unit-15-The-Old-Man-and-the-Sea

byErnestHemingway1952Unit15TheOldManandtheSeaErnestMillerHemingway(1899—1961)6/7/2020LifeandexperiencesLeadingspokesmanforthe“lostgeneration”,novelist,short-storywriter,journalistwarexperiencesinItaly&Spain,lifeinParis,Cuba1954,theNobelPrize1961,suicideLiteraryWorksTheSunAlsoRises(1926)《太阳照样升起》paintstheimageofawholegeneration—thelostgeneration,spiritualcrisisAFarewelltoArms(1929)《永别了，武器》basedonhiswarexperienceinItaly,alovetragedyintheWar,theloverscalled“modernRomeoandJuliet”,firmlyestablishedH’sreputationForWhomtheBellTolls(1940)《丧钟为谁而鸣》（《战地钟声》）BasedonhisexperienceasajournalistinSpainduringitscivilwar,anti-FascismTheOldManandtheSea(1952)《老人与海》Oneofhisbest,winningtheNobelPrizeShortstorycollections:MenwithoutWomen(1927)《没有女人的男人》WinnerTakeNothing(1933)《胜者无所得》Play:TheFifthColumn(1940)《第五纵队》Majorthemes1.HemingwayThemewithaHemingwayHero:Inonesense,Hemingwaywroteallhislifeaboutonetheme,whichisneatlysummedupinthefamousphrase,“graceunderpressure”,andcreatedaherowhoactsthatthemeout.Hemingwayhero,isamanofactionwhocoollyexhibitsgraceunderpressurewhileconfrontingdeath.WritingStyle:ColloquialinfluencefromMarkTwainandhisjournalistcareerConcrete,specific,common-foundwordsSimple,short,evenungrammaticalsentencesDirect,clearandpositivestyle,yethighlyconnotativeThestylewasdescribedas“iceberg”TheNobelPrizeCommitteepraisedHemingwayhad“powerfulstyleformingmasteryoftheart”.Itwaspublishedin1952afterthebleakesttenyearsinHemingway’sliterarycareerandwasthelastnovelpublishedinHemingway’slifetime.Butitwasaninstantsuccess.Thisshortnovelwonthe1953PulitzerPrizeforFictionandplayedasignificantroleinHemingway’sselectionfortheNobelPrizeforLiteraturein1954.QuestionsFocalpoint:Afterthefirstsharkattack,Santiagosays:“Manisnotmadefordefeat…amancanbedestroyedbutnotdefeated.”Attheendofthestory,istheoldmandefeated?Whyorwhynot?Difficultpoint:What’stherelationshipbetweentheoldmanandthemarlin(orthesea)?symbolismSantiago–mankind;sea–natureandenvironment;marlin–purposeoflife;shark–theevilforcewhichcontrolhuman’sfatetheme:theimportanceoflifeliesintheprocessofsearchingandresistance