英文版“老人与海”的英雄特征分析

英文版“老人与海”的英雄特征分析 An Analysis of the Heroic Characteristics in "The Old Man And The Sea" ABSTRACT Hemingway was one of the most famous novelists in America. He created a perfect image of Code Hero: antiago in The Old Man and the Sea Swhich won Hemingway Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. The Old Man and is one of the most influential and far-reaching novels of the literary treasure of the world. It’s so widely-read the Sea that people consider that “Whatever there is an intellectual, people know Hemingway and nobody knows Hemingway without knowing his works The Old Man and the Sea”. Why the novel is so widely read? Why is it so influential and why is it so loved by the people of different colors and different nations? Surely many factors may contribute to the success of the novel. But the main factor, no doubt, is the touching and unforgettable portrait of the immortal artistic figure, Santiago, a representative of Code Hero. In the introduction of the essay, I will make a brief description about the contents of this novel and point out the main idea of the novel. The content of the essay is to analyze the characteristics of Code Hero. And then I will set out framework of the essay. The first part of the body is the background information. Through the introduction to Hemingway’s legend life, we find some common points between the author and the old man, and the most familiar point is that both of them have the spirit of Code Hero. In the second part of the body, I will portray the process of his catching Marlin and fighting with the sharks. Then I will analyses the spirit of Code Hero. The spirit is concentrated on four areas: First, never give up hopes in any difficult conditions; secondly, keep daring spirit and never admit defeat in the process of fighting; thirdly, behave heroically in the actual battle; and last, endure the loneliness in the long process of the fighting. The last part of the essay is the conclusion. This paper will analyze the image of the old man, reveal the characteristics of Code Hero, and advocate the spirit of never giving up. KEY WORDS:The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway, Code Hero, Santiago OUTLINE Abstract Introduction I.Background Information 1.1 The introduction to the author 1.2 The introduction to the novel background II.The Introduction to The Old Man and the Sea III. The study of the heroic characteristics 3.1 Everlasting hope for the future 3.2 Unyielding spirit for facing the challenge 3.3 Heroic behavior in the actual battle Conclusion Introduction The Old Man and the Sea was published in 1952 and was one of Hemingway’s most successful novels which won Hemingway Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. The novel writes a very simple story which chronicles the adventure of Santiago, based on a true story of a Cuba fisherman. After eighty-four days without catching a fish, Santiago, an old Cuban hooks a giant fish. For two days and two nights the old man holds on while the fish pulls him further and further. Finally he kills the fish and ties it to his skiff. Almost at once, brutal sharks begin to take his price away. He struggles against the sharks with the harpoon, the oar, the knife, the short club. The sharks eat all but the bones of the fish. Half dead with exhaustion, he brings the skeleton home and makes his way to bed and dreams of his golden time. In the novel, Hemingway creates an immortal artistic figure, Santiago, a representative of Code Hero. Santiago is a poor fisherman who lives alone and has finally lost all will to live. Every day is the same dull, monotonous routine. His wife had died; his only comfort is a boy. The chief point about Santiago is that he behaves perfectly and honorably, with great courage and endurance. While losing to the sharks the giant fish he has caught, he comes with the message that while man may row old, and be wholly down on his luck, he can still dare to stick to the rules, persist when he is destroyed, and thus g by the manner of his losing to win his victory. I also want to point out that the novel not only describes the fight between human and nature and fate but also indicates Hemingway’s Code Hero getting to its summit. Although the old man in the novel is weak and in the grim fate of pressure, he also shows the spirit of Code Hero. This paper will analyze the image of the old man, reveal the characteristics of Code Hero, and advocate the spirit of never giving up. I.Background Information 1.1 The introduction to the author Ernest Hemingway (1896-1961) was a novelist and short story writer who became one of the best-known American authors in his century. He was famous for his experience and unique artistic style all over the world. According to The Old Man and the Sea (1952), Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. Hemingway centers his novels on personal experience and affections. He could not cope with post-war America, and therefore he introduced a new type of character in writing called the “Code Hero”. Hemingway is known to focus his novels around code heroes who struggle with the mixture of their tragic faults and the surrounding environment. Moreover, Hemingway’s creation not only originated from life true to life but superior to life. Hemingway is a realism writer, consequently, copied something mechanically. He was also a master of turning reality into fiction, representing not only what had actually happened but also what logically might happen. He didn’t lay special emphasis by his inner beauty. So Santiago leaved an indelible impression to us. Hemingway once said that The Old Man and the Sea could be in a longer novel. In the novel, he could describe many other villagers and how they made a lively life, how they were educated, how they bore children, and so on. But he omitted all those, only describing, the old man and the process of fishing the Marlin and fighting the sharks. Besides, Hemingway not only reflected real life but also expressed himself in his work. Or, we can say, Hemingway’s creation is superior to life. However there is a question, “Is Hemingway timid and pessimistic, so that he is committed suicide?” The answer, of course, is “No”, Hemingway suffered much illness and injury and he committed suicide at last. But his suicide cannot show he was timid and pessimistic. On the contrary, he set upon image of braver because he regarded his illness and injury as his “enemy”such as the sharks. He used his life as a weapon, in order to get rid of his “enemy”, he would rather choose to die. He and his “enemy” ended in common ruin. 1.2 The introduction to the novel background Hemingway defined the Code Hero as “a man with lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful” (The American Tradition in Literature, Page78). He showed, in his famous phrase for it, “grace under pressure”. In the end the Code Hero will lose because we are all mortal, but the true measure is how a person faces death. The code believes in “Nada”, a Spanish word meaning nothing. Along with this, there is nothing after life. II.The Introduction to The Old Man and the Sea Hemingway’s view of human nature is that happiness is rare and is found within a man and not in his outside circumstance or surroundings. Hemingway illustrates this in three ways. First, he portrays the human nature of Santiago, the main character, as being one of humility and compassion, full of strength and pride. He is shown not as a gleefully happy man, but one who meets life with a serene, quiet resilience. Second, Santiago’s fellow villagers are shown as shallow, with a narrow view of life compared to his. Their focus on appearances is in sharp contrast to Santiago’s focus on intrinsic values. Third, it will be shown that his rare brand of happiness comes from within. To Hemingway, the dignity of a man should be so important to that man that he is willing to die for it. Most likely that is the reason Santiago went deep into that sea, following the Marlin, tearing the skin off his hands as he held on to that line. This is also why Santiago risked his life catching the Marlin. Finally, he caught the marlin, he was proud of himself that he so extremely wanted. When the sharks attack the fish, it is as same as the sharks attacking his dignity. This is mostly why an elderly man, armed only with crude weapons would fight many sharks. As the sharks tear apart the Marlin bit by bit, it is as they are tearing apart his dignity bit by bit. That is why Santiago found the courage to fight off sharks to protect his dignity. Hemingway shows that a man will not risk his life for his dignity, then what is in that life to live for? Even though the old man lost the battle with the sharks at the end, “his persistent determination makes him as a perfect Code Hero”(The American Tradition in Literature, Page82). He had done everything a person possibly could have. Through Santiago Hemingway told us that we are wholly down on our luck and destroyed in the end. Then we should conduct ourselves just like the old fisherman, not be pessimistic and disappointed but to keep on struggling until we get what we want. That is, undefeated spirit is most important. This is also the normal principle of Hemingway. I think Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea was Hemingway himself. In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway was fond of him and sang high praise of him. He placed his personal experience on the old man and reflected some of his innate characters. Hemingway merged himself with Santiago in thoughts and feelings. The spirit of Santiago lasted and re-embodied on Hemingway. Throughout Santiago, the old man cannot accept the fact that he is getting old and that he slowly casting his strength. Hemingway in reality was having the same problems. He was getting old and things he once did, he no longer could do. Just as Hemingway could not accept that fact, neither could his character: Santiago. In fact, Hemingway utilized his life to show that he was an unconquerable “old lion”. III. The study of the heroic characteristics 3.1 Everlasting Hope for the Future One may lose the battle in life, but he can achieve a moral significance after his courage, bravery and ability to endure have been tested. Because hope does not die, power is not off. Even if the hope is slim, we also must try our best to fight for it. The author believes that, hope makes the old man to fight with the Marlin, fight with the sharks and fight with his own will. At the beginning of the novel, the author portrays the image of the old man. “The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of the neck. The brown blotched 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 cords. But none of these scars were flesh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert”(The Old Man and the Sea, Page1). When we read sympathy to the old man and think that he cannot do anything. Further more, Santiago’s here, we maybe show our life is not in good condition. He lives in a shack in which there is only a bed, one chair and a place on the dirty floor to cook with charcoal. He is so poor that had no “pot of yellow rice and fish to eat”(The Old Man and the Sea, Page2). While sailing for fishing, he has only a bottle of water with him. He leads a lonely life. His wife died leaving him no children. Except a boy he once taught to fish, he has few friends. It seems that few people care him. What is more, he is a failure in catching fish. For eighty-four days he fished in a skiff without taking a fish. Eighty-four days is a long period of time. Eighty-four days without a fish is very unfortunate for a fisherman. For a weather-beaten, poverty-stricken and lonely old man like Santiago, the misery might be beyond anyone’s intolerance. For a man can tolerate failure, but can’t tolerate continuous failure. Too much failure will sure defeat a man even with strong will. For this reason, we may arrive at the conclusion that Santiago will give up fishing. But to our surprise, the color of the character is brighter in the following, “everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated” (The Old Man and the Sea, Page2). What makes the old man make such a decision under the difficult condition? Through the man, the author points out—even though life is harder, even the wretched standpoint, “But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day”(The Old Man and the Sea, Page22). This is the hope for the future, never giving up hope for the future. 3.2 Unyielding spirit for facing the challenge The process of the old man’s fishing is just like the human’s whole life. Everyone in the world lives a hard life and has to face the vast and vast sea, the greedy sharks with sharp tooth, and along with himself is just a boat and his soul that support him live in the world. Facing with the respected but fearsome nature, the human being is so insignificant. However the author has raised such a question: by what the human being should have to live in the work? At the same time, the author answered this question by portraying the way that the old man faces the sea and deals with the sharks alone. “Just then, watching his lines, he saw one of the projecting green sticks dip sharply.” (The Old Man and the Sea, Page31) A big fish is hooked. At the first round of contest, the old man suppresses his own desire and waits the fish to eat the hook quietly. The old man’s silent sounds reflect his strong desire from the deep heart. Next is the contest of the strength. The old man “swing with each arm alternately on the cord with all the strength of his arm and the pivoted weight of his body.” But “nothing happened. The fish just moved away slowly and the old man could not raise him an inch.” The fish is so big that can pull away the boat to the wider deep sea. At one side is a very old man, and at the other side is unfathomable sea and unknown injuries, the readers can imagine the picture. Hegel ever said, “The great personality and the degree of firmness can only be measured by those of the opponents.” (The Image in Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and the Sea’, Page24) The old man’s admirable courage is also demonstrated by the opponent—the sea and the sharks. When the old man was young, his spirit of daring to be the number one has been accumulated. The author portrays that the old man played the hand game with a great Negrofrom Casablanca who was the strongest man on the docks, “they had gone one day and one night with their elbows on a chalk line on the table and their forearms straight up and their hands gripped tight. Each one was trying to force the other’s hand down onto the table.” “He had unleashed his effort and forced the hand of the negro down and down until it rested on the wood. ” (The Old Man and the Sea, Page57) “He decided that he could beat anyone if he wanted to badly enough and …”(The Old Man and the Sea, Page59) It’s no doubt that, the age of being full of energy and power has gone and the old man is not stronger than ever before. But from the novel we can see that the old man is so eager to regain the power. He pursues what is called a eternal thing—dignity of the human. 3.3 Heroic Behavior in the Actual Battle Definitely a midget in spiritual couldn’t become an actual giant. If a person has strong will but he takes no actual action, he is still a midget. Santiago doesn’t only have spiritual power, he also prove his power and strength by his action. By describing the process of his fishing the Marlin and fighting with the sharks, Hemingway shows us another characteristic of Santiago as a code hero. That is, to display great tenacity and to show the death—defying spirit in the actual battle. With his exceeding self-confidence he gets rid of his bad luck and catches the fish which is longer than his skiff. The Marlin is immense and strong. Santiago and the Marlin, neither side is ready to yield. The great fish is also a remarkable and respectable fish. The Marlin is actually towing the skiff behind him. The fish moves steadily and they travels slowly on the calm water. Then Santiago meets with a more terrible disaster. The sharks spring on the Marlin and want to take his prize away. The old fisherman doesn’t fold his hands and wait for destruction. Instead, he bravely determines to fight them until he dies. Actually the old man’s head is clear and good now. He is full of resolution to fight with them until the sharks. But he knows that there is little hope for him to win since he is so weary and so tired. He knows the failure is inevitable. But he should behave as a man in the battle field. With his blood mashed hands he rams the harpoon n onto the biggest shark, but the shark takes his harpoon away. So he lashes his knife to the butt of one of the dow oars. Then he takes up the oar with the knife blade snaps. In the dark, groups of sharks spring onto the Marlin. He knows that his triumph is too good to last. But on the other hand, “man is not made for defeat,” (The Old Man and the Sea, Page89) this declaration clearly presents his characteristic as a Code Hero. “This fidelity to what he believes is part of his quixotic gallantry.” In facing so many sharks, Santiago doesn’t show any fear. He pulls himself together and fights the sharks more fiercely. Conclusion In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway vividly creates an image of Code Hero. Santiago emerges as a hero who reflects the author’s own life attitude. That is, to fight through the failure is inevitable and to show dignity and grace under pressure. Santiago has strong will, self-confidence and resolution to overcome all kinds of difficulties in his life. Even though he knows that he cannot win the battles, he still tries all his best to fight in order to show his dignity and courage and bravery and skill. He is a failed hero in the battle, though with his fall and failure, he wins our love and respect. We should not only appreciate the Code Hero but also try to be a man like Code Hero. Especially in the present society, everyone may confront failure, from the study or from the work. What we learn from the Code Hero can help us conduct ourselves well as “bad luck” is coming, that, to show “grace under pressure” (Elegant Demeanor under Heavy Pressure, Page2). We shall never give up hopes in any difficult conditions, keep daring spirit and never admit defeat in the process of fighting.and last, endure the loneliness in the long process of the fighting. If we did that, we can behave like the old man, and no longer be afraid of any difficult things. In our future studying and working, we will overcome difficult problems with the confidence of bounding to win.