“Code H ero” in the Novel The Old Man and the Sea– A further Analysis of Hemingway’s Writing Style《老人与海》中的硬汉形象OutlineI. “Code hero” and his featuresII. The “code hero” in The Old Man and the SeaA.Santiago as the “code hero”B.Features of SantiagoIII. The writing style of Hemingway in modeling the “code hero”A.The language features of HemingwayB.Hemingway’s way to model “code hero”C.Hemingway’s symbolismIV. Conclusion“Code H ero” in the Novel The Old Man and the Sea– A further Analysis of Hemingway’sWriting StyleAuthor: Zhang Ming Supervisor: Li Ming In Hemingway’s works, there exist certain common features among the protagonists. These characters share identical personalities and life experiences and they bear similar attention towards society. Their way of life can be defined by the way in which they responded to conflicts as well as the way in which they are depicted. We use the term “code hero”in description of Hemingway’s characters. Such a concept seems to have created the illusion that Hemingway’s heroes all behave in accordance with certain principles, or that some code rules their behavior, and that certain principles dominate their inner conflicts and control their life orientation. The "Code hero" has been interpreted as courageous and stubborn. "Code hero" is not a concept concerned with individuals, but with groups. The essence of "Code hero" is a pessimistic world outlook and an aesthetic faith in life. Hemingway's four important novels, A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bells Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea, can be regarded as a quartet of code heroes. Through the four heroes' life experiences and their pursuit of values, this quartet demonstrates the process of the development of the "code hero",and thus represents the course of the construction of the world outlook. The “code”, sometimes called “grace under pressure”, is an ideal set of belief and attitudes, essentially a mode of self- regard, which enables the heroes to function in a hostile, destructive environment. According to this code, a man is defined by will, pride, and endurance: the ability to accept pain, even loss, when loss cannot be avoided. The pride of knowing that one has done one’s best, with the courage to act truly to one’s nature; and the will to face defeat or victory without complaint on one hand or boasting on the other. The word “hero”can mean both “hero”and “protagonist”in English. In the literary works the two concepts “hero”and “protagonist” are both closely related and distinctive. Talking of hero, we have to trace back to its original meaning and connotation in the ancient Greek civilization. A man can be a hero because of unusual bravery, nobility of action, moral and intellectual qualities. Like Prometheus, Odysseus, Julia Caesar, Napoleon, a great number of figures are esteemed and respected as models for heroes because they represent the collective desire and yearning for sublimity, and grandeur. So the hero carries its traditional meaning and serves as a prototype for instruction, education and imitation. However, from the late 19th century, owing to the social, political and cultural changes, the hero in the contemporary world bears different meanings. Hemingway’s heroes make a breakthrough in the connotation and transcend the traditional function ofheroes. Many of the characters in Hemingway’s novels and stories are called heroes because they still preserve some of the virtues of the romanticized figures and the noble people in the traditional sense –bravery, courage, faith, perseverance, dignity, etc. Meanwhile, from their external action and internal mind, there always permeates a pessimistic mood and overtone. These heroes are more human than divine, more complex than simplex. The virtues Hemingway’s heroes show when facing the harsh reality serve not as models for people to follow but purely as the revelation of the consolation and comfort for the bitter agony and pains. Hemingway’s heroes are not always strong-minded, tough, sturdy, but rather dualized. Their courage, faith and moral code are rooted in the firm presumption that “Man proposes, God dispose”. Nobody can achieve ultimate success when confronting the decided fate. So Hemingway’s heroes, unlike those to be worshipped and honored, always show the weakness of human beings –cowardice, resignation, vanity and so on. The reason why they are entitled “heroes” rests not with their awareness of the emptiness of the world, but with their consequent attitude toward the meaningless life. They display the outstanding quality in spite of the doomed end.A protagonist in a story is supported by other minor characters or gains his position by direct conflict with the antagonists. Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea is the protagonist and the “hero”. In the story thepresentation of facts such as going out to the sea, fishing, fighting, losing, and turning back from the sea is unfolded along with the development of the protagonist Santiago. And the conflicts between characters as well as the settlement of the conflicts such as that between Santiago and sharks focuses on Santiago. There are very few characters in the stories and the personal background of the protagonist is left unexplained, so the reader’s full attention is focused on the hero.The “code hero” has great physical potential and courage. Whether he is a soldier, a hunter, or a fisherman, his physical power is always activated by critical situations. However, the physical power will encounter harm from the greater forces. The real value, according to Hemingway, lies in the fact that the hero can always rise from destruction. They were all hurt in some way, yet they were not defeated. The “code h ero” measures himself by how well they handle the difficult situations that life throws at him. In the end the “code h ero” will lose because we are all mortal, but the true measure is how a person faces death.The “code h ero” is typically an individualist and free-willed. Although he believes in the ideals of courage and honor he has his own set of morals and principles based on his beliefs in honor, courage and endurance. A code hero never shows emotions; showing emotions and having a commitment to women shows weakness.A final trait of the “code heroes”is that they are endowed withcertain specialized skills, such as fishing, bull fighting, and hunting, etc. Such skills are necessary for the internal courage and constraint in the heroes. In another sense, a person that is good for nothing is likely to be presented as “weak” or useless, yet the Hemingway’s heroes are free from such deficiencies as they possess practical skills.II. The “code hero” in The Old Man and the SeaA.Santiago as the “code hero”The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel about Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who has gone for 84 days without catch. Therefore the boy, Manolin, who used to sail with him, is forced to leave him and catch in another ship. The old man insists on fishing alone and at last, he hooks an eighteen-foot, giant marlin, the largest he has ever known. But the fish is very powerful and disobedient. It tows the old man and his boat out to sea for 48 hours, with the old man bearing the whole weight of the fish through the line on his back. The old man, with little food and sleep, has to endure much pain and fights against his treacherous hand cramp. To his great excitement, on his third day at sea, he succeeds in drawing the weakened marlin to the surface and harpoons it. On his way home, he lashes marlin alongside his boat because it is too big to be pulled into the boat. But, unfortunately, the sharks in different numbers come across for four times. The old man fights to kill the sharks with as much might and many weapons as he can summon, but only to find a giant skeleton of hismarlin left after his desperate defense. At last, Santiago, having lost what he fought for, reaches the shore and struggles to his shack. He falls into sound sleep, dreaming of Africa and the lions again. His struggle wins him much respect.Santiago is a “man”in the fullest sense of the word. Although his strength is gone, his endurance and courage permits him to conquer the marlin. Even faced with defeat, he does not quit; knowing that he has no chance against the sharks, he continues the struggle against them. For Santiago, “a man who struggles against fate will not be defeated.”“Y ou can destroy him, but you can not defeat him”1 is the essential truth of the Hemingway code. Santiago loses the fight against the sharks but he is not afraid, his value lies in the fact that he rises from his failure and regains his confidence. The success alone is meaningless without the initial setback.The old man is confident and self - assured. He knows clearly he is no longer as strong as he used to be and he has nothing to rely on but his staying power and experience. As a fisherman who is often alone out at sea, Santiago knows very much about himself. He knows clearly what sort of advantages he has and to what extent he can win. And for the fish, he also has great ideas of how to win in a fair fight with his tricks and resolution. He has no illusions about his ability and never boasts about himself, what he waits for is the opportunity to prove his ability.Santiago’s actions are brief and accurate, and there is nothing unnecessary. It seems that all his actions are calculated and no energy is wasted. Santiago’s life is simple but not wrenched. He is humble but not low. In his action there is always dignity and self-respect. To a real hero, no matter what kind of plight he is in and no matter how high his social position is, maintaining one’s dignity is the most important. Such dignity should not fluctuate with changes in wealth and turning of luck, and it is a necessary part in humanity. Santiago maintains his dignity in his action and displays heroism as a code hero with his undefeated spirit when he has lost the fight.Someone denied Santiago’s hero status and blamed Santiago for his lack of social concern as well as his failure to develop an independent perception of life. For Santiago, many things are limited by his narrow personal circumstances, and Santiago’s experiences are not broad, yet his life circumstances are of much wider significance. His life is full of meaning, particularly when he is faced with the big fish in the sea. He is also deeply concerned about society. Santiago has developed close relationships with the people around him and he is not isolated from the real world. He is able to enjoy the warmth of friendship, and he is also able to give his concern and love to Malolin.However Santiago’s character is not without its flaws. For example, he allows the conversation on the non-existing rice and the cast net to goon with the little boy Manolin. And such illusionary talking reveals his irrationality.“What do you want to eat?” the boy asked.“A pot of yellow rice with fish. Do you want some?”“No, I will eat them at home. Do you want me to makethe fire?”“No, I will make it later on. I may eat the rice cold”“May I take the cast net?”“Of course.”2In fact they have neither rice nor fish, nor the cast net. Yet everyday they share in the illusion with different attitudes. Manolin is being sympathetic when he tries to keep the lies, whereas Santiago indulges in the illusion because of his weakness in character. However, such weakness does not make the hero low, but makes him lovable and closer to humanity. If a character is portrayed as too perfect or rational, it loses much of his quality and hence appears rather inhuman. But such a tendency is avoided in Santiago through the portrayal of his emotional make-up.B. Features of SantiagoSantiago as a protagonist is not exactly like the early “Code heroes”in Hemingway’s stories. The characters in Hemingway’s early works lack such codes and are therefore unsuccessful and passive but in his laterworks especially in “The Old Man and the Sea”, he has acquired those important codes and values; the characters, therefore, turned out to be courageous, taking on great social responsibility. Compared to the early code heroes, there are some differences in the characterization of Santiago.First, Santiago is the epitome of all the other code heroes Hemingway has created. In Santiago there are all those outstanding qualities Hemingway most admires, such as courage, nobility, confidence, tricks, and a remarkable personality. Santiago demonstrates stronger will power and nobler dignity due to his physical limits.Second, Santiago is a new type of hero, and is distinguished from any code hero formerly created by Hemingway. He has greater emotion depth and is an accomplished mediator. He is not without sympathy and warmth. So he is morally superior. Moreover, the ending arranged for him is active and prospective. He is able to enjoy the warmth of friendship and teach his own experience to the would-be hero, Malolin. It is therefore to say that the image in this novel is optimistic and promising.Finally, in Santiago, Hemingway illustrates his understanding of human life.To sum up, Santiago is old but senile, unlucky but not defeated, gentle but not soft, proud but not boastful, resigned but not passive, perhaps most importantly, hopeful for himself without jealousy of others.III. The writing style of Hemingway in modeling the “code hero”A.The language features of HemingwayAmong many great American writers, Hemingway is famous for his objective and terse prose style. As the last novel Hemingway published in his life, The Old Man and the Sea typically reflects his unique writing style. Of course, Hemingway has used many techniques in this novel, such as realism, the creation of suspense, monologue, etc. But here the focus is on the language features in this novel.The language is simple and natural, and has the effect of directness, clarity and freshness. This is because Hemingway always manages to choose words which are concrete, specific, more commonly found, more Anglo-Saxon, casual and conversational.He seldom uses adjectives and abstract nouns, and avoids complicated syntax. Hemingway’s s trength lies in his short sentences and very specific details. His short sentences are powerfully loaded with tension, which he sees in life. Where he does not use a simple and short sentence, he connects the various parts of the sentence in a straightforw ard and sequential way, often linked by “and”. I n the modern English, “and” is among the simplest conjunctions, and its grammatical function is to join the units with similar grammatical function. But the wide use of “and”in modeling the hero means much more thangrammatical function. For example:He settled comfortably against the wood and took his sufferingas it came and the fish swam steadily and the boat movedslowly through the dark water. There was a small sea risingwith the wind coming up from the east and at noon theold man’s left hand was uncramped.”3In this paragraph, the word “and” obviously works more than merely joining the units with the same grammatical function. In fact, there is no relation among “He settled comfortably against the wood”, “the fish swam steadily”and “the boat moved slowly”, nor is there any relation between “T here was a small sea rising” and “the old man’s left hand was uncramped”. But the author made them related by using “and” to join all the old man’s acts to the things around him. The old man and the nature were harmoniously together.In creating characters, Hemingway uses dialogue as an effective device. It is presented in a form “as close to the dramatic as possible, with a minimum of explanatory comment.” 4 Here is an example chosen from The Old Man and the Sea:“What do you have to eat?” the boy asked.“No, I will eat at home. Do you want me to makethe fire?”“No, I will make it later on. Or I may eat the rice cold.” 5Here we can see that such interpolati ons as “he said” have frequently been omitted and the words are very colloquial. Thus the speech comes to the reader as if he were listening. Hemingway has captured the immediacy of dialogue skillfully and has made the economical speech connotative.Occasionally, the author uses such figures of speech as metaphor, personification, etc to describe details. Hemingway likes to use natural things as metaphors. For example, he describes Santiago’s eyes as “the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undef eated.”6 The metaphor reveals that the old man is closely linked with nature. At the beginning of the novel, a simile is used: “the sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled; it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.” 7Here Santiago’s eyes are contrasted with the patched sail, which symbolize defeat.B. Hemingway’s way to model “Code hero”At first, in his presentation of the hero, Hemingway tries to display Santiago’s inner strength in the description of his body and eyes: The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in theback of his neck. The brown blotches of the benevolent skincancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic seawere on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sidesof his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars fromhandling heavy fish on the cords. But none of the scarswere fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishlessdesert. Everything about him was old except his eyesand they were cheerful and undefeated. 8In Santiago, great tension is created from the two counterchecking forces, and such tension intensifies the reader’s expectation of the hero. One is the contrast between the wrenched sail that is like a flag of permanent defeat and his undefeated eyes. Another is the contrast between the wounded body and his pleasant eyes. The author depicts the protagonist as an old man that is physically weak. He is helpless and isolated, fending for himself. Hemingway contrasts physical weakness with his psychological strength. Moreover, the hero’s bad luck and defeat is permanent in other s’ eyes, but to Santiago, it does not matter much, and he still thinks he will have good luck next time again. He will be able to catch a good fish again with his rich experience and great skills. His great skills and perseverance are demonstrated while he is fishing the marlin in the sea. Through his experience, the readers are made to identify Santiago with the most outstanding personality in human beings and are therefore encouraged to discover all that is implied in Santiago. In the latter part of the novel, instead of being narrated by the author, the facts are used from inside Santiago’s own consciousness, and form part of a whole scheme of the novel.Furthermore, two events, namely, fishing the marlin and fighting with the sharks serve as catalysts for the unfolding of the story. The two scenarios are arranged in such a way that they are closely connected but independent of each other at the same time. The beginning of the story is also the beginning of conflict, and when that conflict has been solved the story comes to an end. According to Hemingway, in the story there is nothing symbolic. The sea is the sea, the old man is the old man, the fish is the fish, and the boy is the boy. The sharks are the sharks. Yet the simplicity of the storyline is of great significance to the reader. It has both a beginning and an ending, and presents a complete round of fighting between a hero and his circumstance.At the same time, in the story, there is another minor character, Manolin, the little boy. He appears only at the beginning and the ending of the novel, but this character is very important in characterizing the old man’s hero image.Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago’s feelings. He even offers to go against his parents’ wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore “unlucky¨. Nonetheless Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him he wants to help his friend. Santiago isan old Cuban fisherman and his personal background and his relationship with the village are somewhat elusive. The protagonist displays remarkable spiritual motivation as well as impressive personality through his friendship with the little boy Malolin, and we know his heroic past and great skills from the words of the little boy. The protagonist’s great concern to the little boy is also a warm side of his hero image.Finally, the entire significance has been conveyed by a compressed action. The core of the novel’s action is fishing. The author showed readers the process of fishing, which mostly comes from his own experience. From these facts, which are vivid, precise and terse, readers can learn a lot about how to catch a fish and can also feel as if they themselves were catching a fish. Then they will have the sense that what the author describes is real and believable. To the hero, fishing is not simply a contest in life. It contains profound philosophic meaning. In addition, two details - the baseball match and the hand wresting with the Negro, like fishing, symbolize the contention in life. They compensate and enrich the inner meaning of the main plot of fishing.C. Hemingway’s symbolismSymbolism is always an eternal and controversial topic in The Old Man and the Sea. Some people hold the view that it is a true story and the author heard it from an old fisherman in Kabanas. But we still cannot deny that there are also plenty of symbols existing in this novel. Inliterature, a symbol is a thing that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention or accidental resemblance, especially, a visible sign of something invisible (For example, the lion is the symbol of courage and the cross is the symbol of Christianity). The symbol generally does not stand for the meaning, not for anything absolutely definite; it evokes an object that suggests the meaning.Hemingway has a famous “iceberg theory”; he believed a good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action; If a writer of the prose knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as if the writer had stated them. The one-eighth that is presented will suggest all other meaningful dimensions of the story, whereas the other seven-eighth of which is concealed beneath the surface of the water in which it floats. Thus Hemingway’s language is highly symbolic and suggestive. Among all the works of Hemingway, the saga of Santiago is thought as the most typical one as far as this Iceberg Theory concerned. When Hemingway said of this story, “I tried to make a real old man, a real sea and real sharks”, he then went on to say, “But if I made them good and true enough the y would mean many things.”9The author seldom expresses his own feelings directly, nor does hemake any comments or explanations. On the contrary, he tries to narrate and describe things objectively and blends his own feelings harmoniously with the natural narration and description. There won’t be great difficulties to understand the literal meaning of his short sentences and simple words, but a work by Hemingway demands deliberate attention. In other word, one has to keep a close eye on Hemingway’s words and to read between the lines because of his highly symbolic language.To begin with, the title of the novel itself is the symbol. The old man represents the human race and the sea represents the nature. The whole story could be eyed as the metaphor of the struggle that takes place between human beings and the nature. But the story also indicates that the nature is, to some extent, superior and that the humankind is not able to win this fighting. The old man, Santiago to some degree symbolizes Christ in many ways. His name derives from San Diego (San James), suggesting the old man’s ties with the Christian religion. And he embodies much of that religion. For instance, his strong right hand is his salvation and his left hand is the traitor to his body, he carries his mast up the hill to his home and falls beneath it like Christ bearing cross.Secondly, the major symbol is the sea, which stands for all on which man must sail. In both the sea and the life, there are serious possibilities that lie hidden from the common eyes. Some are gifts to be treasured and some are problems to be solved and defeated. Neither will be foundunless man embarks on the journeys; if man is lucky enough to discover a treasure (maybe it is love or family or education), he must fight until death to retain it; if man is unlucky enough to discover an evil lurking underneath the surface of the sea, and he must fight bravely and nobly until the end. In the novel Santiago undergoes a sea journey (life) and encounters a giant marlin (treasure). He battles nobly to earn the treasure and fights the sharks (problems) to save it. The marlin is graceful and noble, and its existence supports Santiago’s life and his faith. Yet the sharks are those dark forces that are destructive to human life. They are indicative of all the violence and injustices in the world.Finally, the giant marlin is a symbol of the mysterious world of the unknown that challenges everyone. For a large part of the book, Santiago is pulled by this giant, a mysterious creature, and yet he does not know what it is or what it looks like. The old man can only imagine its strength, power, and determination. Yet he still identifies with it. Knowing it is the part of the natural order of existence, he is even more amazed at its grandeur and size when the old man actually sees the fish. Santiago is determined to show what a man can do and what a man can endure.In addition to the main symbols mentioned above, there are many minor symbols in the story. For instance, the sea and the experience, can be regarded as the miniature of people’s life. The old man’s weatherworn face symbolizes his unlucky fate, and his particular eyes are the symbolof his unconquerable willpower. The scar of his hands suggests that he does not give up forever. The lion playing on the beach symbolizes his exploring spirit, strength and bravery. This is his strength source when he is in danger. Also the bleeding hands of Santiago are the symbols of the suffering of Jesus Christ, whose hands were equally wounded by the rails used to crucify him. Another recurring symbol in the novel is that of DiMaggio, the particular handicapped baseball player, who often figures in the old man’s waking thoughts as well as in his dreams. DiMaggio inspires him with the determination to win in spite of his handicap. The image of the baseball hero playing in pain gives Santiago renewed vigor and stamina to put up his own pain. Therefore the great DiMaggio is said to be a symbol of courage, endurance and success.To sum up, symbolism is a noted writing characteristic in The Old Man and the Sea. The old man, the sea, the marlin, the lions and so on and so forth, to a large extent has deep symbolic meanings respectively. One can get different kinds of interpretations in accordance with a variety of points of views. In addition, by using symbols, Hemingway succeeded in reaching his goal of conveying the main theme of the story that–courage leads to success.IV. ConclusionThis paper has further explored the image of the "code hero" created by Ernest Hemingway, and pointed out that the main strength of the "code。
