A New Approach to Character Analysis of “the old man” in The Old Man and the Sea.doc

新析老人与海中 “老人” 的形象a new approach to character analysis of “the old man” in the old man and the seacontentsabstract .1keywords .1i. introduction.2ii. character analysis.31. traditional thinking.32. my opinion .51) the historical reasons.62) the economic reason.6iii. theme analysis.8iv. conclusion.13references.13a new approach to character analysis of “the old man” in the old man and the seaabstract: being distinguished from many greatest american writers, hemingway is noted for his writing style. among all his works, the old man and the sea is a typical one to his unique writing style and technique. the language is simple and natural on the surface, but actually deliberate and artificial. sometimes the simple style is made a little different. the dialogue is combined with the realistic and the artificial. the simplicity is highly suggestive, and often reflects the strong undercurrent of emotion. the old man and the sea is full of facts, most of which comes from hemingways own experience. so the way to use facts is a very important writing technique in this novel. the facts in the novel are selected and used as a device to make the fictional world accepted. in the forepart of the novel, they are used to show the quality of santiagos life, and are narrated simply and naturally; while in the latter part of the novel, they are used from inside santiagos own consciousness and form part of a whole scheme of the novel. key words: facts; simplicity; artificial; iceberg theory 摘 要：在众伟大的美国作家中，海明威以独特的写作风格而著称。在他所有的作品中，老人与海最能体现他独特的写作风格和手法。这部小说语言看似简洁自然， 其实包含了作者的精心揣摩和润色加工。有时为了突出某一部分，作者会采用 长句代替短句。文中的对话内容真实、贴近生活，而表达形式则经过了艺术加工。老人与海这部小说中运用了大量的事实,他们大多来自于作者亲身经历。海明威对这些事实精心选择,从而吸引读者的兴趣并使读者有一种身临其境的感觉。随着情节的发展,大量的事实主要被运用于主人公的心理活动之中,而不是主要由作者来叙述。同时,这些事实构成了整个小说体系中不可缺少的一部分。 关键词：事实；简洁；加工；冰山理论i. introductionthe old man and the sea (1952) comes round at the finish of hemingways writing career. with its vivid characterization, its simple language, and the profound implicating it carries, it stands out as one of the excellent books hemingways former stature as the words preeminent novelist after hemingways unsuccessful novel across the river and into the trees (1950). the old man and the sea earned its author the pulitzer prize in fiction for 1952, and was instrumental in winning him the nobel prize for literature two years later. it is a short novel about santiago, an old cuban fisherman who has gone for 84 days without catch. therefore the boy, mandolin, 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, there 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 africa and the lions again. his struggle wins him much respect. in the story the old man and the sea by ernest hemingway, the main character is an old man named santiago. from this novel was publicized to now. most of people think that santiago is a hero. because, at that time, fisherman want to keep them life, they must skill more and more fish but the lived of skill fish is very low. so some time they cant catch a single fish. the old man, santiago is skilled a fisherman but over the past eighty-four days he has not caught a single fish. the village describes santiago as having the worst kind of bad luck. he ignores them and thinks positively about his situation, assuming that luck will soon arrive. how do other people change the thinking to him just catch the fish can prove them wrong. so he heads out sea to catch fish. he spends much time caught the big fish. then he fights with shark. at last, he just gets the bone of fish. so, most of people read this book they will say: santiago is a hero the huge success of the old man and the sea, published in 1952, was a much-needed vindication. the novella won the 1953 pulitzer prize for fiction, and it very likely cinched the nobel prize for hemingway in 1954, as it was cited for particular recognition by the nobel academy. it would be the last novel published in his lifetime. although the novella helped to regenerate hemingways wilting career, it has since been met by divided critical opinion. while some critics have praised the old man and the sea as a new classic that takes its place among such established american works as william faulkners short story “the bear” and herman melvilles moby-dick, others have attacked the story as “imitation hemingway” and find fault with the authors departure from the uncompromising realism with which he made his name.because hemingway was a writer who always relied heavily on autobiographical sources, some critics, not surprisingly, eventually decided that the novella served as a thinly veiled attack upon them. according to this reading, hemingway was the old master at the end of his career being torn apart by-but ultimately triumphing over-critics on a feeding frenzy. but this reading ultimately reduces the old man and the sea to little more than an act of literary revenge. the more compelling interpretation asserts that the novella is a parable about life itself; in particular mans struggle for triumph in a world that seems designed to destroy him.despite the soberly life-affirming tone of the novella, hemingway was, at the end of his life, more and more prone to debilitating bouts of depression. he committed suicide in 1961 in ketchum, idaho.ii. character analysis1. traditional thinkingin the story the old man and the sea, by ernest hemingway, the main character is an old man named santiago. santiago is a skilled fisherman that dedicates his whole life to the sea. “the story takes place in cuba near the gulf stream. santiago is the protagonist in this story who has been struck by bad luck because he has never caught a fish for over eighty four days”. (wu ran 2005:114). the old man is described in this story as “thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. the brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings 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 these scars were fresh. they were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.”santiago encounters many important interactions between other characters in the story. mandolin, a young boy, is like a son to him because he had taught the boy to fish ever since he was a little toddler. mandolin is very loyal to santiago because he is a father figure to him and tries to help santiago any way possible. even though his father forbids mandolin to see santiago, he goes against his words because santiago is very important. santiago also mentions about joe dimaggio from the yankees because he is his idol. santiago highly praises dimaggio because he shows strength of never giving up even thought his foot may be injured. another encounter that is very important is the encounter with the fish. the fish that santiago caught means a lot to him because he has something in common with the marlin. santiago had fought hard to tire the fish and kill it. he can relate to the fish because both of them are suffering from the pain of each other. the old man considers the fish to be a brother. there are many words spoken in the story that help us to understand the old man. the story describes mandolin as a son figure to santiago. during the journey out in the sea, after catching the fish, santiago really want mandolin to be here because he needed help and was weak from the battle with the marlin. he shows his need for the boy by saying “i wish i had the boy” constantly. the old man respects the sea and admires its beauty. he is a man of high spirit and never gives up easily on any situations. santiago shows many motivations throughout the story. mandolin has always been by his side and treats him like a sun. he is a very precious boy who supports whatever the old man does. joe dimaggio, from the yankees, is an admiral figure to santiago because even in pain, dimaggio does not give up easily because he contains the strength and will to continue. the sea is also a motivation for santiago because he has always lived with the sea as a fisherman and has known how beautiful the sea can be sometimes and how ferocious it can be at other times. the gigantic marlin plays an important motivation in this story because it shows how the old mans skills have awarded him. he believes that he holds a connection to the fish, as if they were brothers. he is motivated to catch and kill this fish because he wants to come back to the village with a prize that will surprise everyone. santiago does not really change at all in the end of the story. although he had lost his marlin to the sharks of the sea, he cannot blame himself because he tried his best. he had used all his strength to tire the fish and kill it. in his heart, he knows that he had accomplished something big and does not regret any minute of it. santiago is still the same strong and spirited man who never gives up in any situation. i believe that santiago is a heroic man who can survive through such pain. he is a highly motivated man who will find a way to accomplish anything. i consider him to be an icon and that he should be respected. he is always patient and never hold any doubts in his mind, which makes him a powerful and a great man. the main character in this novel is santiago, an old cuban fisherman. he has grey hair, and beard. his skin is dark because of all the exposure to the sun. santiago lives by himself because his wife died. he misses her because he has taken down the picture from where it used to hang on the wall. although he lives by himself, he is not really lonely because a small boy named mandolin visits him, and helps him every day.santiago has lost his luck because he didnt catch any fish in the last eighty four days. because of that, the boys parents told him to go fishing on more fortunate boat, what leaves the old man alone, when he is on the sea. although mandolin is not santiagos son, sometimes he wishes that he was, and when he is alone on the sea, he often repeats that he would like the boy to be with him. this shows the relationship between the boy and the old man. this may be because santiago knows that he may not live for very long now, since he is old, he wants to give all his knowledge to the boy, who will use this wisely in the future.to change his luck, santiago goes far into the sea, where he has never been before. after some time, he hooked a fish, what changed his point of view about his luck and his abilities. i can say that he way very mentally strong person because although he could not pull the fish onto the boat, he was determined to kill it. he was determined to get his respect from other people back. his determination allowed his to keep the fish on the hook for couple of days. even though he was wounded and cut by the lines, he did not give up, and did not let the fish go. he fought until the end, and was determined to succeed.although santiago did not bring his trophy back to the village because it was eaten by sharks, he has gotten something more important to him than the fish itself. he got the little boy back, and the boy admired him more than he ever did before. the people in the village also looked at him in different way again, what made him very happy. thanks to his motivation and determination, he achieved something that he was hoping to achieve. i can say that santiago was very good and loving person, since he took care of the boy, and passed his knowledge to the boy. as of his age, he was not physically strong, but thank to his motivation, he was able to achieve the goal, in one way or another. he is also very brave person since he was not afraid to go into the waters he has never been in before, and far from his home, just to get his honor, and respect back.2. my opinionsbut why people say he is a hero? dose he catch the big fish or he fights with sharks? his spirit says it all. but do you think if he doesnt fight with sharks. when he goes back to the village, what he eats and how other people will say we dont know. so i want to say: he does those things just because two points. first, it because the life. second, he want to prove he have the ability to fish. when you read this thesis, i think you will change a little of you mind of this book. i just want to say the time has changed. we can change the side to analyze this character. he is not only a hero but an ordinary person.1) the historical reasons “world war ii ended seven years before hemingways book. that world eventually achier a nobel prize in literature was published in 1952” (hu yingtong 2001:112). the lasting effects of the war were still hanging as the world continued to rebuild and move on. this is the era that painted the cuban setting in the old man and the sea.harry strumming assumed presidency of the united states form 1945 or1952. at that time, the world war around people, if i was born in that time, i think will allow santiago is a hero. because he can fish with strong army and get the success at last hemingway himself has been quoted to say the following:” there isnt any symbolism the sea is the sea. the old man is an old man. the boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. the sharks are sharks, no better, and no worse.today we live in peace age, much time many things just for life, for money but im not mean no other else in fact, many things are important then money. “imagine if santiago lived not in that time but this present one, and he had not caught a single fish for 84 days” (wu lao 2004:117). what would he do? i think he would do the same thing as he does in the novel, he would catch a big fish, then fight with sharks and then taking the bone of fish come back since if he hasnt caught anything he will die of hungry. this is life. in other words, he will catch a big fish, but not fight with sharks, because he doesnt want lose life for a big fish, he knows, if he lose life, everything is over. so, we can say santiago doesnt knuckle under. but we cant say he is a hero, like the other fisherman, he just never gives up, if you were he, you would do the same thing.2) the economic reasonsat that time, if the fishermen want to catch fish in the sea, they must use their brain and body, but today we have the advanced science and technology, the fisherman doesnt need the body then they can get what they wants to get, the old man shows his strength by overcoming the pains he suffers from the communities? negative thoughts about him, the physical pains caused by the fishing line on his back and hands, and the emotional pain he feels after the sharks have eaten his prize fish. but today nobody can rush the thing of fisherman; at least sharks cannot rush the big fish of the old man. “the old man has not caught any fish in eighty-four days”. (wu lao 2004:276). he is becoming very discouraged with himself, and wants more than anything to catch a fish, and to prove to the other fisherman in the village that he is not too old. his streak of bad luck when it comes to catching any fish, and the hurtful remarks the other fisherman give him, cause the old man to experience great mental pain. why he has not caught a fish for about 84 days, its because the science and technology. if he live in today this thing will not happen. so the economic is another important reason.“but today we should change a side to analysis “the old man”, in the past, we know hemingways life is unusual, as the world recovered from its second world war, hemingway ended his third marriage, divorcing martha gel horn, and in 1946 married mary welsh” (wu fei 2003:138). but hemingways fourth marriage, like the others, had its share of problems. according to accounts, the couple argued constantly, and hemingways wandering ways apparently never ceased.as the 1950s approached, and despite the fact that he was one of the most recognized faces on the planet, hemingways fiction was suffering criticism, too.there was some thought that hemingways career had exhausted itself and it was pretty much over, says hemingway scholar dr. james nagel. that, it turned out, was far from the case. hemingway, living in cuba, was at work on an encompassing novel about the sea. nagel says when he sent it scribners; they sent it back claiming it was unpalatable. but they did like the last part, a story about an old cuban man and his battle with a monster marlin.hemingways longtime friend and boat captain, gregorio fuentes, was said to be the inspiration for the main character in the old man and the sea when it was published as a novella, t