An Analysis of the Humanistic Thought and Its Practical Significance in The Old Man and the Sea

Abstract

: The Old Man and the Sea is a novellas written by Ernest Hemingway and published in 1952, which not only won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, but also the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. This work created a "Fever of Hemingway literary" around the world. In this work, Hemingway not only portrays the images of dual Christs, the Great Marlin and the old man Santiago, but also the little boy Manolin as the Redeemer. This article takes the three images of the old man Santiago, the young boy Manolin, and the big marlin as the starting point to analyze the humanistic thoughts in The Old Man and the Sea and the rich practical significance behind them. The old man Santiago develops a sense of camaraderie with the big marlin during their intense struggle and is ultimately saved by the young boy Manolin. In face of voidable death, he still believes that a man can be destroyed, but not defeated. He dares to struggle against the cruel social reality and cruel fate. In this process, it also reflects Hemingway's reflection on the fate of modern Western individuals as a representative writer of The Lost Generation, as well as his concern and exploration for the way out of human survival difficulties.