The Unresolved Dilemma: On Hemingway's Ecological View In The Old Man And The Sea

Hemingway is one of the famous writers in the 20th century. Nature is a central motif in his life and works. As a nature lover himself, Hemingway put most of his characters in natural environments and made them have a strong love for nature too. However, Hemingway's ecological view is ambivalent and complicated. On one hand, he loves nature very much; on the other hand, he is an active invader and conqueror of it. Hemingway's whole life is caught up in this dilemma. Some critics believe that man and nature finally reach an agreement in The Old Man and the Sea, but the fact is the other way round.In what aspects did The Old Man and the Sea reflect this dilemma? What factors influenced Hemingway's ambivalent ecological view? This thesis will answer these questions from eco-critical perspective. Eco-criticism is the criticism from an ecological perspective on literary or artistic expression of human experience in the world. Its emphasis is to study the relationship between human beings and the environment. Discovering and reinterpreting the eco-consciousness in classical works is one of its important tasks. Deep ecology is the subsection of eco-criticism. Rejecting anthropocentricism and advocating biospherical egalitarianism are deep ecology's two primary principles. To enhance people's eco-consciousness, this thesis will make a try to reinterpret this novel from eco-critical perspective, and discuss the origins of Hemingway's ecological ambivalence and the unresolved dilemma1.This thesis is divided into five parts. The first part of introduction presents the literature review of Hemingway and The Old Man and the Sea both at home and abroad, and also states the methodology and significance of this thesis. Chapter one offers the main contents of eco-criticism and deep ecology, and also discusses the feasibility of an eco-study on the novel. Chapter two goes on to explore the three dilemmas embodied in this novel: necessity vs. guilt, defeat vs. victory and identification vs. alienation. By analyzing the three dilemmas, the author of this thesis believes that it is guilty for man to take nature as an object to be conquered for their desire. If this desire surpasses nature's endurance, the victory is only temporary, he will be eventually defeated and punished by nature. It is also tragic that man's endless pursuit of materialism leads to his alienation from nature, society and even himself. Chapter three looks into the origins of Hemingway's ambivalent ecological view and his dilemma: nature in American Literature history and the"tough guy"tradition; the anthropocentricism and eco-conscious tendency in Christianity; and the historical background. Finally, this thesis comes to the conclusion that Hemingway did not solve the dilemma. As long as man is self-centered, the individual will will inevitably invade nature's nobility. If man does not take nature's endurance into concern, only treat it as an object to be conquered, he will never go out of this dilemma.Facing the continuous worsening eco-crisis today, keeping a harmonious man-nature relationship is an urgent task for all of us. Only in this way, can we establish a harmonious society. That is the essential aim of this thesis.