《老人与海》硬汉形象分析(英文) Code Hero in the Old Man and the Sea

1、a老人与海硬汉形象分析code hero in the old man and the sea【关键词】老人与海；桑提亚哥；硬汉introductiona.brief introduction to the authorernest hemingway is a american novelist and short-story writer(1899-1961), one of the greatest american writers of the 20th century. in 1954, hemingway was awarded the nobel prize for litera

2、ture. hemingways fiction usually focuses on people living essential, dangerous lives, such as soldiers, fishermen, athletes, bullfighters, who meet the pain and difficulty of their existence with stoic courage. his celebrated literary style, influenced by ezra pound and gertrude stein, is direct, te

3、rse, and often monotonous, yet particularly suited to his elemental subject matter.b.the content of the old man and the seathere is an old fisherman, santiago, in cuba who has gone eighty-four days without a catch. santiagos lack of success, though, does not destroy his spirit, as his“cheerful and u

4、ndefeated” eyes show. on the eighty-fifth day, he decides to venture far out to sea, hoping to change his bad luck. he is even optimistic enough to believe that he may catch a big fish. in tune with the natural world about him, he spies birds and plankton that lead him to a good fishing spot. he car

5、efully baits his hooks and patiently waits. santiagos patience pays off. something big takes his bait, and because of his skill, the old man is able to hook it, beginning the adventure of the story. for three days and nights, he does battle with this giant creature from the sea. for most of the jour

6、ney he does not even know what he is fighting, though he assumes it is a giant marlin. when the magnificent fish finally surfaces, santiago is tremendously impressed with its size, its beauty, and its nobility. he begins to identify with the fish, almost regretting that he feels compelled to kill it

7、. he tries to justify his actions by saying that he is not fishing for sport, but to feed himself and others.ii.the origin of the concept of the“tough guy”as early as 1930, critics noticed the common features in hemingways characters and began to discuss the“code” belief of hemingway, namely, the co

8、de of courage and honour in this non-intellectual writer. lincoln kirstein, max eastman, wyndham lewis, and delmore schwartz all emphasized hemingways attention to death and physical courage, and believed that the“tough guys” of hemingway were still under construction and far from maturity. some cri

9、tics furthered the point that the“pretentious persistence” in hemingways characters is but a deliberate disguise of the“depression, disguised skepticism, and despair” 1 that is deep-rooted in their true self. in his the great tradition: an interpretation of american literature since the civil war gr

10、anville aicks made important distinctions for hemingways characters. he thought there are two types of characters, that is, one is the“autobiographical” guy, the other is the kind of guy that hemingway himself is not but expects to be, namely, the tough guy. according to such categorization, captain

11、 henry in farewell to arms is the“autobiographical” guy and his friend is the tough guy. the criticism prevailing in the thirties in china held that the main features in hemingways guy are that“they become dumb because of the injuries of war. they no longer think, nor do they meditate. and they desp

12、ise traditional morality and well-respected values. what is left in them is but self-abandonment and a strong desire for sex.” 2 such criticism is basically a reflection of the contemporary views abroad at that time. in the fifties, young expanded the concept of the“hemingways guy” and the“tough guy

13、” and related them to“psychopathological morbidity”, believing that the reason“hemingways guy” always confront death and injury is due to the forced repetition of the wounded experience caused by their psychological morbidity, whereas the“code”serves to provide a solution to the dilemma of such char

14、acters, enabling them to control their emotions. and the relationship between the two is one of giver and receiver. the representation of such a relationship is successfully realized in santiago; that is to say, two kinds of guy have merged into one entity. the sixties saw the new terms“tyro” and“tu

15、tor” in place of the“autobiographical guy” and“tough guy” and“nada” in place of the wound theory.iii. the tough guy and his featuresthe most obvious trademarks of the“tough guy” are:“the world crushes every person into pieces, yet a lot of people rise from the pieces to demonstrate their staying pow

16、er. the world is likely to kill and breakthose most brave, benign and excellent, yet it is the guy that rises from failure.” 3 if we disregard the so-called codes or rules, we can sum up some general features about the protagonists in hemingways works.first of all, the“tough guy”, has great physical

17、 potential and courage. whether he is a soldier, a bullfighter, a hunter, or a fisherman, his physical power is always activated by critical situations and thus creates the most life-like beauty. however this physical power will encounter harm from the greater forces. the real value, according to he

18、mingway, lies in the fact that the guy can always rise from destruction. captain henry in farewell to arms, jordan in for whom the belltolls, and santiago in the old man and the sea were all hurt in some way, yet they were not defeated. however, there are some differences in the characterization of

19、santiago. he is active and chooses to be injured. unlike the others he suffers only physical harm, not mental pain, and as a result retains his optimism until the end of the story. santiago is free from that self- pity and vain struggles that haunted hemingways former guys. he accepts his fate with

20、great tranquility and his injuries he regards as insignificant occurrences. through his portrayal of santiago, hemingway successfully demonstrates how man can challenge himself by confronting his failures. by way of contrast, the former guy are inert and passive under pressure; they simply retreat a

21、s a way of protection. for example, captain henry retreated from the war after he was aware of its meaninglessness and insignificance. generally speaking, the tough guys under hemingway at that time lacked goals and were lost strugglers.secondly, another important feature of the“tough guys” is their

22、 loyalty. they are not without strong passions and faith, and such quality makes their character life-like and reliable, conveying warmth and love to people around. however, such quality is implied rather than displayed in the“tough guys”. it is not spoken of but performed, not told but suggested. h

23、enrys loyalty to love, and santiagos loyalty and passion to the child manolin can only be felt through their behaviour and specific actions, while the characters themselves never say a word about it. such a quality creates an integrated and outstanding individual. yet the loyalty breaks from common

24、political or religious beliefs and does not stem from some abstract ideology but comes from a sense of belonging and dependence on certain individual groups, personal circles and friendships or from the love for some specific regions.thirdly, the“tough guys” are endowed with certain specialized skil

25、ls, such as fishing, bullfighting, and hunting, etc. such skills are necessary for the internal courage and constraint in the guy. in another sense, a person that is good for nothing is likely to be presented as“weak”or useless, yet the hemingways guy are free from such deficiencies as they possess

26、practical skills.iv. the“tough guy” in the old man and the seaa. santiagos determination and fortitude santiago is defeated during his fighting against the sharks, but he succeeds in the dignity of handing the failure, confidently he dreams of the strong african lions, which are full of vitality, an

27、d symbolize bravery, power and success.indeed, he has got the favor of the destinya big fish appears. this is also the time he realizes himself. it is a great fish. santiago can not stand virtually to kill him. he gives it the praise and respects continuously. he regards it as his brother. for the f

28、isherman is living on the sea; he loves the sea；he is relying on the sea. what he wants must come from the sea. that is why he always thought of the sea aslamar which is what people call her in spanish when they love her. but he must defeat her and subdue her because sometimes she is very self-wille

29、d and cruel. therefore, he must use his mind to deal with the big marlin, and subdue it completely. this is just where santiagos psychological contradiction exists and shows how lonely santiago is! he does not want to kill marlin at once, because in the great sea, marlin is one of his companions and

30、 friends after all. if he kills it, he will be left alone. so he says,“fish,”“i love you and respect you very much.”“never have i seem a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer, or more noble thing than you, brother.” 4 but the aim of his sailing out to sea reminds him of the mission he must carry o

31、ut. killing the fish is for supporting himself, and also for supporting many other people. just like what he says,“i did it to keep me alive and feed many people.” 5 moreover, as a fisherman, all his dignity and glory depends on whether he can fulfill this task. the old fisherman is defeated, but he

32、 finds himself in handing the failure. his attitude and manners are successful. here, santiagos characteristics of determination and fortitude are shown vividly and thoroughly in the sea. it is shown in fighting against the big marlin, against the school of sharks. just like what santiago himself sa

33、ys,“man is not made for defeat.” 6 so relying on his own power and strength, santiago triumphs over the nature, over the failure, and showing the mans nobleness and greatness. so long as he is alive, he will struggle to the end.b. santiagos courage and bravery1. sailing out away from the land alone

34、santiago is an old cuban fisherman living on fishing. life has not been easy. he has caught no fish at all for 84 days continuously. in the beginning, he has the company of a little boy out in the sea, but because of his bad luck the boy is forced by his parents to leave and go out to the sea with o

35、ther fishermen. now the old man is alone and helpless. yet he is surprisingly strong-mind. the contrast is between his old limp appearance and his ambitious minded.“the old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. the brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun bri

36、ngs from its reflection on the tropic sea, were on his cheeks. the blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. but none of the scars were fresh. they were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.” 7 everything about him

37、 was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated. in the old man and the sea, great tension is created from the two counter checking forces, and such tension intensifies the readers expectation of the guy. one is the contrast between the wretched sail

38、 that is like a flag of permanent defeat and his undefeated eyes. another is the contrast between wounded body and his pleasant eyes. santiago still believes that he will have good luck again. he will be able to catch a big fish with his rich experience and great skill. the old man said,“ i may not

39、be as strong as i think. but i know many tricks and i have resolutions.” 8 hopefully, the old man sails silently on the black sea. it is very quiet all around. he decides to sail out far away from the land, and goes out into the clean early morning smell of the ocean, hearing the trembling sound as

40、flying fish left the water and the hissing that their stiff set wings made as they soared away in the darkness. he was rowing steadily. he enjoys the beauty of nature, without considering the disappointment of previous days. to him, a new day is a new start. this is a kind of pure doctrine which eve

41、r flourished in ancient times. also, it takes a rather important position in american literature. this kind of philosophy was popular in the 20th century, especially among american writers who went through the two world wars. the old man believes in simplicity. he is simply dressed and sails alone o

42、n the sea, not using modern tools, neither a map nor a compass.“ this kind of circumstance which is cut off from the outside world is suitable for the typical character that hemingway has writtensantiagos hopefulness.” 9 he depends on his own experience to show values of existence.2. fighting agains

43、t sharksnevertheless another crisis is waiting for santiago on his way home. this time it is a fiercer fight than the one with marlinit is the fight with sharks. his fights with sharks develop in four stages. at the first stage, a mako shark strikes the marlin and the old man resolves to kill it; he

44、 hit it with his blood mushed hands driving a good harpoon with all his strength. he hit it without hope but with resolution“but i killed the shark that hit my fish”, he thought. 10 he kills the mako shark finally, but it tore off about forty pounds of flesh. in the killing, the old man loses his ha

45、rpoon and all the rope too. and now his fish bleeds again and there will be other sharks attracted by the scent and trail of blood in the water. but the old man inspires himself by saying aloud,“ but man is not defeated. a man can be destroyed but not defeatedthe dentuso is cruel and able and strong

46、 and intelligent. but i was more intelligent than he was.” 11 earlier the second stage, two golanos come, they were hateful sharks, bad smelling, scavengers as well as killers. santiago kills one with his knife that is lashed to an oar; then he kills another with greater difficulty. but a quarter of

47、 the best marlin meat is now gone. the old man apologizes to it and decides to defend what is left of him. he waits for the next ones, wishing it might turn out well. later, he kills a third galano, which has destroyed more of the marlin, and in the process his knife blade breaks. but the old man st

48、ill thinks,“i am too old to club sharks to death. but i will try it as long as i have the oars and the short club and tiller.” 12 at the third stage comes. two more sharks appear at sunset. the old man is unable to kill them but injures them with a club made from an old broken oar. he thinks,“if i c

49、ould have used a bat with two hands i could have killed them surely.” and he asks himself,“what will you do now if they come in the night? what can you do?” he answers,“i will fight them until i die.” 13 at the fourth stage, sharks come in a pack. santiago fights them with a club and even with the s

50、kills tiller, but the fight is useless. the sharks have eaten the marlin up, leaving only a skeleton for him. santiagos second battle with the sharks, though shorter in duration, is at least an intense as the fight with the marlin. it shows santiagos courage and endurance in many ways. he has used a

51、lmost all his strength in fighting with the marlin and now he has to fight by the limits of his strength. with hardly any strength left, he still holds on to the last moment. though he knows the fight is useless, he will not give up. only when he brings the marlin back to the shore will his fellow f

52、ishermen come to realize his value again. it is certain that he is not likely to win in this cruel battle, but he cares little about it. what he really cares in the fight is that he continues to fight and struggle.“a man can be destroyed but not defeated.” 14 when he returns with the skeleton of mar

53、lin, he has proved his worth both to himself and his fellow fishermen. he loses but performs like a champion. it helps him earn the deeper respect of people.c. santiagos optimism and hopefulness1. santiagos attitude towards his fate in the beginning paragraph, santiago has gone eighty-four days with

54、out catching a single fish. he is really in bad luck; it is not for that he does not catch any fish, but for he has continued to ply the waters for eighty-four days. though he used to be a very skillful and successful fisherman, now he is a loser. this time he has two roads: to give up fishing or to

55、 keep on trying. he has to choose one from them. under such situation people usually think that he should choose giving up fishing because of his bad luck. but which one does he choose actually? santiago refuses to be discouraged. to him the first fruitless eighty-four days means nothing, and his op

56、timism and hopefulness have never gone. in his mind he never abandons the chance of success. if he cannot go out into the sea, his life will become meaningless. still firm in trying for big success, he makes his resolution to struggle against his misfortune in order to be recognized by his fellow fi

57、sherman as a professional. full of hope and confidence, he firmly believes in what he is doing now and what he will do, so he chooses the latter firmly and decides to go far out into the sea. when he faces the failure, he refuses to be rejected and bitter, instead he remains cheerful and confident.

58、he struggles against defeat bravely and never gives up. these characters and spirit of him just reflect hemingways philosophy of life: when faced with the misfortune and miserable fate, man should not be discouraged, instead, he should be optimistic and hopeful and struggle against them.“but,” he th

59、ought,“only i have no luck any more. but who knows? may be today every day is a new day.” 15 this sentence shows that santiago is an optimistic man, he maybe luckless, but he is not pessimistic. he believes that everyday is a new start, and the new start will bring him better luck. though his sail looks like the flag of permanent defeat, he does not accept it. so he makes up his mind to go far into the deeper sea and