100 must-read books for college students

Chapter 94

Chapter 93 A song about the struggle between man and nature: "The Old Man and the Sea"

This is a symbolist novel with full philosophical meaning and implicit allegory.It describes the old Cuban fisherman Santia
The story of my brother going out to sea to fish.The novel focuses on depicting the will of Santiago in the struggle against the shark symbolizing doom,

Perseverance and courage have successfully created the image of a tough guy who does not bow to fate.Famous quote in the novel: "A man is not born to
If you are defeated, you can eliminate him as much as you can, but you can't defeat him", which inspired many people.

The spirit of "The Old Man and the Sea" is undefeated

Ernest Hemingway (1899~1961), a famous American novelist.

In 1929, he published the famous work "The Sun Also Rises", and in 1929 he completed the novel "A Farewell to Arms".

"The Old Man and the Sea" is the masterpiece of Hemingway's later period. After it was published in "Life" magazine in 1952, it immediately produced a huge audience.

Impact.In its first two days alone, the magazine sold more than 530 million copies. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in 1954

bell award.

"The Old Man and the Sea" was originally titled "The Sea at This Moment".

On the surface, the story told in this book is very simple: Santiago went to sea for 84 days in a row, but got nothing, and then went to sea again.

Going out to sea for the first time, after three days and two nights of life-and-death struggle, he finally caught an extra-large marlin, but was attacked by a fish on the way back.
The attack of a large group of sharks, they surrounded the marlin tightly, and you fought for each other. Although the old man fought hard, it was of no avail at last.
By the time they returned to the port, the marlin had been torn apart, leaving only a huge skeleton.The characters portrayed in the works are also

It is simple, there are only two images in the whole story: the old fisherman Santiago and the child Manolin.However, if an in-depth analysis of
, we will find that this seemingly simple story contains multiple layers of complex meanings, and it is a huge and profound symbol
structure:

First, it writes about the confrontation and struggle between man and nature in a realistic way, praising man's unyielding in the face of mysterious and unpredictable natural forces.
The indomitable and fearless spirit expresses the lofty theme of "You can destroy him, but you can't defeat him".

Santiago is the central image of the work.Hemingway deserves to be a master at shaping characters. When portraying this character, he cherishes ink like ink.
Jin, just a few touches made the image of an ordinary laborer come alive on the paper "every part of him looks old, except

those eyes.Those eyes, as blue as the sea, are
Cheerful, not depressing. "This is simply the finishing touch, the author only touches "those eyes" a little

, has given people an insight into the high-spirited and philosophical spiritual world of the old man.The old man had not caught fish for 87 consecutive days in the past, and now he has
He could not catch a fish in 84 days, but he was not discouraged, and he was still refreshed and went to sea again.when the first shark comes to attack

, he harpooned it and several more sharks came after him and he killed them one by one with a knife attached to an oar

.Now his hands were bloody and weary, and he had no strength left, and the harpoon was taken away again, the knife snapped,

There are still many sharks coming to attack, but the old man is still holding on tenaciously, he said in his heart: "As long as I have a paddle,

There are short sticks and tillers, and I must try to beat them to death. "At night, a large group of star sharks entangled again, and the old man was not sharp.

Although he had no weapons, he still fought hard. Although his big fish were eaten up, he killed four or five fish and wounded
Several huge sharks, until the end, he did not admit defeat, still looking forward to a new battle.This fully expresses the old man's

Tough guy" character.

At the same time, the old man has a sincere and kind heart.He has always missed his late wife and carefully treasured her relics and photos

He loves the kid named Manolin, took him out to sea when he was 5 years old, patiently taught him the skills of fishing with a boat, and got along with him for a long time
, dependent on each other, have a kind of paternal affection for him; he is also very kind to the people in the village, people make fun of him, he always
Not angry at all; in the end he took care of giving away the only remaining big fish head, his heart is pure, transparent, detached
free from vulgarity.

Second, Hemingway also described the sympathetic, harmonious and friendly interpersonal relationship among fishermen in his works.the Lord

To be shown in the boy Manolin and in the attitude of the fishermen of the village to the old man.Manolin felt as much for the old man as he did for his father.
emotion.He loves the old man and has accompanied the old man to sea many times, which not only saves the old man from his loneliness, but also helps him.the village

The fishermen are also simple and kind-hearted people. They deeply sympathize with the old man's situation and feel sorry for him not being able to catch fish.

Anxious because he had no news for three days at sea, regretful that he caught a big fish but was eaten by sharks, and moved by his tenacity.

In Hemingway's pen, the small world of the fishing village by the sea is a pure and clean world.Although people are still living

Their lives are difficult, but they shine with the brilliance of true humanitarianism.

It can be said that Santiago portrayed by Hemingway is a symbol of a perfect and noble person, while the child Manolin represents this ideal.
personal teenage years.The reason why this image is perfect and sublime is not that he is an otherworldly man with a holy light on his head.

He is not the perfect character of the ring, but a man who has all the experiences and feelings of ordinary people, and at the same time has the characteristics of a laborer.

A character of sublime spiritual power.

Sharks, the sea, as the opposite of man in the novel

Symbolizes mysterious fate and unknowable forces of nature, so the old man's fight with the sea and sharks symbolizes human beings and nature
, fate, and all the evil forces outside of oneself.

In addition, from a deeper level of analysis, we found that works

Also has religious symbolism, Santiago is obviously the incarnation of Christ.At the beginning of the work, he explained that he had gone to sea for 87 days before.
Nothing has been achieved, and now 84 days have encountered "bad luck", plus 3 days of hard work at sea, it happens to make up the number of 87 days.this
The two "87" are consistent with the experience of Jesus, Jesus had 80 days of suffering,

The last seven days, the week before Easter, were even more catastrophic.santiago at sea
The 3 days of struggle can also be regarded as the crucifixion of Jesus, the 3 days before he was crucified.

Later, when the old man returned to the small hut and lay on the bed, "the face
Lie face down on the newspaper, palms up, arms outstretched", exactly like Jesus being crucified on the cross

state.The author uses the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus to imply that people who believe in all religions will suffer great disasters, but will eventually gain

Spiritual regeneration.

Digging deeper along this second layer of symbolic structure, we can see that the relationship between Santiago and the Marlin symbolizes
It shows the relationship between the artist and his masterpiece, and the process of fishing is a symbol of the artistic creation process.santiago was twice

Mentioned that he "knows many tricks" in fishing.He not only showed boundless courage in catching a marlin and battling a shark
, and also showed superb skills, no wonder the children said he was the "best" fisherman in that area.
It is an inevitable test in the creative process.As a hostile force, sharks are a symbol of all kinds of external forces that hinder the artist's success.
in strength.

Finally, there is another layer, that is, Santiago is a symbol of Hemingway himself. He symbolizes that he has experienced all kinds of hardships and has entered the late

year of Hemingway.Although he is "old" and his creativity has greatly declined, he is still tenacious and has the ability to overcome all difficulties.

The courage and courage to go forward. "The Old Man and the Sea" is just the biggest and most beautiful marlin he caught in the ocean of art

.

Art Unique World Masterpieces

Looking at Hemingway's artistic creation style throughout his life, there are two main points:

Simple, fresh and clean presentation.He avoids descriptive techniques, adjectives and flowery words, and instead
Try to use straightforward narration and lively and vivid dialogue, with short sentences and precise language.through such a manifestation
In this way, events, scenes, and characters are vividly placed in front of readers, creating a real artistic effect, making people feel like they are in the silver screen.

The feeling behind the scenes.

Subtle and concise artistic conception.He once used the metaphor of an iceberg to create, saying that a work should be like an iceberg floating on the sea, and seven-eighths of it should be hidden.
Under the water, only one-eighth is exposed above the water.It can be seen that what he wants to get is a kind of implication, meaning beyond the meaning.

Hemingway's unique artistic style proposed a new aesthetic standard, which became the paradigm for many writers to emulate for decades.

From this single character, uncomplicated plot, and even literally, the novella "The Old Man and the Sea" is just the sea.
The one-eighth of the iceberg above the surface of the water highlights the huge seven-eighths below the surface.The Charm of Fiction

It is this allegorical story with profound symbolic meaning-in the struggle with external forces, although people will eventually lose

Defeat, but the tenacious fighting spirit of people is another kind of victory.The old fisherman did fail in the end, but it was a light
Rong's failure, a great failure, what the author praises is the extraordinary perseverance and extraordinary tenacity of the old fisherman's determination.

What shakes the hearts of readers in the novel is also the protagonist's tough character of "surviving as long as he is alive and fighting endlessly".

In short, readers can get enlightenment from different perspectives in the novel with rich imagination.
di.

Hemingway's unique creative style has reached maturity and perfection in The Old Man and the Sea: the lonely protagonist, the profound
Inner monologue, "telegraph style" with condensed words, like

Symbolic scenery description, etc., this artistic style has had a great impact on modern and contemporary world literature.people call hemingway
A master of language art who created a style of writing.

(End of this chapter)