冰山理论分析《老人与海》(英语)

【Abstract】: The Old Man and The Sea fully reflects the creative principle of the Ice berg Theory. Iceberg Theory is a kind of Literature creation theory,it means that huma n?s language to the expression of human?s mind just like iceberg,only one eighth is a bove water, and seven eighth is under water,means that human?s language can?t exp ress mind completely. Through one corner of the iceberg--the one eighth above the w ater, readers can strongly feel a great symbolic space of the seven eighth under the su rface of the water. The novel not only depicts the life of this mundane world, but also shows the symbolic meanings of life itself. This tiny tip of the iceberg makes us deeply understand the substantial meanings of the seven eighths under the water. This pape r tries to analyze the Symbolic art of the Iceberg Theory in The Old Man and The Sea. So this paper in the first part introduces the background of the author and the work, i n the second part introduced the background and definition of the Iceberg Theory. Th en it analyzes the work?s Significance of research, in the third part analysis the seven eighths under the water in detail, mainly refers to the deeply symbolic meanings of i mages, such as the little boy Manolin, the big marlin, the sea and so on. Through this thesis readers may have an in-depth understanding of this theory, and at the same ti me ,proved Hemingway …s iceberg theory reflects the demands of the times, creates a new literary style.

This paper research significance is the analysis of the theory of an iceberg clear f our basic elements: that is concise language, clear image and abundant emotion and profound thought.

【Key word】: Iceberg Theory The Old Man and The Sea symbolic significance

Analysis

1 The symbolic significance of the little boy

The little boy Manolin plays an indispensable role in The Old Man and the Sea. H e is not afraid of failure and he can face up to the failure, because the little boy regard s Santiago as a “fishing god”. Actually, it is the boy that makes the image of Santiago more plentiful.

The boy is a successor of the tough guy spirit of the old man. The boy sailed out with the old man from five years old. He learns not only skills of fishing but also the s pirit of strong will and courage from the old man. Although the old man has gone eigh t-four days without taking a fish, the boy still regards him as the best fisherman. He sa ys to the old man: “There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you.” The boy would like the old man to waken him up but not his ship owner be cause he doesn?t want to be an inferior. At the end of the story, “the boy saw the old man?s hands and he started to cry.”“all the way down the road he was crying”,“he di d not care that they saw him crying.”The cry obviously becomes a starting of more ma ture in the effect of the old man?s heroic personality. At the end of the novel, the boy insists on fishing together with the old man. This forms a striking contrast with the be ginning －“It was papa made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him”.Then the ol d man and the boy plan to “make the blade from a spring leaf from an old Ford” and fish together. The old man?s life continues on the boy. It seems that the boy follows t he old man and is growing up to another “tough guy”. The boy will learn everything a

s the old man?s successor.

So Manolin is the carrier on which Santiago shows his spirit. The existence of Ma nolin makes the image of Santiago more plentiful.

2 The symbolic significance of the big marlin

The big marlin is an important image in The Old Man and the Sea. In a sense, the big marlin creates the image of Santiago?s tough guy. It makes the image of tough gu y more vivid and inspires people to love life and overcome difficulties.

The big marlin is the biggest fish that Santiago has caught in his life. Santiago has been away eighty four days without taking a fish. On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago co ntinues to sail out and to fight against misfortune. Santiago is eager for catching a big fish, and he says to Manolin “Eighty five is a lucky number. How would you like to see me bring one in that dressed out over a thousand pounds? …I feel confident today.” T he repeated description easily evokes the readers of the persistent of a better future f rom ancient times to the present. Therefore, the repeatedly referred the big marlin in the novel is actually a symbol of a better future of humans.

Besides the big marlin is also a symbol of the glory. Given the relationship betwe en the big marlin and Santiago, Santiago is full of sympathy and affection of the feelin g of the big marlin. During the process of struggling with the big marlin, Santiago resp ects this strong opponent but he does not hate it all the time. Although Santiago has successfully captured the big marlin, its death is full of tragic color.

3 The symbolic significance of the sea

The sea is kind, but it is also cruel at the same time. But the old man “always tho ught of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors.”The sea is the place where Santiago must live and fight with enemies, and it is also the final d estination of Santiago. So the sea represents a fighting place and the human society. Hemingway doesn?t describe the sea objectively, but describes it by methods of medi tation, memory or saying to himself. The poisonous agua mala are the most beguiling creatures in the sea, but they are also the delicious food of the turtles. “The turtles sa w them, approached them from the front, then shut their eyes so they were complet ely carapaced and ate them filaments and all.” But the evil sharks are also cruel to the turtles. “It was these sharks that would cut the turtles? legs and flippers off when th e turtles were asleep on the surface.” So the turtles feed on agua mala and the sharks feed on the turtles. There are also the tuna which “shone sliver in the sun … jumping in all directions, churning the water and leaping in long jumps after the bait”and the b irds chased by the eagles with “small sad voices”.All of these make up a picture where the strong chase the weak and everyone has to fight for survival. It shows a forever tr uth of the nature.

Conclusion

By fully analysis of the Iceberg Theory, we know that in The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway shows the one-eighth of the iceberg by omission,and he shows the rest s

even-eighths through the symbolic significance of images such as the old man Santiag o, the little boy Manolin, the big marlin, the sharks, the sea and so on. We also have a deep understanding of the wonderful combination of the two parts.

In the past the novelists tell anything to you without omission if they are realists. Or they try their best to evoke the readers? emotions if they are romanticists. But He mingway wants to communicate with the readers by the Iceberg Theory. The theory is not only related to omission and briefness, but also to a question that how to express feelings and thoughts of authors in life. The Old Man and the Sea describes the fighti ng between human beings and the nature, but because of the use of the Iceberg The ory, it reflects the real cruel society and the suffering existed in life. What?s more, it a lso expresses a kind of optimistic emotion and the good hope of human?s future. He mingway?s Iceberg Theory reflects the need of the times and creates a new literary st yle.