小男孩在老人与海中的作用.doc

毕 业 论 文论文题目 小男孩在老人与海中的作用 学 院 外国语言学院 专 业 英语专业 年 级 2006级 学 号 06131xxxx 姓 名 xxx 指导教师 xxx 职 称 副教授 （二一年六月）The Roles of the Little Boy in The Old Man and the SeaA Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillmentof the Requirements forthe Degree of Bachelor of ArtsBy xxxUnder the Supervision ofLecturer. Zhou xxForeign Languages CollegeofInner Mongolia Agricultural UniversityJune 2010内蒙古农业大学本科毕业论文小男孩在老人与海中的作用摘要1952年老人与海面世的时候，在世界文坛上欧内斯特海明威已经饮誉四分之一个世纪多了。这本小说使他在1952年获得了普利策奖，两年后又为他赢得了诺贝尔奖。当海明威谈到小说成功的因素时曾将小男孩与老人相提并论。但许多评论家则是过多的对老人这个人物形象的研究，对小男孩的剖析往往被忽视。 本文主要分析了小男孩在文中不可替代的作用，其作用主要表现在以下几个方面；首先，就小说主题而言，是他帮助表现了“重压下的优雅风度”这一主题，充分体现了老人的性格特征，使老人的硬汉形象更为突出；其次，就读者而言，是他对读者发挥着打动和启发作用从而增强了作品的感染力，他对老人的感情潜移默化的影响着读者对老人的感受。正因为对小男孩的刻画，老人的形象才更生动，小说的主题才更深刻，从而小说打动了更多的读者。关键词：小男孩;老人;压力；优雅；性格；内心情感 The Roles of the Little Boy in The Old Man and the SeaAbstractWhen The Old Man and the Sea appeared in 1952,Earnst Hemingway had been an international literary celebrity for more than a quarter of a century .The novel earned him the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1952,and was instrumental in winning him the Nobel Prize for literature two years later. When Hemingway talked about the successful factors later , the little boy was mentioned in the same breath with the old man .However ,most critics put more emphasis on the study of character of the old man ,but the research of the little boy, Manolin ,in the novel is often neglected .This paper mainly discusses the indispensable roles of the little boy in The Old Man and the Sea. It can be divided into two parts .First, as far as the theme of the novel is concerned, he helps to perform the theme of “grace under pressure” and helps to show the old mans character. Secondly, as regards readers, it is him who moves, inspires readers and increases the appeal of the work. The little boys emotions for the old man inevitably impact readers emotions for the old man Just due to the description of the little boy in the novel, the image of the old man becomes more vivid and the theme of the novel is more profound and the book wins more readers.Key words: the little boy, the old man, pressure，grace，emotion ContentsChapter 1 Introduction11.1 About the Background of the Novel11.2 About the Plot of the Novel1Chapter 2 The Roles of the Little Boy in the Novel32.1 To Help Show the Old Mans Pressure32.2 To Show the Grace under Pressure42.3 To Highlight the Old Mans Character52.4 To Serve as the Spokesman of the Old Man7Chapter 3 The Role in Moving and Inspiring Readers93.1 The Little Boys Sympathy and Concern in the Beginning93.2 The Little Boys Respect and Worry in Second Stage103.3 The Little Boys Affirmation in the Outbreak Stage10Chapter 4 Conclusion12Notes13Bibliography15Acknowledgements16 iiiChapter 1 Introduction1.1 About the Background of the NovelAfter being published in the 1952, The Old Man and the Sea gained the huge success. It helped to regenerate Hemingways witling career .Some critics praise The Old Man and the Sea as a new classic that takes its place among such established American works as William Faulkners short storyThe Bear and Herman Melville s Mobydick . In the 1930s, Hemmingway lived in key West, Florida, and later in Cuba and his years of experience fishing the Gulf Stream and the Caribbean provided an essential background for the vivid description of the fishermans craft in The Old Man and the Sea .In 1936 he wrote a piece for esquire about a Cuban fisherman who was dragged out to sea by a great marlin, a game fish which typically weighs hundreds of pounds. Sharks had destroyed the fishermans catch by the time he was found by other fishermen. This story seems an obvious seed for the tale of Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea. To Hemingway, Santiago and Manolin were as true to the real world as protagonists like Frederick Henry of A Farwell to Arms or Jake Barns of The Sun Also Rises . However, lately writers seem forgetting the importance of the little boy. In a 1958 interview with Paris Review, Hemmingway spoke about The Old Man and the Sea:Anyway, to skip how the writing in done, I had anthelia able luck this time and could convey the the ole mans experience completely and have it be one that no one had ever conveyed. The luck was that I had a good man and a good boy and lately writers have forgotten there are still such things. 1 From what Hemingway said, we can obviously know that the old man and the little boy are of equal importance .This shows that Hemmingway lays his artistic creativity and ingenuity on the little boy. So the little boys role in this novel is worthy of being considered by critics and readers.1.2 About the Plot of the Novel The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel, a fable of a kind, about an old Cuban fishermen Santiago and his battle with a great marlin .For 84 days Santiago did not catch a single fish. Therefore, the boy, Manolin, who used to sail with him, was forced to leave him and catch in another boat. But the old man did not feel discouraged for this and he went far out into the sea and hooked a giant marlin which was very powerful and disobedient. A desperate struggle ensued in which Santiago managed to kill the fish and tie it to his boat. Unluckily, on the way home, he had to fight a more desperate struggle with some dangerous giant sharks, which eat up the marlin, leaving only a skeleton. At last the old man brought it home and went to bed to dream, almost dead with exhaustion. His struggle wins him much respect. Chapter 2 The Roles of the Little Boy in the NovelManolin is present only at the beginning and the end of the novel, but his presence is important .Because Manolins devotion to Santiago highlights Santiagos value and his character as a person and as a fisherman. The depiction of the little boy highlights the theme of The Old Man and the Seagrace under pressure. Pressure is the premise. Only under the background of pressure, will the hero have the elegant manners in real significance.2.1 To Help Show the Old Mans PressureThe old mans pressure can be divided into four levels. In the beginning of The Old Man and the Sea, “he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish”2, it tells us the difficulties that the old man faces. If the author only uses the number to arouse the readers sympathy to the old man, it is not enough. In addition, the pressure it expresses is also not heavy. So Hemmingway gives the description of the little boy to increase the deteriorated situation of the old man. Thus the old mans feeling is more moving and particular tragic. Under such kind of pressure, his manner is more graceful and elegant. In the beginning of the novel, the old man had not caught a fish for 84 days. In the first 40 days, a boy had been with him. But Manolins parents call Santiago “Salao” or “unlucky” 3.This is the first layer of the pressure. Under such circumstance, the little boy was forced to leave him and catch fish in another boat. The little boy had learnt fishing from the old man since five years old. The old man had no other relatives in this world so he regarded the little boy as a company and relative. But now, the only company was taken away from him. Obliviously, failure and loneliness is the second layer of pressure. After the boys leaving, the old man did not catch any fish for 44 days. At this moment, the old man was in desperate feeling. This is the third level of pressure. Although it seems that the first and the third level of the pressure have nothing to do with the little boy, the boys leaving is also an interim, which makes the situation of the old man worse and worse, and the pressure of the old man became more and more heavy. In addition, “the boy has gone at their order in another boat which caught three good fish the first week” 4 .The sharp contrast between the old mans failure and the little boys success made the local fisherman firmly believed that the old man was really unlucky. Besides, the old man also have a belief in fortune from the words he used such as “luck”, “gamble”, “take your chance” 5, and the detail that he bought lottery tickets. Undoubtedly, this is the fourth level of the pressure.The little boy is a line linking the four levels and makes the situation of the old man from bad to worse. Thus under such kind of pressure, the old mans grace is showed more obviously and has real significance.2.2 To Show the Grace under PressureGrace is not an abstract connotation. The old mans grace is not only displayed through his brave to fight against fish, but also showed through his attitude and behavior when he faced the pressure. The little boy offers a method to perform his grace. In the beginning of the novel, the old man had not caught any fish for 84 days. In the first 40 days, the little boy was together with the old man. However, after 40 days, the little boy was forced to join in another boat and caught three fish in the first week. When the old man was at low ebb, the little boy was taken away from him and got great success in another boat. If this happens to others, even they are not angry with the little boy, they may feel unbalance. But the old man has broad mind and quite understood the little boy. He said to the little boy “I know you leave me not because you do not believe me” 6; “I know it is quite normal” 7. He was not unpleasant at all. On the contrary, he felt happy for the little boys success. He even remarks “very good” 8.When the boy said to the old man “I could go with you again. Weve made some money.” 9, but he refused the little boy because he did not want to let the little boy feel embarrassed and he wished the little boy could make fortune. The old man said “you are with a lucky boat. Stay with them.” 10 “if you were my boy, Id take you out and gamble” he said “but you are your fathers and your mothers and youre in a lucky boat”11. Indeed, the old man hoped the little boy could come back and actually he needed the little boy. But now that it was his parents that made the decision of letting the boy leave him, he did not want to make the little boy in a dilemma. In addition, he did not want the boy in bad luck with him. His love and responsibility for the little boy can be found fully expression in these words. The generous and confidence that the old man showed under the pressure makes people feel his grace.In addition, although the old man is the model of Hemmingways “tough guy”, yet it does not mean that the old man is a stubborn fool, which is reflected in how he waking the child up in the early morning; “He took told of one foot gently and held it until the boy woke and turned and looked at him” 12. This is also his grace under pressure. 2.3 To Complement the Old Mans CharacterThe little boy is the best complement of “tough guy”, although the boy was very young, but he did not behavior boyish. He not only learned the skills of fishing from the old man, but also inherited the sprite of self-respect and self-esteem. Long staying with the old man, he knew the hardship of life and responsibility of man. When the old man woke him up in the early morning, he came after the old man sleepy. Such a young boy should face the hardship of life, how can not we feel sympathy with him? However, the little boy does not care about it. He has been used to the hardship of life and his tender shoulder has already accustomed to the lifes responsibility. The old man felt sorry when he woke up the little boy in sleeping. He said “I am sorry” 13. The boy said: “it is what a man must do” 14. So the little boy could say such strong word. It is not hard to suppose what a person his master is like? Here the boys personality highlights the old mans. It provides an indispensable preclude drawing the perfect image of the tough guy. As a result, the heroic mettle of the old man appears logically.In The Old Man and the Sea, in addition to describing the old man through the boys eyes, Hemmingway also draws a directive and detailed description of the boys character. In this way, it rewards the old mans character charm from another standpoint; therefore, in the process of shaping the boys character, the image of the old man becomes more vivid.Secondly, the existence of the little boy highlights the character of the old mans humanity. The old man struggled with marlin and shard on the sea, which reflects his strong and patience, and that he was a hero who never give up. However, the deep friendship between him and the boy demonstrates his kindness and very caring side of humanity with the image of “tough guy”. On the contrary, it is the perfection of the image of the old man.The little boy insisted returning many times. Considering the safety of the little boy, so he refused him to go to sea with him. Thirdly, the little boy is the shadow of the old mans age and his driving force. He represents the vitality and youth. He bought back the old man lost youth and made the old man see the past self. When the old man caught fish on the sea for three days, he said many times “if the boy were here” 15. Every time the old man repeated this sentence, he would revive his energy gradually withering. The name “boy” seemed to evoke his complex meditation and to make him perceive his own ability in the past. In times of crisis, it can be his psychological motivation. On the next morning after the old man landing, the boy went to find him. He saw a fisherman debris of dead fish, from nose to tail a full of 18 feet long. Through the description of what the boy seeing, it contrasts how great the old mans fishing was.Living through two world wars, Hemmingway faced the disillusionment and destruction of the war brought about society. He thought people who wanted to survive in the society must have the spirit of tough guy. That is “can not be beaten”. The little boy in the novel helped the author achieve this desire. The little boy admired the old man who was unlucky but still strong: “there are many fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you”16.When the old man came back, the little boy said to him “you must get well fast for there is much that I can learn and you can teach me everything”17. Before the little boys returning, the old mans struggle is isolated and his brave is domed to fail. The little boys words revealed that he gradually became mature under the influence of the old man. To some extent of sense, the old man and the little boy respectively symbols old and youth. In the old mans sub consciousness, the little boy is another stage of his life.2.4 To Serve as the Spokesman of the Old ManFrom the novel we can see that the protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, is almost a completely independent existence from the society. About his past, we only know that he had been to Africa in young age and saw the lion on the beach, which is perhaps the source of his dream. Another point that we know is that the old man had a wrenched wrist game with a black man day and night when he was young, and eventually he won the game. About the family of the old man, we only know that he was a widower from the remains of his wife lying in his house. Except these nobody knows more stories about his past. But maybe people will think that a persons past not that important and the current is more critical. Now Manolin became the tie that the old man contacted with the outside the world. The little boy had learned fishing from the old man since five years old. It was the old man who taught him fishing skills. So the little boy often accompanied the old man to see his favorite base ball game and also helped the old man roll hooks and harpoons. He even asked the old man to drink and have dinner. Sometimes he brought sardines to the old man. He provided more living needs for the old man. He concerned the old man greatly. In the novel, we can find that the only person whom the old man more communicated with was the little boy. He seemed a part of the old man and another state of Santiago. More often, it is the little boy who brings the old man before us so that we can have a deep understanding about the old man. For example, we know the views of the other fisherman towards the old man for he did not catch any fish for 84 days and know something about the old mans character and habits from the narration of he little boy. So it can be said that the little boy has become the spokesman of the old man. Without such a character we would know less about the old man. Perhaps, the only things that the old man dealt with are open sea, a variety of fish as well as his boat.In addition, some details in the novel reveal that the little boy to some extent has become the embodiment of the old man. Forced by his patients, the little boy went at another boat. Although good luck accompanied with him everyday, he still missed the small vessel of the old man. It is not only because that he learnt fishing from the man at an early age, but also because the old mans spirit deeply moved him. The old mans quality of perseverance and courage and his sentence “man is not made for defeated, a man can be destroyed but not defeated” 18 brought him power from time to time. No wonder that the child was often thinking about returning to the old mans boat, and then going out to sea with him to experience more storms. The little boy firmly believes that such life itself is a beautiful state and people are born to fight but not to lose lives. Th