The Analysis of Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea

Abstract：The Old Man and the Sea is the last novel published by Hemingway and it is also a famous literary work that established his prominent position in the world literary. In concise and calm words， the novel tells the story of an old Cuban fisherman， Santiago， who fights with the tenacious big marlins and fierce sharks in the stormy sea. Focusing on the author’s life experience， this paper analyzes the symbolic meaning of the old fisherman and sea， combined with the social background.

Key words：The Old Man and the Sea; symbolism; Hemingway

1.The symbolic meaning of the old fisherman

The old fisherman Santiago is the hero of this book and the correct interpretation of this role is the most important thing in understanding this work. Liu Yi pointed out： “ Santiago is not limited to a specific person， but symbolizes a human group. He is the demonstration of the value of human life.”

The paper contends that the author， obviously integrated their own character and appearance into the old fisherman while creating. In the perspective of appearance， Santiago， the old fisherman in the story， is skinny， with deep wrinkles on his face and brown skin， but he has clear and sea-like eyes with aura and confidence. And the old Hemingway is the same in appearance. In terms of character， Hemingway has inherited his father’s interest since childhood， including hunting， fishing， climbing， and camping. After graduating from high school， He rejected a college invitation despite his father’s opposition and became a reporter.

After the World War I， in order to get as close as possible to the front line， Hemingway once again resigned as a journalist despite his father’s opposition and became a driver of the Red Cross injury rescue team. He loves nature and peace， with rebellious and adventurous spirit， the same as the old man. And in his early novel Farewell to Weapon， he also tried to portray himself as the hero. So it is not wrong to think that Santiago symbolized himself. Besides， when writing this novel， He has visited many countries， having left his footprints in Cuba， France， Italy， China and Africa. His extensive knowledge and great influence made Hemingway become a veritable “world citizen”. So he also gives Santiago some symbolic meaning， representing the common hope of all mankind.

To sum up， the symbolic significance of Santiago mainly has three main aspects， respectively representing himself， the American people and all mankind.

2. The symbolic meaning of the sea

The sea is vast and changeable， sometimes calm but sometimes stormy. As for the symbolic meaning of the sea， the academic basically holds the following three views. First， the sea symbolizes the elusive fate of mankind and the fickle society. Second， it symbolizes the supreme creator. Last， the old man’s dependence on the sea.

The paper believes that the study of this problem should start from the famous “Hemingway curse”. Hemingway’s father died in a pistol suicide in 1961; Hemingway ended his life with a shotgun in the home by himself; Five years later， his sister， due to cancer and depression， committed drug suicide; In secret， Hemingway was sent to a famous psychiatric clinic in Minnesota to receive psychological treatment. Doctors believe that he suffers from a mental illness —— manic depression. This fact is also evident in his family.

People with manic depression yearn for the extreme and have a strong sense of insecurity about the world. He was born in a family with the history of manic depression， so his symptoms may be more intense. Honor， status or wealth could not bring him happiness. Even marriage can’t bring him real happiness （he had divorced three times when he wrote this book）. In the work， the sea is the embodiment of the goddess of respect， love and fear in the heart of the old fisherman. The sea represents his yearning for women， the careful mother and delicate wife， serving as a missing female position in the work.

To sum up， the symbolism of the sea mainly has three aspects. First， it symbolizes the nature and real world full of challenges and dangers; Second， it symbolizes the author’s love and fear of marriage and the women;Third， the supreme creator.

Conclusion

In The Old Man and the Sea， the extensive use of symbolism has greatly enriched the connotation of the work. For example， the old fisherman was endowed with the symbolic meaning of Hemingway himself， while the sea was given the symbolic meaning of the society. Meanwhile， Hemingway also expressed his good wishes for the future in the slightly sad ending.

参考文献：

[1] 葛英.“《老人与海》中象征主义分析.”时代文学：下半月8（2011）：2.

[2] 徐劲.“《老人与海》与海明威之死.”外国文学研究2（1997）：3.

[3] 杨仁敬.“论海明威与象征主义.”外国语言文学29.1（2012）：6.

作者简介：姓名：杨明海，出生（2000.1.8），性别男，民族汉族，籍贯四川宜宾，职务学生，学历研究生在读，单位四川师范大学成龙校区，研究方向翻译。