Abstract

The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway’s most famous works. It is a short novel about an old fisherman. Hemingway won the 1954 Nobel Prize in literature for this novel. So far, a substantial number of researches have been done on the theme of The Old Man and the Sea but fewer researches on Manolin. But the design of this character is not by accident, and Manolin plays an important role in this novel. My thesis will firstly analyze the characteristics of Manolin and Santiago, and then focus on their apprentice-mentor and soulmate relationship, finally explain why Manolin is a mirror of the old man. This thesis focuses on the boy for further understanding of the whole novel.

Keywords：the boy；the old man；relationship;  image analysis

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Research Background-1

1.2 Research Situation-2

2. Character Analysis of Manolin and Santiago-5

2.1 Character Analysis of Manolin-5

2.1.1 Manolin Still as a Child-5

2.1.2 Manolin as a Grownup-6

2.2 Character Analysis of Santiago-6

2.2.1 Santiago as a Lonely Fisherman-7

2.2.2 Santiago as a Hero-7

3. The Relationship between Santiago and Manolin-8

3.1 Manolin as the Devoted Apprentice of Santiago-8

3.2 Manolin as the Soulmate of Santiago-9

4. The Existence Value of Manolin-10

4.1 A Mirror of the Old Man-11

4.1.1 Manolin as the Represention of the Young Santiago-11

4.1.2 Manolin as the Continuation of Santiago's Spirit-12

4.1.3 Manolin as the Reflection of Santiago’s Soft Heart-12

4.2The Role in moving and inspiring Readers-13

4.2.1 Manolin as Someone Who Affects the Readers' Emotion Towards the Old Man-13

4.2.2 Manolin as Someone Who Warms Readers' Hearts-13

5. Conclusion-14

References-15