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1、论小男孩在老人与海中的作用AbstractThe Old Man and the Sea tells the frustrated experience that the old fisherman fishes in the course. The theme is deep, and it is a song of praise of heroism. “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated” has been the classic saying and the old man al
2、so has been the most typical and the most representative of the Hemingways “tough guy”. When Hemingway talked about the successful factors later, the little boy was mentioned in the same breath with the old man.This paper starts with the details and it is divided into two main parts to discuss the i
3、ndispensable roles of the little boy in the novel. It is him who helps to perform the theme of “grace under pressure”: during 40 days, the old man with the little boy went to fish but without taking a fish, when his situation was getting worse step by step, the little boys leaving was the heavy pres
4、sure that achieved the extreme stern for certain. However, it was so “heavy pressure” that his manner was graceful when the old man faced afterwards defeat and his optimistic, generous life attitude was worthy tasting by people carefully; it is him who plays the role of leading, inspiring to the rea
5、ders, and increasing the appeal of the work, enriching the content of the work: although the little boy appears only at the beginning and the ending in the novel, there is nothing in his inner state but the old man, so his attitude and emotions towards the old man affects the readers emotions for th
6、e old man quietly and gradually. And it is unavoidable that his inner feeling leads and impacts the readers emotions.Key words: roles; the little boy; the old man; grace under pressure; The Old Man and the Sea 摘要老人与海讲述了老渔夫捕鱼过程中的坎坷经历，主题深刻，是一部英雄主义的赞歌。“一个人不是生来就要被打败的，你可以消灭他，但就是打不败他。”已经成为至理名言，老人也成为海明威式“硬
7、汉子”的最典型、最完美的代表。当海明威谈到小说成功的因素时，曾颇为自得地将小男孩与老人相提并论。本文拟从有关细节入手，分析讨论小男孩在老人与海中所起的微妙且不可或缺的作用：是他帮助表现了“重压下的优雅风度”这一主题：在老人84天没有捕到鱼，处境一步步恶化的厄运中，小男孩的离去无疑让老人的“重压”达到了极度严峻的地步，然而正是由于如此的“重压”，老人后来面对失败时的态度才可谓“优雅”，所表现的大度、乐观的人生态度才值得人们仔细地品味；是他对读者发挥着一定的牵引、打动和启发作用，从而增强了作品的感染力，丰富了作品的内涵：孩子虽然只出现在小说的首尾两处，但是孩子的内心世界里别无他物，只有老人，他对老
8、人的态度和感情潜移默化地左右着读者对老人的感受，他的内心情感无可避免地要牵动影响着读者的情绪。关键词：作用；小男孩；老人；重压下的优雅风度；老人与海1.Introduction1.1 About the background Before 1952, Hemingway has met the cold shoulder and attack in the sector which lasts for nearly a decade. To rescue the declining reputation, he publishes a new work, that is, The Old Ma
9、n and the Sea. He believes firmly that it is the best work he can write in his lifetime. William Faulkner considers it as the most excellent work in this generation. Because of this work Hemingway wins the Pulitzer in 1952 and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954 which push his writing career to t
10、he peak.The Old Man and the Sea is so important to Hemingway and the American literature that there are lots of comments about it. But the research on the little boy, Mandolin, is minimal. It seems that his role is irrelevant and unimportant to the novel. In fact, the appearance of the little boy is
11、 the emergence of a coincidence according to his role in the work.Hemingway published a piece of communication entitled On the Blue Water in the Esquire in April, 1936. The Old Man and the Sea is written on the basic of the material. In the middle of the novel, we can always feel the existence of th
12、e boy, because the old man thinks of the little boy for more than ten times during the three intense and arduous days. Moreover, when Hemingway talked about the factors of the novels success later, the little boy is mentioned in the same breath with the old man that he is lucky to have a good old ma
13、n and a little boy, and some writers have forgotten these things recent. This shows Hemingway lays his artistic creativity and ingenuity on the little boy. So the little boys role in this novel is worthy being considered by critics and readers.1.2 About the novelThe Old Man and the Sea earned its au
14、thor the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1952, and was instrumental in winning him the Nobel Prize for literature two years later. It is a short novel about Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who has gone for 84 days without taking a fish. Therefore, the boy, Mandolin, who used to sail with him, is forc
15、ed to leave him and catch in another boat. The old man insists on fishing alone and at last, he hooks an eighteen-foot, giant marlin, the largest he has ever known. But the fish is very powerful and disobedient. It tows the old man and his boat but to see for 48 hours, with the old man hearing the w
16、hole weight of the fish through the line on his back. The old man, with little food and sleep, has to endure much pain and fights against his treacherous hand cramp. To his great excitement, on his third day at sea, he succeeds in drawing the weekend marlin to the surface and harpoons it. On his way
17、 home, he lashes marlin alongside his boat because its too big to be pulled into the boat. But, unfortunately, the come across sharks as much might and many weapons as he can summon, but only to find a giant skeleton of his marlin left after his desperate defense. At last, Santiago, having lost what
18、 he fought for, reached the shore and struggles to his shack. He falls into sound sleep, dreaming of Africa and the lions again. His struggle wins his much respect.2. The roles of the boy in The Old Man and the Sea2.1 Helping show the old mans pressureOne of the brightest spots in The Old Man and th
19、e Sea is the perfect expression of Hemingways quality of grace under pressure, which is composed of two factors: pressure and grace. And pressure is the premise: only under the background of pressure will the hero have the elegant manners in the real significance. These two factors are mostly shown
20、by the little boy. To show pressure, Hemingway describes the background of the story in four levels by picturing the details when the little boy leaves the old man. In this way, he stresses the heavy pressure at the very beginning of the novel, which lays a necessary premise and an atmosphere for th
21、e so-called grace. To show the grace, Hemingway describes several details when the old man gets together with the little boy under the pressure at the beginning and the end of the novel, drawing the image and targets in describing the image of the old man.First is the heavy pressure. The first sente
22、nce of this novel accounts the difficulties that the old man faced: the old man has been futile for 84 days. This is of course, sympathetic to people, but it is not enough to arouse peoples sympathy only by a number and the pressure it stated is also ambiguous. Whats more, the manners later discusse
23、d is difficult to move the readers and the novels depth will be affected while it is difficult to make a clear sense through a few words and the old mans alone appearing in the novel. So Hemingway gives a considerable description of the little boy in order to set off a gradual deterioration situatio
24、n of the old man. In this increasing pressure, the old mans failure is particular tragic, and the manner of the old man to the failure is elegant.At the beginning, the old man and the little boy sailed together every day, but they do not catch any fish for more than 40 days, which is quite “unlucky”
25、,1 this is the first layer of pressure. At this time, the boy is forced to leave the old man and catches on another boat followed his parents order, thus the old man is left alone in his boat which is a symbol of his failure. Obviously, failure and loneliness is the second level of pressure. The boy
26、 began to learn to fish following the old man when he is only five. The old mans wife passed away several years ago, so the child is actual his only companion in his lonely life, and the departure of the little boy at this unfortunate moment is undoutable a heavy blow to him. Previously, it has said
27、 that the little boy does not appear in the material on which the story based. The little boy is imaged by Hemingway as the sole partner and assistant of the old man, and then takes him away from the old man mercilessly, which is the so-called “giving it before taking it”. In this way, the old mans
28、miserable situation becomes even worse. Moreover, after the boys leaving, the old man does not catch any fish for 44 days which makes bear an almost desperate feeling. This is the third level of pressure. Although the first and third level of the pressure having nothing to do with the little boy, th
29、e boys leaving divides the 84 days into three levels to increase the pressure layer by layer, thereby creating a sense of more and more, dignified.On the other hand, “the boy has gone at their order in another boat which caught three good fish the first week” 2, after his leaving, so it forms a shar
30、p contrast between the old mans deteriorate fate and the little boys. As we all known, the fishermen all believe in the luck very much. In the novel, Hemingway deliberately uses the word “salao” and stresses it is the superior degree of the “unlucky”. And we can see that the old man also believes fi
31、rmly in fortune from the words he usually uses such as “lucky”, “gamble”, “take your chance”, 3 and the detail that he buys lottery tickets to bet on his fortune. Thus, it is common to others if they catch fish with a sudden transit, but the White House meets the little boy who has followed the old
32、man for 40 days “without taking a fish”. 4It is more certain that the old man is being in “unlucky” 5 according to the fishermens opinion. Beyond any doubt, it is a heavy blow to the old man and almost puts him into despair. Although here Hemingway can keep calm a distance from his own feelings when
33、 he describes the hero of the novel, it is not difficult for the readers understand to the old mans situationfull of failure, loneliness, embarrassment, and nearly in despair only because he is able to describes accurately the details which can arose the readers feeling in an appropriate order. It i
34、s this pressure that force the old man to “go far to fish”,6 therefore having the following experience.Hemingways story has once been accused that the scenes are too narrow. But not all the literary works must pursue a grand scene. Here Hemingway put a lonely old man into a confined environment in o
35、rder to match the heros real situation. Whats more, although the scene is limited, it can also show the authors originality if he may arrange the content well in this limited scene. It is thus method that makes the beginning of the novel more wonderful. Here Hemingway uses a unique scent way to symp
36、athy to his hero. We can fell his sympathy for the people with deserves sympathy. This is Hemingways style.2.2 Offering a method to perform the old mans gracePressure has been stated, but how the old mans grace is performed vividly in the novel, it is not exact to say that the grace is only lies in
37、the brave and tenacity in his fight with fish. Grace is not a simple or notional thing but always reflected in peoples inner and external behaviors especially in facing with difficulties, while the boy in this novel offers an important way to represent the old mans grace.Although, the old man lives
38、under a heavy pressure, he always has a natural and unaffected attitude. The child has learnt fishing skills following the old man when he was 5 years old. And now the old man is at low ebb in his life and is trapped by bad luck, but the child leaves him and gets a great success in another boat. If
39、this happens on others, even they do not hate the child, there will be an unbalance in their heart. But the old man shows his broad mind and understanding. He says to the boy: “I know you leave me not because you do not believe me.”7 When the little boy leaves him at his parents order and catches an
40、other boat, the old man says: “I know, it is quite normal.”8 Having no result after three days hard working but when he is told that the boy has a harvest every day in these days, however, he does not feel any unpleasant at all. Instead, he feels happy for him and remarks “very good” 9 immediately.
41、In addition, although the old man is isolate and unlucky, he is not in a spirit of sensitive to the concern of others. By contrary, he accepts the boys care calmly. He does not take it for granted that students ought to care teachers, but views the child as his peer and partner. The little boy also
42、worries about if the old man has become over-sensitive in such an embarrassed situation. Therefore, he asks tentatively whether the old man is willing to drink a cup of beer with him or not. And the old man agreed: “why not?” “Between fishermen” 10 While they are drinking, many fishermen laugh at th
43、e old man, but he does not become angry. After drinking, the old man says to the boy: “you bought me a beer.” “You are already a man.”11 These details show that the old man is reasonable, amiable and kind-hearted as well as has a natural and healthy life attitude. His understanding for life has reac
44、hed a simple and natural realm. This is the grace.Secondly, the old man has another minute side in his character. Actually, the old man is the model of Hemingways “tough guy”, but it does not mean that he is a stubborn fool or dumb cow. Let us see how he wakes the child up in the morning. “He took t
45、old of one foot gently and held it until the boy woke and turned and looked at him”12, but his warmth does not affect his image of “tough guy” at all. On the contrary, the background of standing great pressure in spirit just makes the old mans grace keeping in the balance of hard and soft.The old ma
46、n has a confident and optimistic life attitude in the novel. In fact, the old man would like to let the boy return to him very much in his mind. But when the boy asks to return to the boat by himself, the old man rejects: “no you are with a lucky boat, stay with them.” “If you were my boy. I would t
47、ake you out and gamble. But you are your fathers and your mothers and you are in a lucky boat.”13 Because the boys leaving is falling his parents order, the old man does not want to put him in a embarrass situation and let the boy get a little bad luck from him which reflects his high spirit of resp
48、onsibility towards the child. When the child says it again after the old mans return, he rejects him out of the same consideration. As the childs insisting, the old man accepts him calmly and then makes a plan to their following fish. However, the change of the old mans attitude is not conflicting s
49、eeing from the surface, the old man still remains nothing at last, and the whole cycle is from failure to failure. But it is different between the beginning and the end after three days hardship and thought. He has a better understanding to the sea, the human, the fish and himself. Therefore, he has enough confidence to accept the childs return and, feels that it is necessary to create a new future together with the boy. The old mans acceptance reflects
