdebatesurroundingsymbolismofthestory.Atfirst,evenHemingwayhimselfdeniedthereissymbolisminthenovella.Heheldaquitedifferentattitudetowardstheexpertsandcritics.Heoncepointedoutthatataletrulycouldmeanmanythings.Butatthesametimehereaffirmed“Thereisn’tanysymbolism.Theseaisthesea.Theoldmanisanoldman.Theboyisaboyandthefishisafish.Thesharksareallsharksnobetterandnoworse.Allthesymbolismthatpeoplesayisshit.Whatgoesbeyondiswhatyouseebeyondwhenyouknow”(DongHengzhuan,1985:
145).
However,inGeorgePulinpton’sinterviewofHemingway,Hemingwaysaid,“Ithinkthereissymbolism”(DongHengzhuan,1985:
40).Themorethaneighty-year-oldBernardBeiruisunsaid,“TheOldManandtheSeaisapieceofruralmusic…atrueartistneithersymbolizenorfable.Hemingwaydoesatrueartist,butanyrealworkofartgivesoffthesymbolicimplicationwithallegory,sodoestheshortandsmallbutsignificantworks.”HemingwayshowedgreatsatisfactiontowhatBernardsaid.Hethoughttheproblemaboutsymbolismspeaksreallygoodandfresh(DongHengzhuan,1985:
139).Thus,wecansaythathedidadmitthereissymbolisminthisnovella.
3.Ananalysisofsymbolisminthenovella
Tobeginwith,thetitleofthebookitselfisasymbol.Theoldmanrepresentsthehumanraceandtheseasymbolizesnature.Thewholestorycouldbeeyedasthemetaphorofthestrugglethattakesplacebetweenhumanbeingsandthenature.Butthestoryalsoindicatesthatnatureis,tosomeextent,superiorandthatthehumankindisnotabletowinthisfighting.JustlikewhatSantiagosays“itisgoodthatwedonothavetokilltheseaandthemoonorthestars.Itisenoughtoliveontheseaandkillourtruebrothers”(Hemingway,70).Santiagoknowsthatmankindisalwaysinferior;headmitsheishappythathedoesnothavetotrytokillthemoonorthestarsbecauseheknowstheyaremuchstrongerandthathewouldalwaysbedefeatedinafightagainstthem.
3.1AnanalysisofSantiago’scharacterandhissymbolicmeaning
Hemingwaysaidinthenovella,“Manisnotmadefordefeat.Amancanbedestroyedbutnotdefeated.”Santiagoisendowedwiththisoptimisticattitudetowardslife--courage,confidence,dignityandnevergivesup.Heisthekindofmanwhoshows“graceunderpressure”,whichisaveryimportantqualityofSantiago.
Atthebeginningofthenovella,Santiagohasgoneeighty-fourdayswithoutca