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On the image of "tough guy" in The Old Man and the Sea —— A study of the image characteristics of "tough guy" in The Old Man and the Sea

Santiago, the hero in The Old Man and the Sea, is one of the most successful images created by Hemingway. This paper analyzes the three characteristics of the "tough guy" of the elderly, that is, never giving up in any difficult situation, perseverance, never giving up, and being able to withstand loneliness, and discusses its practical significance.

Keywords: The Old Man and the Sea; Santiago; Tough guy characteristics

1. Introduction

Santiago, the hero of The Old Man and the Sea, is an ordinary old fisherman. After the baptism of life and years, I am now "thin and haggard, with some deep wrinkles on my neck". The old man goes fishing in the Gulf of Mexico by boat every day. It's been 84 days, and he hasn't caught any fish. At first, the boy Manorine followed him. But after forty days in a row, they found nothing and the child had to leave him.

On the eighty-fifth day, the old man finally caught a marlin. The hooked marlin ran away desperately, and after three days and nights, it was finally caught by the old man. The old man was exhausted and scarred. But the author didn't give the old man more breathing space. On the way home, the old man met a more powerful group-sharks. Although exhausted and scarred, the old man chose to fight to the end. "Hit them," he said. "I will fight them to the death." Finally, the old man dragged the huge fish skeleton back, which was amazing!

Published in 1952, this novel is one of Hemingway's most successful novels. Although the old man described by the author is weak and under the pressure of harsh fate, he maintains a lofty "tough guy" spirit. This spiritual body does not give up hope under any difficult conditions; Dare to challenge, never admit defeat, endure loneliness. This spirit is particularly important for China, which is constantly participating in international competition. This paper attempts to reveal the characteristics of "tough guy" through the analysis of the image of the old man in the works, and advocate a spirit of perseverance and never giving up.

2. Hope-the source of strength to support the "tough guy"

The author introduced the image of the old man from the beginning. "The old man is thin and haggard, and there are some deep wrinkles on his neck. There are some brown spots on his cheeks ... His hands often pull big fish with ropes, leaving deep scars. " Such an image often resonates with readers and sinks their emotions. Then, however, the author turned the pen and the color of the text became brighter. Everything about him looks old, except his eyes, which are as blue as the sea and happy. Old people's eyes are not turbid, but some young people are "blue as the sea". If the old man had not a young heart, he wouldn't have such eyes.

It's been 84 days, and I haven't caught any fish. The child's parents thought that "the old man must be completely down with blood mildew now" and ordered the child to leave the old man and go to another boat. Readers can imagine the situation of the old man, lonely and incomprehensible. Originally, an old man chose to give up under such conditions, and no one would object. But the old man "put the rope on the paddle on the nail of the paddle seat and rushed forward, offsetting the resistance the paddle encountered in the water and drawing a harbor in the dark." The old man firmly believes that he will not be unlucky all the time and resolutely sails to the unknown deep sea.

What kind of power supports the elderly to make such a firm decision under such difficult conditions? The author said it through the mouth of the old man ―― no matter how hard life is, it is extremely unlucky. "But who can say for sure? Maybe luck will change today. Every day is a new day. " This is the hope for the future, and this is the hope for the future that never gives up.

In later works, the author once again strengthened this feature of the old man's "tough guy" image. When sharks eat most marlins. "It is foolish to give up hope," he thought. When he finally came back with a huge skeleton, at least "the boat is still good, he thought." In good condition, except for the tiller, it is not damaged at all. This is easy to replace. "The old man saw the positive side.

Hope never dies, and strength never dies. Even a slim hope is worth the greatest effort. The author believes that it is this old man's persistence that supports him to fight against marlin, shark and his own will and never give up.

3. Dare to challenge and never admit defeat

The process of old people fishing is like the process of life. Everyone is trying to live in this world, perhaps facing the boundless sea, sharp teeth and insatiable sharks. All they have is a boat and a soul as the support for people to survive in this world. In the face of respectable and awesome nature, human beings are all small. But the author puts forward a question to readers: What attitude should people live in this world? At the same time, the author also answered this question through the actions taken by the old man when he faced the sea and sharks alone.

"A green fishing rod fished out of the water suddenly sank into the water", and a big fish was hooked. In the first round of the contest, the old man suppressed his desire and quietly waited for the fish to bite. The old man's silent telling reflects his inner strong desire. "Eat bait, fish. Eat it. Please eat. How fresh these baits are, ... "'Come on,' the old man said loudly. Let's go around a bend. Smell these baits. Aren't they delicious? Eat them while they are fresh. There will be tuna later. It's thick, cool and delicious. Don't be shy, fish. Eat them. ' "。 The old man patiently spent the peaceful period before the war.

Then there is the contest of strength, although the old man "supported by the weight of his body, waved his arm and pulled the fishing line back in turn." But "the fish just swam slowly, and the old man couldn't pull up an inch." The fish is big enough to pull the boat away and pull it to a wider deep sea. On one side are elderly people, and on the other side are unfathomable seas and unknown injuries. The reader can imagine this picture. Hegel said: "The greatness and strength of personality can only be measured by the greatness and strength of contradiction." The old man's admirable courage is also shown in his opponents-the sea, the big fish and later the big shark.

On the way home, the old man met a bigger challenge, and the blood of marlin attracted sharks. "The author used a lot of space to describe sharks' big, sharp blue heads, two big eyes and their chewed, long, devouring cheeks' and' when they are hungry, they will bite an oar or a snake, and people who swim in the water, turtles will bite off their legs and limbs when they sleep'. These descriptions are intended to show the heroism of the old man. The purpose of writing about fish is to write about people. The fiercer the big fish, the greater the image of the old man who fights fish and sharks. " ①

The old man is weak by nature. The old man said loudly, "Unless a shark comes, … May God have mercy on it and me". I hope this is a dream, he thought. I didn't catch this fish at all. I was lying alone on the old newspaper in bed. But the old man said, "But people are not born for failure. A person can be destroyed, but not defeated. " Come on, Galanaud Shark, come back. Hit them, and I'll kill them. "They can beat me now, he thought. I am too old to kill a shark with a stick. But as long as I have paddles, sticks and tillers, I will try. " Old people challenge their age and physical limits. He felt dizzy again, but he managed to catch the big fish. "Pull, hand," he thought. Stand firm, legs. Take a look at it for me, boss. Take a look for me. You have never fainted. These words and actions stem from the old people's desire for victory and strength. Old people can talk about baseball with their children happily. The lion in the old man's dream embodies this point more strongly. The lion is regarded as the king of beasts in western culture and a symbol of strength and power.

The competitive mentality of the elderly has been accumulated since childhood. The author wrote that the old man compared his wrist strength with others when he was young. "All day and one night, they put their hands on a chalk line on the table, their arms straight and their hands clenched. Both sides try their best to press each other's hands on the table "and" try their best to pull the black hand down a little until it is pressed on the table ". He thinks he can beat anyone if he makes up his mind. There is no denying that the age of being strong and strong has passed, and the old people are not as good as before. In the author's works, readers can see the old man's strong desire to recover his physical strength. In China's poem, "The old man is riding a horse, aiming at a thousand miles, and the martyr will March forward in his twilight years". The spirit embodied in the old man is consistent with what the poet wants to express. This is also what the author pursues. "What he pursues is eternal things, and this is human perseverance" (2)

In the part of old people fishing and shark shooting, the author doesn't want to emphasize the opposition between man and nature. In fact, people-oriented life is also a part of nature. The old man regards the sea as a gentle woman. The old man asked the bird who didn't understand the language, "How old are you? Is this the first time to go out? " Even the fish he wanted, the old man said, "Fish, I love you and respect you very much. ..... "Marxist philosophy tells us that contradiction is the unity of opposites. The relationship between man and nature is even more so.

In the struggle with fish, the old man showed a calm and wise side. Struggling, "Forget it, old man," he said to himself. "Now, rest gently against the wooden ship's rail and don't think about anything. It's busy. The less busy the better. " He judged that the fish was swimming shallowly according to the inclination of the fishing line. The old man thought, "I must pull it very close, very close, very close, … I can't pierce its head. I should plunge into its heart. " These are not only the fishing experience of the old man's life, but also the embodiment of his clear and wise mind. It is exactly the same as the author's account of the old man at the beginning of the story. Everything about him looks old, except his eyes, which are as blue as the sea and happy. Eyes reflect the heart. Only those who are clever at heart will have bright eyes.

Endure loneliness

The author didn't tell the story of the old man, and people didn't know where he came from or whether he had any relatives. All I know is that "he is an old man fishing alone in the Gulfstream". The child Manorine accompanied him, but forty days later, he was also called away by his parents. Old people should face the sea, shark. But these are not the most terrible. The biggest fear that the elderly have to face is loneliness. Loneliness is more important than loneliness itself. The only way for old people to relieve loneliness is to talk to themselves.

To the old man's soliloquy, the author has described many times:

"He can't remember when he first started talking to himself when he was alone. He sang when he was alone a few years ago, sometimes at night, when he was at the helm of a small fishing boat or turtle boat. He probably started talking to himself when the child left him and was alone. "

"'If people hear me talking to myself, they will think I'm crazy,' he said loudly. But since I'm not crazy, I don't care. I'll say it anyway. "

The old man even said to the bird who didn't understand the language, "Bird, you can stay at my house if you want." ..... I'm sorry, but I can't sail to take you back when the breeze blows. But I finally have a friend together. "

When fighting with Marin, I also sighed deeply. "If only that child were here."

"If only the children were here" appeared many times in his works. The author thinks that the old man does not expect anyone to help him. He can beat anyone if he wants to. The old man expects someone to see his experience, his courage and ability. Old people are eager for recognition, and old people pursue the satisfaction of self-esteem.

5. Summary

The novel reflects social life through the description of characters, stories and environment. Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea successfully created a classic "tough guy" image. This "tough guy" spirit, which dares to challenge, persevere and never give up under difficult conditions, coincides with Hemingway's "elegance under pressure" spirit. "Hemingway's tough guy image comes from real life and is closely related to Hemingway's own experience. In a sense, the image of a tough guy is Hemingway's own portrayal. " (3) Mr. Lu Xun said: "The winner is respectable, but the backward athletes still haven't reached the finish line. Seeing such competitors and watching silently is the backbone of China's future." . Our times still need "tough guys" and "heroes". This paper attempts to analyze the characteristics of San Diego's "tough guy" and advocate a "tough guy" spirit that we still need in this era.