The Old Man and the Sea was published on September 1 day. As soon as it was published, it became the American book club of the month. Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize for Novel and the Nobel Prize in Literature for this book, and became famous from then on. In 2003, the book was ranked 173 in the "big reading" voting organized by BBC.
express
Symbolism is a new trick for intellectuals. There is no symbolic meaning. The sea is the sea. Old people are old people. Children are children. Fish is fish. Sharks are all sharks, and nothing is better or worse than other sharks. What people say about symbolism is nonsense.
-Hemingway
Experts and scholars have different views on the theme of The Old Man and the Sea. There are three main viewpoints. The first is that the book wants to express the relationship between man and nature, which is sometimes ruthless, but human beings have never given in. Santiago is a symbol of human courage and indomitable spirit, and also a symbol of American tough guy spirit; Second, this book reveals the smallness and weakness of human beings in the face of fate. The third kind: the protagonist Santiago alludes to the victim Jesus Christ in Christianity.
Joseph Waldmeir believes that the theme of this book is related to Christianity, because the cross is vaguely mentioned in the book: "Alas!" "He called (San Diego). The translation of this word is not very vivid, maybe it's like a person who feels a nail penetrating his hands and driving it into the wood, and can't help shouting. "In terms of symbolism, many book reviews think that all the images in the book are symbolic, but Hemingway objected to this, especially dissatisfied with the statement that sharks symbolize critics.
Extended data:
Creation background
The Old Man and the Sea is adapted from a true story. 1935 An old fisherman told American writer ernest hemingway that he once hunted a marlin, but it was later eaten by a shark. Hemingway wrote this story on 1936 and published it in Gentleman magazine. The legendary experience of the old fisherman caught Hemingway's attention, and he decided to write a novel about the old fisherman's experience and introduce it to readers.
Two years later, Hemingway began to write, but he was distracted halfway to write "War Bells". 1950 Shortly after Christmas, Hemingway had a strong desire to create. In the villa "Viewing Society" on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, I began to write "The Old Man and the Sea" (formerly known as "The Existing Sea"). The Old Man and the Sea was originally a passage in Hemingway's long ocean novel (Islands are now published after his death).
Plot outline
Santiago, an old fisherman in Santiago, Cuba, didn't catch a fish for 84 days in a row, but he still didn't give up and caught a marlin on the 85th day. After two days and nights, he finally killed the big fish and tied it to the side of the boat, but many sharks immediately came to snatch his trophy.
He killed them one by one with all available weapons, but the big fish had been eaten up, and Santiago dragged back a pair of exhausted fish bones. People looked at these bones and marveled at the size of the fish, while Santiago returned to Africa where he had been when he was young in his dream.
leading part
Santiago: An old fisherman in Santiago, Cuba, whose wife has passed away. He used to be a sailor and traveled in Africa. Now he is old and haggard, but his will is still strong.
Manorine: A resident of Cuba's seaside, who likes fishing, often chats with Santiago and helps him pack his fishing gear.
Terrace Hotel Owner: I sympathize with Santiago's experience and often entertain him for free.