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1、冰山理论与老人与海The Iceberg Theory in The Old Man and the Sea摘 要作为20世纪最有影响力的作家，海明威开创了新一代的写作风格，他以其独特的创作风格而誉满全球。因此，冰山理论吸引了许多读者和评论家的眼球。言及老人与海，纵人皆知老人是个硬汉子，但人们有时忽略作者是如何表达他的特点的。在本文中,我将首先介绍老人与与海作者海明威和小说的情节和简单的背景介绍，然后探讨冰山理论的定义，再者从四个观点论述其隐藏的深刻思想和丰富的人物感情及其部分情节的隐含意义,包括精妙的叙事技巧，简洁含蓄的语言，电报式的对话和象征手法。海明威行文看似相当简单，但是，另一方面,海
2、明威的作品的主题是象征性的意义,并且提供充足的余地赋予他的作品与象征意义,基督教象征意义在他的作品中应用比较明显。通过讨论,读者可以更加从细节上了解冰山理论和作品老人与海。关键词: 冰山理论； 老人；隐含意义；直接；象征主义AbstractAs one of the most influential American writers in the 20th century, Hemingway pioneered a generation of writing style. He is famous for his unique writing style-iceberg theory whi
3、ch interestsmanyreadersandcriticsintheworld. Talked about The Old Man and the Sea many people know the old man is a tough guy, but they sometimes neglect how the writer describe it In this paper, the author firstly introduces the writer and background and the plot of the famous novel The Old Man and
4、 the Sea and then the definition of Hemingways iceberg theory. Later, I will discuss the theory from the implicit theme and characters deep passion; it is obvious that Hemingways style is seemingly rather simple and direct from four points: narrative technique, concise language style, telegraphic di
5、alogue and symbolism. On the other hand, the theme of Hemingways works is symbolic and provides much room for thinkingHemingway endowed his works with symbolic meanings by using the metaphorsAlso ,meanings of Christian symbolism are obvious in his works Through discussion, reader can understand the
6、old man in detail from deeper towards iceberg theory and the novelKey words：Iceberg theory, Old man, Implicit meaning, Direct, SymbolismContentsChapter1 Introduction11.1 About the writer11.2 About the plot of the story1Chapter2 Definition of the iceberg theory3Chapter3 Iceberg usage in The Old Man a
7、nd the Sea53.1 The analysis of Connotation of iceberg theory53.2 Hidden the rich emotional world73.3 How to reach implicit meaning83.3.1 The subtle narrative techniques93.3.2 The subtle narrative techniques93.3.3 Concise language skills113.3.4 Deep symbolic meaning12Chapter4 Conclusion15Notes16Bibli
8、ography17Acknowledgements18Chapter 1 Introduction1.1 About the Writer Ernest Hemingway(l899 1961) ,one of outstanding American novelist, is a modern legend writer. He was born on July 21st, 1899 at Oak Park, Illinois, near Chicago in American. In his childhood, influenced by his father he was fond o
9、f hunting, fishing, outdoors and so on.His variety of interests especially the love fishing almost followed all his life and had important influences on his writing inspiration and helps to develop his special personality. He loved to take adventures. During World War I he joined a volunteer ambulan
10、ce unit in France suffered serious injuries but had survived. He was also affected by the Second World War, who replaced former ideals and values only by despair or a cynical hedonism, formed the background of his first major novelThe Sun Also Rises published in 1926, when he was only 26years old. T
11、he book deals with the living attitude of the postwar generation especially those who thought that life was nothing and meaningless and as one of the representative of the “Lost Generation”, Hemingways writing career began in high school and continued until his death in 1961 and beyond, with several
12、 of his works published posthumously when The Old Man and the Sea appeared in 1952, he had been an international literary celebrity for more than a quarter of a century. His writing experience proved so shattering and horrible that his whole life and his writings were permanently affected. As a resu
13、lt, throughout his life he lived with it emotionally and continued to relieve and forget about it.1.2 About the Plot of the StoryThe Old Man and the Sea, for which Hemingway was awarded the Novel Prizes for literature, is one of the most influential novels of the literary treasure of the world. It i
14、s so widely read that people consider that wherever there is an intellectual, people know Hemingway without knowing his work The Old Man and the Sea. This very simple written novel has described as one of Ernest Hemingways best classical book. Be famous for his taut and short sentences, Hemingway cr
15、eated an interesting and unique style of writing that still fascinates readers today. This novel is very short, about an old Cuban fisherman Santiagos battle with a giant marlin. Even hasnt catch fish for 84 days. Closed friend young Mandolin still tries to help him on his small boat called a skiff.
16、 Although parents dont allow to fish together with the old man, Mandolin didnt lose heart. He thought the old man will succeed at last, so he continues to help the man. Even though lacks of food and money, Mandolin makes sure that Santiago has food and blankets to sleep on. This novel explores man v
17、ersus nature, internal conflict and, as is evident in other of Hemingways literature wars, the theme of being courageous. With struggle Santiago manages to catch the marlin and return home, leaving only a skeleton. It can be seen that facing obstacles, Santiago never give up and even though he feels
18、 he has been very unlucky, there is hope instilled within him to keep going on. He is destroyed but not defeated. This paper aims to discuss the implicit meaning of the article which is known as iceberg theory; writing style and techniques in The Old Man and the Sea. Of course, Hemingway has used ma
19、ny techniques in this novel, such as realism, the creation of suspense, monologue, etc. And this paper focuses especially on the language style and one of the important techniques-the way to use facts in this novel. All we know is that Hemingway is famous for his language. With much care and effort,
20、 he created a very influential and immediately recognizable style. “The style he created in his early work, such as In Our Time and the Sun also Rises was almost too good. Like the style of certain painters, it tended to become a manner, rather than a flexible way of responding to experience and con
21、veying fresh insights through words.” And iceberg theory is still applied in many areas, for example, in the administrative and economical areas. Chapter2 DefinitionThe iceberg principle is a writing theory stated by a famous American writer, Ernest Hemingway, as follows: If a writer of prose knows
22、enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an iceberg means only one-eighth of it being above water. In 1932, in Death in the afternoon, Hemingway used an effective met
23、aphor to describe his writing style for the first time: “a good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action. If it is of any use to know it, I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. Anything you
24、 know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesnt show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story1. It means in this style of writing, the writer omits something that the readers can find out by reading the work c
25、arefully. As a productive writer, in his lifetime, he finished six long pieces of fictions and more than fifty medium and short storiesAmong them, A farewell to arms, the representative work of the Lost Generation, is the symbol of the formation of iceberg theoryAnd The Old man and the Sea is consid
26、ered to be the climax of his special writing style This writing style is also commonly adopted by many writers today. Now this principle has been applied in various fields. We could regard the small part which can be easily noticed as the 1/8 of an iceberg, and the part cant be easily noticed as the
27、 part under the surface. What cant be seen is the most important, because its the base of an iceberg, what it to the part above water is what the root of a tree to the trunk. We may admire a famous person very much because of his wealth and fame, but how many people know the struggle and sufferings
28、behind it? Are they dispensable? We can use the model of “iceberg principle”. His wealth and fame is the small part we can see, and his sufferings and struggle is the part under water, without it, the person wouldnt have acquired the fame and wealth he owns today.This principle also could be used in
29、 teaching. The amount of material that teachers could present to their students is a small portion of the sum total of knowledge and skills that they possess. Like an iceberg, the level of expertise that is visible to the public is dependent upon a larger body of knowledge that is submerged out of s
30、ight. So, it is particularly important for instructors to continually increase their knowledge and skill level because only a portion of the total body of knowledge will appear to be available; the same goes to learning. What the teacher could teach us is very limited, so if we want enrich our knowl
31、edge; we have to learn to use what we have learned to explore the unknown things. While in the whole story, the author only adopts the narrative way of telling the story. And he only uses very simple words. Still it conveys his idea effectively, even more effectively than those flashy and flowery on
32、es. It is a typical example of the appliance of the Iceberg Theory.Some criticize him for being excessively succinct, because there are just two main characters in The old man and the sea and both the language and structure look very simpleThe author completely does not agree with the viewpoints abo
33、veObviously ,Hemingway here stressed on omission, claiming that the “7/8” under the surface should be left for the readers themselvesAccording to his explanation, a rough outline of the “iceberg theory” can be made：the so-called iceberg theory ,is molding a distinct image with the succinct and direc
34、t writing, the feeling and thought of the writer himself are hidden in the image to the largest extentThus, the emotion is plentiful, though included but not exposed；the thought is profound, though deeply concealed but not obscureOn account of this, the sensibility and perceptibility of literature a
35、re combined skillfully, leaving the readers to explore the emotion and thought of the work through the feeling of these distinct imagesChapter3 Iceberg Usage in The Old Man and the Sea Just as I have mentioned the details The Old Man and the Sea, be read on more than one level of meaning. You should
36、 make clear that the “Iceberg Theory” of Hemingway is not only a craft of simplification and abstraction, but also, and more important, a courage to omit the expression of personal passion and the revelation of theme. The article reveals the characteristics of stressing on the display of procedure o
37、f events, omitting the development of characters feeling. In 1932, in Death in the afternoon, Hemingway used an effective metaphor to describe his writing style for the first time: a good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action. If it is of any use to know it, I always t
38、ry to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesnt show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in t
39、he story.The Old Man and the Sea is the most typical one to his unique language style. Its language is simple and natural, and has the effect of directness, clarity and freshness. This is because Hemingway always managesto choose words “concrete, specific, more commonly found, more Anglo-Saxon, casu
40、al and conversational.” He seldom uses adjectives and abstract nouns, and avoids complicated syntax. Hemingways strength lies in his short sentences and very specific details. His short sentences are powerfully loaded with the tension, which he sees in life. Where he does not use a simple and short
41、sentence, he connects the various parts of the sentence in a straightforward and sequential way, often linked by “and”.In his task of creating real people, Hemingway uses dialogue as an effective device. It is presented in a form “as close to the dramatic as possible, with a minimum of explanatory c
42、omment.”3.1 The Analysis of Connotation of Iceberg TheoryTo analysis Hemingways iceberg principle, one must make clear the 7/8 underwater, because this part is the foundation of the iceberg. And it is the 7/8 underwater that is the crucial power of a novel. Though these contents are not in vision bu
43、t can be found out by readers by their experience and imagination. Therefore in the old man and sea what is hidden under the 7/8 underwater? First it is the profound theme of the novel in the 7/8 underwater. : hiding the theme of his works with analyzing Hemingways short novels. The contribution of
44、Hemingway to the novel creation is shown in it.We all know the details of the old man and the sea, simple plot. Here is an example chosen from The Old Man and the Sea. To the leading character, fishing is not simply of contest in life. It contains profound philosophic meaning. But this simple story
45、hide a abound philosophical theme of people in the nature: Santiago express also is exactly a kind of Hemingways life attitude, morals and ideal meant never lower the head toward any thing refused to concede defeat. The old man will not lower the head toward any thing of, cant avoid the fate of fail
46、ure, face failure, people who still want to keep their dignity in bad luck, and display courage and grace of the winner manner. The Old Man and the Sea full performance this spirit, as the novel viewpoints heroine of Santiagos a famous saying: “A man is not made for defeat, a man can be destroyed bu
47、t not defeated.” This is the philosophy of The Old Man and the Sea. Everyone has his weakness. When you are facing your weakness and trying to overcome it instead of denying it, whatever the weakness is, you are a winner. By the hidden theme writer attract readers to detect. The connotation of the h
48、idden means readers should dig things underwater, the deeper you dig, the more you will know. The novel shows a struggle of the outlook on life, even if the face is invincible nature, but human beings still can get a moral victory. The results may fail, but in the struggle of the process, we can see
49、 a person how to become a heroic. The Santiago completes the novel undefeated and still in possession of his dignity, so he is the true winner of his spirit. Hemingway draws a distinction between two different types of success: outer-material and inner-spiritual. What this spirit of tough guy encourages not only one generation, but the human b
