A Research On Hemingway's Tragic Consciousness And Its Significances In His Works

As the spokesman for the"Lost Generation", Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) has aroused interest of many readers, and many critics have made comments on him. Being influenced by his family and his personal experiences, especially his experiences on the battlefield, Hemingway is essentially a writer with a keen sense of tragic consciousness. He holds a dark view of life and"believed that life was a tragedy and knew it could only have one end"(as cited in Baker, 1962, p.49).However, he is not hopelessly pessimistic. He also contends that man must face up to his doomed failure with unyielding spirit though even the winner gets nothing in the end. Therefore, Hemingway's tragic consciousness, which has experienced several changes, contains positive factors.This thesis is a systematic research into the tragic consciousness of Ernest Hemingway and its significance in his four masterpieces: The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. There are five chapters in this thesis. The first chapter is an introduction, containing a brief introduction to the writer and his works, literature review as well as research values and methods. The second chapter explores why Hemingway holds a dark vision of life and what his tragic consciousness is about. The third chapter dwells on the development of his tragic consciousness through a case study of his four major works. The development goes through three stages– endurance of life in tragedy, conscious escape from tragedy, and unyielding defiance against tragedy. The fourth chapter suggests the aesthetic significance as well as the social significance that Hemingway's tragic consciousness bears. The last chapter is the conclusion.On the whole, this thesis intends to reach a thorough understanding of Hemingway's tragic consciousness: life itself is a solitary struggle of which death is the only finality. However, the meaning of life lies in the persistent and unyielding struggle against the doomed failure. That is to say, a man can be destroyed but not defeated. The positive spirit that Hemingway's tragic consciousness conveys serves as an incentive to all human beings.