谈如何理解海明威《一个干净明亮的地方》_英语论文

1、谈如何理解海明威一个干净明亮的地方 AbstractErnest Hemingway is one of the outstanding American short-story writers in the twentieth century. His works are so noted for profound ideas and abundant connotations that they are popular with readers. He is a representative of the Lost Generation. His works are based on hi

2、s own special experiences, the environment and the age he lived in. Almost all of his works reflect the pessimistic nihilism. The short story A Clean and Well-lighted Place was one of Hemingways early works. It is a classical short story with nihilism, assuming typical Hemingways style, that is, tak

3、ing Nothingness as the theme and employing abundant simple sentences. In the work, Hemingway, based on the story between the old man and the two waiters, pointed out that Nada commonly exists in humans life, it is actually the experience of ones own existence, and the only way to resist Nada is to k

4、eep a clean and well-lighted place in the mind. In order to understand the work and the authors ideas completely and thoroughly, this thesis makes an analysis of the novel from different angles, including Hemingways biography, the writing background of the novel, the main characters in the novel and

5、 the theme of Nada. Through the analysis, the thesis encodes the origin and the essence of Nada.Key WordsHemingway; Lost Generation; a clean and well-lighted place; Nada (Nothingness)摘要海明威是二十世纪美国著名短篇小说家，其作品思想深刻，内容丰富，脍炙人口。海明威是“迷惘的一代”的代表人物，其作品的创作思想大多来源于他的个人经历以及他生活的环境和时代，作品大都反映了悲观的虚无思想。短篇小说一个干净明亮的地方是海明

6、威的早期作品，是一部典型的虚无主义小说，具有典型的海明威风格：文章以虚无思想为主题并大量使用简洁句。在这篇小说中，海明威通过老人和两位服务员的故事阐明虚无是普遍存在的，虚无是对存在的体验，人类只有在内心保持一片干净明亮的地方才能抵御虚无。为了正确理解该篇小说以及作者的思想，本文从不同角度分析了作家和作品，包括对海明威生平的研究，小说的写作背景、主要人物和虚无主题的分析，阐明了小说虚无思想的起源和本质。关键词海明威；迷惘的一代；干净明亮的地方；虚无思想IntroductionErnest Hemingway is a well-known American writer in the twent

7、ieth century. His works have unique characteristics both in theme and writing style. Some critics think that his works are based on his own experiences and the time when he lived. Actually, Hemingways life was full of romance. He experienced many wars in his life. Because his works reflect the hurt

8、that the war brings to human being and describe the loss of the beliefs of the generation after the World War I, he is regarded as the spokesman of the Lost Generation.Hemingways short story A Clean and Well-Lighted Place was written in his early time, and is one of classical works of Hemingways sty

9、le as well. In this short story, he mostly used short and simple sentences. The theme of nothingness is a controversial and popular topic in modern literature. In order to understand the novel and the authors minds, this thesis makes an analysis of the novel from different angles, including the gene

10、ral biography of Hemingway, the writing background of the novel, the characters in the novel, the writing style of the short story, and the theme of nada.In the past, some people thought Hemingways minds were pessimistic, and A Clean and Well-Lighted Place was a classic novel of nihilism. In the aut

11、hors opinion, A Clean and Well-Lighted Place makes the readers to ponder over the meaning of life and is worthy of reading and studying.I. The Background of the Author and the NovelErnest Hemingway (1899-1961) is a well-known American novelist and short story writer in modern times, and one of the m

12、ost celebrated and influential authors in the twentieth century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1954 for his short storyThe Old Man and the Sea. Moreover, when referring to Hemingway, he is always related with the Lost Generation. It is certain that Hemingways life is full of romance. His special

13、 experience makes his works represent a generation, and still has a great influence on modern literature. If Hemingways novel is studied, it is definite to make a research on Ernest Hemingway himself at first.A. The General Biography of HemingwayErnest Hemingway was born in a doctor family in Chicag

14、o in 1899. When he was a child, he liked fishing and hunting. He often spent his summer outdoors with his father. This experience made him adapt to the outdoor life.In 1917, after being graduated from the Middle School, Hemingway became a journalist of the Star Time，where he received strict professi

15、onal training as a journalist.During the First World War, because of the eye illness, Hemingway cannot join the army in the front. He finally volunteered to join the Red Cross of America and became a driver in the ambulance corps. In one mission of rescuing the wounded, Hemingway was seriously wound

16、ed and then went back to his hometown. He quickly became a hero at that time. Later, he went to Paris and expatriated there as a journalist of the Star Time of Canada. Since then, Hemingway started his life of literature production.Hemingways first novel was The Sun also Rises (1926). The book descr

17、ibes a group of Americans and Englishmen, who have suffered a lot physically and emotionally during the war. A Farewell to Arms (1929) recalls the suffering and destruction of the World War I, talking about the love story between an American officer and a British nurse who met in the war-torn Italy.

18、 This book is partly based on Hemingways own experience at the Italian front. Death in the Afternoon (1932) describes the bullfighting. Besides, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) is an important novel about the Spanish Civil War.Most of these works take the war as background, describing the pains the w

19、ar brings to human being, and reflecting a younger generations aimlessness after the war. At that time, these works immediately won the responses from many people who survived the war physically but were afterwards spiritually and morally adrift. Then, Hemingway became the spokesman for what the Ger

20、trude Stein had called “The Lost Generation”. Hemingway is famous for his literary style: simple, understated, and direct. He was at his best describing physical activity. His short story A Clean and Well-Lighted Place was written in his early time, which has a typical Hemingways style. Hemingway su

21、ccessfully created a series of characters, who suffered a lot but still kept dignity. Unfortunately, he finally chose to commit suicide to end his life. As it has been mentioned above, Hemingway experienced many wars in all his life. In the middle of 1930s, he went to Span, becoming the reporter of

22、battlefield about Spanish Civil War. During the World War II, he was a soldier against the fascist. The war had left endless pains both on his body and spirit. Like the characters he created, he preferred to choose dignity.B. The Lost GenerationLost Generation is a literature school original in Amer

23、ican in the twentieth century. Lost Generation refers to the generation after the World War I. Meanwhile, it also refers to the young writers who lived as expatriates in Western Europe for a short time. Besides Hemingway, there is Lewis Mumford, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Matthew, Sherwood Anderson, a

24、nd many other novelists. The Lost Generation is also called the Sad Young Man by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his book which describes the disillusioned younger generation after the First World War.The Lost Generation was a group of rebellious youth appeared in America after the First World War. The 1920s

25、 was an age of Prohibition. Alcoholic beverages were outlawed by a constitutional amendment. However, young people cheerfully evaded the law in thousands of “speakeasies” (illegal bars). They played jazz, took drugs and bravely denunciated the Puritan morality and the social convention. At the same

26、time, a lot of works appeared to reflect these young mens depression and sad emotion. They seemed to lose their directions for the future. The Lost Generations writers held many common points. At first, all of them were weary of the imperialistic wars but cannot find the way out. Expatriation was an

27、other common point. Many young writers had an experience living in the European countries, especially in Paris. Although the government pronounced “recovering the atmosphere before the war”, war had left deep hurt in peoples heart. Therefore, the writers self-exile became the way escaping from the r

28、eality. Actually, the young peoples rebellion was inevitable. It must be remembered that the revolt was not confined within the United States, but affected the entire Western world as the result of the aftermath of the first serious war in a century. Although the government was reluctant to admit, t

29、he United States was not isolated from the outside world any more. The October Revolution quickly swept across all over the world, and exposed the inherent contradiction of capitalism. The booming of the industry made the traditional value out of work at that time. The war acted as a direct blasting

30、 fuse. The young peoples revolt started with the World War I. At the beginning of the war, people were still idealistic towards the war with the typical American adventurousness. By the strenuous jingoism Theodore Roosevelts enhancement, the young men began to enlist under foreign flags. At the same

31、 time, all the media such as radios, televisions and newspapers propagated the optimism at the front. Moreover, the government tried its best to persuade the youth to join “the glorious war” under the slogan of “democracy” through which they could realize their personal value. Thus the young men of

32、college age who knew little about modern warfare took part in the European conflicts with the idealistic dream against war and the excitement of the military adventure. However, after witnessing the massacre of human being and tasting the cruelty of modern warfare, the young men began to realize tha

33、t the war was not the one they thought before. They felt cheated by the government. This turning of mind made them angry.After being fed up with the pains of the war, a lot of soldiers returned home. However, it was despaired to return to a home town totally untouched by the wars and they found thei

34、r old jobs had been taken by those who did not join in the war. Because of the recession of economy, they could not find a new job. At the same time, the small villages they lived in were uncomfortable to them. They found that the citizens still talked about the war bombastically, which made them gu

35、ilty for two or three years. The “Lost Generation” was never lost actually. In the bookBackgrounds of American Literature Thought , it was written that “It (The Lost Generation) was shocked, uprooted for a time, bitter critical, rebellious, iconoclastic, experimental, often absurd, more often misdir

36、ectedbut never lost”. (Zhang Hanxi, P165, 1995) The achievement in literature can prove this point of view. A lot of great works was produced by the Lost Generation. Generally speaking, the Lost Generation was a group of people who were sobered up by the War. II. The General Introduction to the Nove

37、lA. The Writing Style of A Clean and Well-lighted PlaceAs it has been mentioned above, Hemingway helped to accomplish a revolution in literature style and language. He tried to cut out all the words that were not necessary. His style was characterized by short and simple sentences with a few adjecti

38、ves and adverbs. In his short story A Clean and Well-lighted Place, Hemingway used a lot of conversations to compare the middle aged waiter with the young waiter. In the short story, the sentences have only one or several words. In the short story, Hemingway also used meaningful symbols to convey de

39、ep meanings, which is worthy of studying and thinking over.B. The Characters of the NovelThe short story A Clean and Well-lighted Place took place in a Spanish caf. The plot was focused on the old man, the middle aged waiter and the young waiter.The old man was the main character in the short story.

40、 Late at night, everyone had left the caf except the old deaf man, who was a little drunk. The two waiters were worried that he might leave without paying if he became deeply drunk. Then they kept watch on him and began their conversation about the old man. “Last week he tried to commit suicide,” on

41、e waiter said. “Why?” “He was in despair.” “What about?” “Nothing.” “How do you know it was nothing?” “He has plenty of money.” (陶洁, P112, 2000)At first glance of the short story, it seemed difficult to understand why the old man wanted to commit suicide just for nothing. However，through the followi

42、ng conversation, more information can be learned about the old man.“Hes drunk now,” he said.“Hes drunk every night.” “What did he want to kill himself for?” “How should I know?” “How did he do it?” “He hung himself with a rope.” “Who cut him down?” “His niece.” “Why did they do it?” “Fear for his so

43、ul.” “How much money has he got?” “Hes got plenty.” “He must be eighty years old.” “Anyway I should say he was eighty” “I wish he would go home. I never get to bed before three oclock. What kind of hour is that to go to bed?“He stays up because he likes it.”“He is lonely. Im not lonely. I have a wif

44、e waiting in bed for me.”“He had a wife once too.”“A wife would be no good to him now.”“You cant tell. He might be better with a wife.”“His niece looks after him. You said she cut him down.”“I know.”“I wouldnt want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing.”“Not always. This old man is clean. He d

45、rinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him.”“I dont want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work.” （陶洁，P113-114,2000）The old mans character is complex. Being depressed but still keeping dignity was the old mans image created by Hemingway, which fit

46、s the image of “Hemingway Hero”. On one hand, the old man was weak, despaired and extremely unhappy. He had a lot of money but lost belief. He stopped believing in anything that might have been significant in the past. For him, Nothingness meant hopelessness, aimlessness and meaninglessness of the l

47、ife. The old man tried to commit suicide but failed. Then he liked to sit late in the cafa clean and well-lighted place to buy drunk. Special attention should be paid to that the old mans deafness was an image symbolizing his separation from the rest of the world. The old man needed a place of refug

48、e from his terrible awareness of that human lives were meaningless. On the other hand, though the old man was in despair, he still kept dignity. In the short story, there are many sentences describing the old mans dignity. Hemingway once said that a man could be destroyed but not defeated. Moreover,

49、 the old man was deaf and lonely, but he was not defeated spiritually. The young waiter was selfish and impatient. He had a wife waiting for him to go home, so he wanted the old deaf man to leave as soon as possible. Therefore, he became angry and impolite. He intentionally poured the brandy out of

50、the cup. His bad service formed a strong contrast with the old mans cleanness. He did not sense the dignity the old man had about him. Furthermore, the young waiter was ignorant and blindly confident. He was so concerned with the daily routines and desires that he did not care about the others. He c

51、ould not understand the old man. He did not realize what he had, such as job, wife and confidence, was unreliable because he was young. He thought that money should keep a person be happy. He meant that the old man had no reason to kill himself because he was rich. Poverty, in his opinion, would be

52、the only excuse for suicide.The middle aged waiter was more sympathetic. He knew the importance of a clean and well-lighted place for those who need a refuge to escape from the reality. He knew the old mans suffering and was sympathized with him. Therefore, he did not think it was bad for the old ma

53、n to stay in the caf late into the night. Through the analysis above, it is known that Hemingway took the two waiters as known information, and the old man as unknown information. There was a sharp contrast between the youth and oldness, between the old and young waiters. In fact, the old man, the m

54、iddle aged waiter and the young waiter represent the youth, the middle age and the old age in the different stages of life. In each stage, people have different attitudes towards life and they lead different ways of life. At the same time, the three typical characters also reflect the peoples spirit

55、ual state after the WWI in American society.C. The Theme of the Novel The short story A Clean and Well-lighted Place was one of Hemingways most compact stories. It talks about loneliness, which Hemingway considered to be the principal tragedy of modern life. Nada (Nothingness) was an important theme

56、 of this story. Nearly all the characters live in Nada. For the old man, Nada means hopelessness, aimlessness and meaninglessness of life, which was the exact reason for the old mans suicide. He tried to kill himself, by which he thought he could make himself get rid of the earthly affairs. The midd

57、le aged waiter was aware of what the old man suffered. He knew the old mans today was his tomorrow. He knew the importance of a clean and well-lighted place to those who need a refuge to escape from loneliness. However, he had to leave the caf at the end of the novel. The young waiter lived in Nada

58、as well, even if he did not realize it. His ignorance makes a strong contrast with the old mans wisdom. He was unaware of what he had. For him, the life was another kind of meaninglessness, because he was blindly confident with the unreliable youth.The theme of Nada consists of three forms: the consciousness of death, the awareness of bitterness and the consciousness of absurdity. Hemingway was good at describing death. If his otherworks are read, it can be found that there are a lot of works involved with the topic of death. In the short story A Clean and Well-lighted Place, even if ther