冰山理论分析Analysis of Iceberg Principal on In Another Country.doc

Analysis of Iceberg Principal on In Another Country Early work though it is, in Another Country takes on the concise and implicit style of Earnest Hemingway well. He adopted the Iceberg principal with implicit language and profound imaginary to express endless meaning, and left a deep impression on readers minds. Hemingway has ever said: “I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesnt show.” Indeed, iceberg principal can be seen everywhere in Hemingways work. This essay will take example of in Another Country to analyze the principal of iceberg in his works.I. Atmosphere The background of a story consists of time, place and atmosphere. A storys background can influence characters behavior and the development of the events. Building atmosphere can not only express characters emotion and attitude, it can also influence readers feelings.A. Coldness and darkness In the beginning, the author uses only a few lines describing the background of the story. The language is very simple and brief, but reader can feel the loneliness and fear of characters. “It was cold in the fall in Milan and the dark came very early.” The description is full of gloomy tone. Visually, the author showed the light is transient and dark comes early. Tactilely, the author described the coldness of Milans fall. Low temperature not only makes body cold, it also makes heart cold. “Then the electric lights on, and it was pleasant along the street looking in the windows.” It is the characters reaction to the outer environment. Darkness and coldness is always closely connected with loneliness. It is because of loneliness that people desire for light and warmth much more. It is exactly the inner mind of characters in the story. At the end of the first paragraph, the author again describes the coldness of the fall. Hemingway mentions coldness altogether three times in the short section, and builds a bleak and lonely atmosphere. Main characters of the stories are wounded soldiers, whose bodies and heart are all hurt to different extent. War has brought them with great misery, and they can never get rid of the misery. The outside world cannot bring warmth and light to them, on the contrary, the coldness even increases their misery and loneliness. Therefore, the coldness and the environment are consistent with the coldness of soldiers hearts. B. Death An atmosphere of death is also showed in the beginning of the story. “There was much game hanging outside the shops, and the snow powdered in the fur of the foxes and the wind blew their tails. The deer hung stiff and heavy and empty, and small birds blew in the wind and the wind turned their feathers.” The author has indicated in the first sentence that the war is still there, which can only bring death and blood. The deer and birds hung outside just symbolize the soldiers in the war. The war continues, and the wounded soldiers increase. In front of war, soldiers are like dead animals, helpless and desperate, tortured ruthlessly by wind and snow. In the end, they will also become stiff dead bodies, and no longer have feelings about wind, snow and coldness. When the author describes the hospital, he writes “there were usually funerals starting from the courtyard.” The hospital and the street are both familiar place for characters in the stories. However, they are both associated with death. Although they are far away from battlefield now, trauma of the war is still there. They cannot get over the fear of death. The war hurt soldiers body as well as their heart. They feel lonely and pathetic, and their hearts is as cold as the snow and wind outside. The war has destroyed their dream and normal life. They are desperate like these dead animals. The author expresses the abstract meaning by building the cold and bleak atmosphere. Through the short description, the theme is conveyed. The war is cruel and immoral. It destroys peoples body and heart. It also destroys peoples dream. All these deep meaning should be figured out by readers themselves so that it is much more charming and impressive.II. Conversation In in another country, Hemingway uses conversations between characters to shape the well-developed figures. Conversations can always express characters true feelings and emotions, and reveal their personality. Readers have to go deep into the conversations to understand the hidden meanings.A. Conversation between the major and the doctor Before the war, the major has been the greatest fencer in Italy. However, he hurts his hand in the war, which is a great disaster for him. The treatment of his wound is by a mashie, and he knows wont work. The major used to be passionate and determinate to fight for his country. But his dream does not realize and his career is also delayed. Under the circumstances, the major asks the doctor a rather witty question. “And will I too play football, captain-doctor?” Then the doctor brings the photograph of hands before the treatment and after the treatment. The major clearly knows the photographs are forged, but he doesnt debunk the lie. He just says: “Very interesting, very interesting.” The two remarks show that the major is still very gentle and respectable in such a terrible situation. To some extent, it shows the “code hero” spirit of the major. Though he is seriously hurt, his spirit cannot be beat down. Readers will feel majors greatness in those two short sentences. However, when the doctor asks whether he has confidence, the major just answers: “No.” Although the major takes the treatment, but he does not self-deceive that his hand can be cured. He dare face the reality, which makes him more respectable.B. Conversation between “me” and the major There are also many conversations between the major and “me”. One example is as follows. “What will you do when the war is over if it is over?” he asked me. “Speak grammatically!” Normally, “I” only need to answer what I will do when the war is over. But the major use a conditional sentence, and inform “me” to pay attention to the grammar. Apparently, there are deep meanings in the sentence. The first sentence of the story has indicated that the war was always there. Connected to “always”, the sentence expresses the endlessness of the war and the misery it brings to soldiers. The war has become an atmosphere and a condition. People can never get rid of it. The war is always accompanied by death and blood. Fear, desperation and destruction filled the air. It reminds readers of the soldiers in the World War One, and reminds readers of how desperate these soldiers are. “I” wish to go back to the States and hope to get marry. But for the major, whether the war ended has no meaning any more, as his beloved wife has died. Therefore, when they talk about marriage, the majors reaction is especially passionate. “He cannot marry. He cannot marry, he said angrily. If he is to lose everything, he should not place himself in a position to lose that. He should not place himself in a position to lose. He should find things he cannot lose.” His wife died after the major went to the war. The war causes the major a wounded hand, and also leaves him a wound that would never heal in his heart. He is very sad he has lost his wife. He is angry about him that he has a wife but he loses her. What he really wants to express is that if people cannot provide a good condition for their wives, they should not marry. The major deeply regret that he cannot protect his wife.III. Actions Actions of characters are also a special language. It can reveal the inner mind of the character and arouse the imagination of readers. Hemingway uses the action of the major to express the majors feelings and shape the personality of the major.A. The major bites his lips When the major talks about his wife, the author uses a serious of actions. “He said and choked. And then crying, his head up looking at nothing, carrying himself straight and soldierly, with tears on both cheeks and biting his lips, he walked past the machines and out the door.” The author mentioned several times that the major bites his lips. It expresses the great sorrow of the major and the strong heart of a soldier. Readers can know from the story that the major was hit by double blow in the war. First, as a fencer, he wounded his hand. He cannot fight in the war any more. But neither can he live a normal life. Second, his young wife has left him for good. He failed to protect her. He cannot realize his value as a soldier, and his marriage also turns out to be a tragedy. However, as a soldier, he has to be strong-minded. So he bites his lips to control his sad feelings. He cries, because he is a normal man with emotions but he never shows his weakness. He keeps his head up just indicate the soldiers spirit.B. The major looks out of the windowThe action that the major looks out of the window also appears several times in the story. And the story ended with the action. Readers will be attracted by the action and imagine what the major is looking at and even imagine his inner mind. The environment outside is filled with dark night, cold wi