On The Characterization Of Santiago In The Old Man And The Sea

Ernest Hemingway(1899-1961),a famous American writer,is considered as one of the most important and outstanding writers of the 20^th century of the world.His life was full of adventures.He took part in World Warâ… and World Warâ…¡.The two wars left him serious wound both in his body and in his mind.He felt disappointed with the world and the fate of human beings.Then,He began writing about his own experiences and feelings of the world.He wrote many influential books, such as A Farewell to Arms,The Sun Also Rises,For Whom the Bell Tolls,and The Old Man and the Sea.Among his books,The Old Man and the Sea(1952) is the most famous one.The novel made Hemingway win the Nobel Prize in 1954. In this novel Hemingway further explored the themes of man meeting challenges and struggling alone,showing extreme determination and courage in face of the defeats,and living with "grace under pressure". And the main character Santiago becomes a typical "code hero" in literature.The novel has aroused the interest of many readers,and many critics have made comments on it.Those comments from critics mostly focus on "Hemingway Heroes".This thesis is intended to probe into the characterization of Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea from the following aspects: confidence and courage,love of nature and respect for life,expectation for the future.Through the analysis of Santiago,we can gain a good deal of enlightenment:when facing cruel social reality and miserable fate, man should be brave and should struggle with all the pains and sufferings to love and treasure life.We should understand that the meaning of life lies neither in "success",nor in "failure",but in the struggle itself.The thesis consists of three parts:the introduction,the body and the conclusion.The introductory part gives a brief introduction to Hemingway and the present studies on The Old Man and the Sea.The body includes three chapters.The first chapter deals with the social background and Hemingway's life experience in forming the character of Santiago.The second chapter discusses the portrayal of Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea.The third chapter focuses on the artistic devices in revealing the character of Santiago.The conclusion gives a summary of the whole thesis,emphasizing the realistic significance of the study on the characterization of Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea.