Abstract

Based on the deep analysis of The Old Man and The Sea, this paper will mainly analyze and discuss Hemingway’s writing technique of symbolism. This paper will focus on the analysis of symbolism from different angles, such as religion, philosophy and so on. By analyzing the symbols in The Old Man and The Sea, such as the old man, the boy, the sea, the marlin , the sharks, the lion and so forth, the reader can see that the main characters themselves both have important symbolic meanings. In terms of christianity, the thesis analyzes the traits of the two main characters——the old man and the boy, and their respective symbolic meaning , which can help readers understand this novel and Hemingway’s writing purpose more comprehensively and profoundly.

Key points: Hemingway; symbolism; The Old Man and The Sea

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction. 1

2. Literature Review 3  

3. Hemingway and The Old Man and The Sea. 5

3.1 Hemingway in American literature. 5

3.2 Brief introduction of The Old Man and The Sea. 7

4.Analysis of the Symbolism in The Old Man and The Sea. 9

4.1 Brief introduction of symbolism 9

4.2 The symbolic meaning of Santiago. 10

4.3 The symbolic meaning of Manolin 11

4.4 The symbolic meaning of Joe Dimaggio 12

4.5 The symbolic meaning of the sea. 13

4.6 The symbolic meaning of marlin 14

4.7 The symbolic meaning of sharks 15

4.8 The symbolic meaning of the lion. 15

5. Conclusion 16