Abstract

This paper aims at discussing the symbolic use in Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea. This paper is divided into four parts: The first part is an introduction, introducing Hemingway and The Old Man and The Sea. The second part discusses the concept of symbolism, including its definition, origin and literary characteristics. The third part analyses the symbolic uses in the novel, focusing on the symbolic meaning of sea, Santiago, shark, children and Lion. The Fourth part is the conclusion, summarizing the findings and limitations of the study.

Key words: Hemingway  Symbolic meaning  analysis

摘 要

本文旨在探讨象征手法的运用，以名著《老人与海》为例，来分析象征手法在小说中的应用。本文分为四个部分：第一部分是导论，对小说以及作者海明威进行了简单的介绍；第二部分论述了象征主义的概念，包括它的定义，起源和文学特点。第三部分分析小说中的象征主义写作手法的运用，重点对海，圣地亚哥、鲨鱼，儿童和狮子的象征意义进行了分析。第四部分是结论，总结研究的结果和局限性。

关键词：海明威 象征意义 分析

1 Introduction
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899-July2, 1961), American writer and journalist, is considered as one of the most famous writers in the twentieth Century.
In Hemingway's life he has been awarded many prizes. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. He was noted both for the intense masculinity of his writing and for his adventurous and widely publicized life. His succinct and lucid prose style exerted a powerful influence on American and British fiction in the 20th century. During his life time, he published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works. Three novels, four collections of short stories, and three non-fiction works were published posthumously. Many of these are considered as a classics of American literature. The novel “the old man and the sea” published in 1952, in 1953 and 1954 respectively, gained American Pulitzer award and the Nobel prize for literature. Since the “old man and the sea” has been published, some critics argue its return to naturalism, and some critics argue its extensive use of symbolism. This paper aims at analyzing the symbolic uses in the novel, specifically the sea, the Santiago, the shark and the child and Lion.