【英语论文】小男孩在《老人与海》中的作用-The Roles of the Boy in The Old Man and theSea.doc

1、小男孩在老人与海中的作用THE ROLES OF THE LITTLE BOY IN THE OLD MAN AND THE SEAAbstractThe Old Man and the Sea tells the frustrated experience that the old fisherman fishes in the course. The theme is deep, and it is a song of praise of heroism. “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not def

2、eated” has been the classic saying and the old man also has been the most typical and the most representative of the Hemingways “tough guy”. When Hemingway talked about the successful factors later, the little boy was mentioned in the same breath with the old man.This paper starts with the details a

3、nd it is divided into two main parts to discuss the indispensable roles of the little boy in the novel. It is him who helps to perform the theme of “grace under pressure”: during 40 days, the old man with the little boy went to fish but without taking a fish, when his situation was getting worse ste

4、p by step, the little boys leaving was the heavy pressure that achieved the extreme stern for certain. However, it was so “heavy pressure” that his manner was graceful when the old man faced afterwards defeat and his optimistic, generous life attitude was worthy tasting by people carefully; it is hi

5、m who plays the role of leading, inspiring to the readers, and increasing the appeal of the work, enriching the content of the work: although the little boy appears only at the beginning and the ending in the novel, there is nothing in his inner state but the old man, so his attitude and emotions to

6、wards the old man affects the readers emotions for the old man quietly and gradually. And it is unavoidable that his inner feeling leads and impacts the readers emotions.Key words: roles; the little boy; the old man; grace under pressure; The Old Man and the Sea小男孩在老人与海中的作用摘 要老人与海讲述了老渔夫捕鱼过程中的坎坷经历，主题

7、深刻，是一部英雄主义的赞歌。“一个人不是生来就要被打败的，你可以消灭他，但就是打不败他。”已经成为至理名言，老人也成为海明威式“硬汉子”的最典型、最完美的代表。当海明威谈到小说成功的因素时，曾颇为自得地将小男孩与老人相提并论。本文拟从有关细节入手，分析讨论小男孩在老人与海中所起的微妙且不可或缺的作用：是他帮助表现了“重压下的优雅风度”这一主题：在老人84天没有捕到鱼，处境一步步恶化的厄运中，小男孩的离去无疑让老人的“重压”达到了极度严峻的地步，然而正是由于如此的“重压”，老人后来面对失败时的态度才可谓“优雅”，所表现的大度、乐观的人生态度才值得人们仔细地品味；是他对读者发挥着一定的牵引、打动和

8、启发作用，从而增强了作品的感染力，丰富了作品的内涵：孩子虽然只出现在小说的首尾两处，但是孩子的内心世界里别无他物，只有老人，他对老人的态度和感情潜移默化地左右着读者对老人的感受，他的内心情感无可避免地要牵动影响着读者的情绪。关键词：作用；小男孩；老人；重压下的优雅风度；老人与海Contents1. Introduction11.1 About the background11.2 About the novel12. The roles of the boy in The Old Man and The Sea22.1 Helping show the old mans pressure22.

9、2 Offering a method to perform the old mans grace32.3 The little boy is the best complement to the old mans character43. The roles in moving and inspiring readers73.1 The little boys emotion73.2 The little boys sympathy in the static stage83.3 The little boys respect and worry in the subtle, fluctua

10、ting stage83.4 The little boys affirmation in the outbreak stage84. Conclusion9NotesBibliographyAcknowledgementsThe Roles of the Boy in The Old Man and the Sea1. Introduction1.1 About the background Before 1952, Hemingway has met the cold shoulder and attack in the sector which lasts for nearly a de

11、cade. To rescue the declining reputation, he publishes a new work, that is, The Old Man and the Sea. He believes firmly that it is the best work he can write in his lifetime. William Faulkner considers it as the most excellent work in this generation. Because of this work Hemingway wins the Pulitzer

12、 in 1952 and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954 which push his writing career to the peak.The Old Man and the Sea is so important to Hemingway and the American literature that there are lots of comments about it. But the research on the little boy, Mandolin, is minimal. It seems that his role is

13、 irrelevant and unimportant to the novel. In fact, the appearance of the little boy is the emergence of a coincidence according to his role in the work.Hemingway published a piece of communication entitled On the Blue Water in the Esquire in April, 1936. The Old Man and the Sea is written on the bas

14、ic of the material. In the middle of the novel, we can always feel the existence of the boy, because the old man thinks of the little boy for more than ten times during the three intense and arduous days. Moreover, when Hemingway talked about the factors of the novels success later, the little boy i

15、s mentioned in the same breath with the old man that he is lucky to have a good old man and a little boy, and some writers have forgotten these things recent. This shows Hemingway lays his artistic creativity and ingenuity on the little boy. So the little boys role in this novel is worthy being cons

16、idered by critics and readers.1.2 About the novelThe Old Man and the Sea earned its author the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 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 w

17、ithout taking a fish. Therefore, the boy, Mandolin, who used to sail with him, is forced to leave him and catch in another boat. 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

18、 tows the old man and his boat but to see for 48 hours, with the old man hearing 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

19、, he succeeds in drawing the weekend marlin to the surface and harpoons it. On his way home, he lashes marlin alongside his boat because its too big to be pulled into the boat. But, unfortunately, the come across sharks as much might and many weapons as he can summon, but only to find a giant skelet

20、on of his marlin left after his desperate defense. At last, Santiago, having lost what he fought for, reached the shore and struggles to his shack. He falls into sound sleep, dreaming of Africa and the lions again. His struggle wins his much respect.2. The roles of the boy in The Old Man and the Sea

21、2.1 Helping show the old mans pressureOne of the brightest spots in The Old Man and the Sea is the perfect expression of Hemingways quality of grace under pressure, which is composed of two factors: pressure and grace. And pressure is the premise: only under the background of pressure will the hero

22、have the elegant manners in the real significance. These two factors are mostly shown by the little boy. To show pressure, Hemingway describes the background of the story in four levels by picturing the details when the little boy leaves the old man. In this way, he stresses the heavy pressure at th

23、e very beginning of the novel, which lays a necessary premise and an atmosphere for the so-called grace. To show the grace, Hemingway describes several details when the old man gets together with the little boy under the pressure at the beginning and the end of the novel, drawing the image and targe

24、ts in describing the image of the old man.First is the heavy pressure. The first sentence of this novel accounts the difficulties that the old man faced: the old man has been futile for 84 days. This is of course, sympathetic to people, but it is not enough to arouse peoples sympathy only by a numbe

25、r and the pressure it stated is also ambiguous. Whats more, the manners later discussed is difficult to move the readers and the novels depth will be affected while it is difficult to make a clear sense through a few words and the old mans alone appearing in the novel. So Hemingway gives a considera

26、ble description of the little boy in order to set off a gradual deterioration situation of the old man. In this increasing pressure, the old mans failure is particular tragic, and the manner of the old man to the failure is elegant.At the beginning, the old man and the little boy sailed together eve

27、ry day, but they do not catch any fish for more than 40 days, which is quite “unlucky”,1 this is the first layer of pressure. At this time, the boy is forced to leave the old man and catches on another boat followed his parents order, thus the old man is left alone in his boat which is a symbol of h

28、is failure. Obviously, failure and loneliness is the second level of pressure. The boy began to learn to fish following the old man when he is only five. The old mans wife passed away several years ago, so the child is actual his only companion in his lonely life, and the departure of the little boy

29、 at this unfortunate moment is undoutable a heavy blow to him. Previously, it has said that the little boy does not appear in the material on which the story based. The little boy is imaged by Hemingway as the sole partner and assistant of the old man, and then takes him away from the old man mercil

30、essly, which is the so-called “giving it before taking it”. In this way, the old mans miserable situation becomes even worse. Moreover, after the boys leaving, the old man does not catch any fish for 44 days which makes bear an almost desperate feeling. This is the third level of pressure. Although

31、the first and third level of the pressure having nothing to do with the little boy, the boys leaving divides the 84 days into three levels to increase the pressure layer by layer, thereby creating a sense of more and more, dignified.On the other hand, “the boy has gone at their order in another boat

32、 which caught three good fish the first week” 2, after his leaving, so it forms a sharp contrast between the old mans deteriorate fate and the little boys. As we all known, the fishermen all believe in the luck very much. In the novel, Hemingway deliberately uses the word “salao” and stresses it is

33、the superior degree of the “unlucky”. And we can see that the old man also believes firmly in fortune from the words he usually uses such as “lucky”, “gamble”, “take your chance”, 3 and the detail that he buys lottery tickets to bet on his fortune. Thus, it is common to others if they catch fish wit

34、h a sudden transit, but the White House meets the little boy who has followed the old man for 40 days “without taking a fish”. 4It is more certain that the old man is being in “unlucky” 5 according to the fishermens opinion. Beyond any doubt, it is a heavy blow to the old man and almost puts him int

35、o despair. Although here Hemingway can keep calm a distance from his own feelings when he describes the hero of the novel, it is not difficult for the readers understand to the old mans situationfull of failure, loneliness, embarrassment, and nearly in despair only because he is able to describes ac

36、curately the details which can arose the readers feeling in an appropriate order. It is this pressure that force the old man to “go far to fish”,6 therefore having the following experience.Hemingways story has once been accused that the scenes are too narrow. But not all the literary works must purs

37、ue a grand scene. Here Hemingway put a lonely old man into a confined environment in order to match the heros real situation. Whats more, although the scene is limited, it can also show the authors originality if he may arrange the content well in this limited scene. It is thus method that makes the

38、 beginning of the novel more wonderful. Here Hemingway uses a unique scent way to sympathy to his hero. We can fell his sympathy for the people with deserves sympathy. This is Hemingways style.2.2 Offering a method to perform the old mans gracePressure has been stated, but how the old mans grace is

39、performed vividly in the novel, it is not exact to say that the grace is only lies in the brave and tenacity in his fight with fish. Grace is not a simple or notional thing but always reflected in peoples inner and external behaviors especially in facing with difficulties, while the boy in this nove

40、l offers an important way to represent the old mans grace.Although, the old man lives under a heavy pressure, he always has a natural and unaffected attitude. The child has learnt fishing skills following the old man when he was 5 years old. And now the old man is at low ebb in his life and is trapp

41、ed by bad luck, but the child leaves him and gets a great success in another boat. If this happens on others, even they do not hate the child, there will be an unbalance in their heart. But the old man shows his broad mind and understanding. He says to the boy: “I know you leave me not because you d

42、o not believe me.”7 When the little boy leaves him at his parents order and catches another boat, the old man says: “I know, it is quite normal.”8 Having no result after three days hard working but when he is told that the boy has a harvest every day in these days, however, he does not feel any unpl

43、easant at all. Instead, he feels happy for him and remarks “very good” 9 immediately. In addition, although the old man is isolate and unlucky, he is not in a spirit of sensitive to the concern of others. By contrary, he accepts the boys care calmly. He does not take it for granted that students oug

44、ht to care teachers, but views the child as his peer and partner. The little boy also worries about if the old man has become over-sensitive in such an embarrassed situation. Therefore, he asks tentatively whether the old man is willing to drink a cup of beer with him or not. And the old man agreed:

45、 “why not?” “Between fishermen” 10 While they are drinking, many fishermen laugh at the old man, but he does not become angry. After drinking, the old man says to the boy: “you bought me a beer.” “You are already a man.”11 These details show that the old man is reasonable, amiable and kind-hearted a

46、s well as has a natural and healthy life attitude. His understanding for life has reached a simple and natural realm. This is the grace.Secondly, the old man has another minute side in his character. Actually, the old man is the model of Hemingways “tough guy”, but it does not mean that he is a stub

47、born fool or dumb cow. Let us see how he wakes the child up in the morning. “He took told of one foot gently and held it until the boy woke and turned and looked at him”12, but his warmth does not affect his image of “tough guy” at all. On the contrary, the background of standing great pressure in s

48、pirit just makes the old mans grace keeping in the balance of hard and soft.The old man has a confident and optimistic life attitude in the novel. In fact, the old man would like to let the boy return to him very much in his mind. But when the boy asks to return to the boat by himself, the old man r

49、ejects: “no you are with a lucky boat, stay with them.” “If you were my boy. I would take you out and gamble. But you are your fathers and your mothers and you are in a lucky boat.”13 Because the boys leaving is falling his parents order, the old man does not want to put him in a embarrass situation and let the boy get a little bad luck from him which reflects his high