A Comparative Study Of Two Typical American Hunting Stories

William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway are generally acknowledged as two of the most influential novelists of the twentieth century and both enjoy international feme in the literary world. The Bear and The Old Man and the Sea, as two typical hunting stories in American literature, have been probed by a number of critics from a myriad of angles. In this thesis, with ecocriticism as the critical weapon, a comparative study is made of the two stories from the perspectives of ecological consciousness, their major themes and their distinctive styles and techniques of writing.The first attempt is made to find the evidence of eco-consciousness embodied in both novels. Also the comparative study between them helps to identify Faulkner's and Hemingway's ecological awareness and in turn awakens the readers' ecological and environmental awareness. The Second focus of the study is on the major themes of the two stories. By comparison and contrast, man's spirit through the interaction between man and nature is brought to light. Finally, a technical comparison is made in view of the fact that though Faulkner and Hemingway are both great stylists, their styles diverge like polar extremes—complexity vs. simplicity.