Abstract

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) is a famous American writer in the twentieth century. His works such as The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms have a significant impact on the world literature. Hemingway is well known for his tough man spirit, and he has created a great many tough man spirit images. And their heroism really influences readers for generations. The World War I influenced the “Lost Generation” including Hemingway a lot. In the World War II, Hemingway experienced the cruelty and callousness of wars again and he wrote the striking novel The Old Man and the Sea after the war. The Old Man and the Sea came off like a culmination in Hemingway’s writing life. And this novel also made him get the Nobel Prize in literature. With an image of American individual heroism, the protagonist Santiago showed Hemingway’s understanding of nature and life. This thesis is made up of three parts. The first part introduced the tradition of heroism. The second part made a close reading of the novel and gave an analysis on the presentation of Santiago’s heroism.And the third part analyzed the influence of Santiago’s heroism. This thesis focused on the presentation of heroism in the novel. By analyzing the protagonist’s thoughts and actions, the significance of heroism has been illustrated.

Key Words: Ernest Hemingway; The Old Man and the Sea; heroism 

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

2 The Tradition of Heroism-3

2.1 The Definition of Heroism-3

2.2 The History of Heroism-4

2.3 Hemingway’s Heroism-5

3 The Presentation of Santiago’s Heroism-8

3.1 Heroism in Santiago’s Thoughts.-8

3.2 Heroism in Santiago’s Actions-11

4 The Influence of Santiago’s Heroism-13

5 Conclusion-15

Bibliography-16

Acknowledgments-17