论小男孩在老人与海中的作用

　　Abstract
　　TheOldManandtheSeatellsthefrustratedexperiencethattheoldfishermanfishesinthecourse。Thethemeisdeep，anditisasongofpraiseofheroism。Butmanisnotmadefordefeat。AmancanbedestroyedbutnotdefeatedhasbeentheclassicsayingandtheoldmanalsohasbeenthemosttypicalandthemostrepresentativeoftheHemingway’stoughguy。WhenHemingwaytalkedaboutthesuccessfulfactorslater，thelittleboywasmentionedinthesamebreathwiththeoldman。
　　Thispaperstartswiththedetailsanditispidedintotwomainpartstodiscusstheindispensablerolesofthelittleboyinthenovel。Itishimwhohelpstoperformthethemeofgraceunderpressure：during40days，theoldmanwiththelittleboywenttofishbutwithouttakingafish，whenhissituationwasgettingworsestepbystep，thelittleboy’sleavingwastheheavypressurethatachievedtheextremesternforcertain。However，itwassoheavypressurethathismannerwasgracefulwhentheoldmanfacedafterwardsdefeatandhisoptimistic，generouslifeattitudewasworthytastingbypeoplecarefully；itishimwhoplaystheroleofleading，inspiringtothereaders，andincreasingtheappealofthework，enrichingthecontentofthework：althoughthelittleboyappearsonlyatthebeginningandtheendinginthenovel，thereisnothinginhisinnerstatebuttheoldman，sohisattitudeandemotionstowardstheoldmanaffectsthereaders’emotionsfortheoldmanquietlyandgradually。Anditisunavoidablethathisinnerfeelingleadsandimpactsthereaders’emotions。
　　Keywords：roles；thelittleboy；theoldman；graceunderpressure；TheOldManandtheSea
　　摘要
　　《老人与海》讲述了老渔夫捕鱼过程中的坎坷经历，主题深刻，是一部英雄主义的赞歌。一个人不是生来就要被打败的，你可以消灭他，但就是打不败他。已经成为至理名言，老人也成为海明威式硬汉子的最典型、最完美的代表。当海明威谈到小说成功的因素时，曾颇为自得地将小男孩与老人相提并论。
　　本文拟从有关细节入手，分析讨论小男孩在《老人与海》中所起的微妙且不可或缺的作用：是他帮助表现了重压下的优雅风度这一主题：在老人84天没有捕到鱼，处境一步步恶化的厄运中，小男孩的离去无疑让老人的重压达到了极度严峻的地步，然而正是由于如此的重压，老人后来面对失败时的态度才可谓优雅，所表现的大度、乐观的人生态度才值得人们仔细地品味；是他对读者发挥着一定的牵引、打动和启发作用，从而增强了作品的感染力，丰富了作品的内涵：孩子虽然只出现在小说的首尾两处，但是孩子的内心世界里别无他物，只有老人，他对老人的态度和感情潜移默化地左右着读者对老人的感受，他的内心情感无可避免地要牵动影响着读者的情绪。
　　关键词：作用；小男孩；老人；重压下的优雅风度；《老人与海》
　　1。Introduction
　　1。1Aboutthebackground
　　TheOldManandtheSeaissoimportanttoHemingwayandtheAmericanliteraturethattherearelotsofcommentsaboutit。Buttheresearchonthelittleboy，Mandolin，isminimal。Itseemsthathisroleisirrelevantandunimportanttothenovel。Infact，theappearanceofthelittleboyistheemergenceofacoincidenceaccordingtohisroleinthework。
　　HemingwaypublishedapieceofcommunicationentitledOntheBlueWaterintheEsquireinApril，1936。TheOldManandtheSeaiswrittenonthebasicofthematerial。Inthemiddleofthenovel，wecanalwaysfeeltheexistenceoftheboy，becausetheoldmanthinksofthelittleboyformorethantentimesduringthethreeintenseandarduousdays。Moreover，whenHemingwaytalkedaboutthefactorsofthenovel’ssuccesslater，thelittleboyismentionedinthesamebreathwiththeoldmanthatheisluckytohaveagoodoldmanandalittleboy，andsomewritershaveforgottenthesethingsrecent。ThisshowsHemingwaylayshisartisticcreativityandingenuityonthelittleboy。Sothelittleboy’sroleinthisnovelisworthybeingconsideredbycriticsandreaders。
　　1。2Aboutthenovel
　　2。TherolesoftheboyinTheOldManandtheSea
　　2。1Helpingshowtheoldman’spressure
　　OneofthebrightestspotsinTheOldManandtheSeaistheperfectexpressionofHemingway’squalityofgraceunderpressure，whichiscomposedoftwofactors：pressureandgrace。Andpressureisthepremise：onlyunderthebackgroundofpressurewilltheherohavetheelegantmannersintherealsignificance。Thesetwofactorsaremostlyshownbythelittleboy。Toshowpressure，Hemingwaydescribesthebackgroundofthestoryinfourlevelsbypicturingthedetailswhenthelittleboyleavestheoldman。Inthisway，hestressestheheavypressureattheverybeginningofthenovel，whichlaysanecessarypremiseandanatmosphereforthesocalledgrace。Toshowthegrace，Hemingwaydescribesseveraldetailswhentheoldmangetstogetherwiththelittleboyunderthepressureatthebeginningandtheendofthenovel，drawingtheimageandtargetsindescribingtheimageoftheoldman。
　　Firstistheheavypressure。Thefirstsentenceofthisnovelaccountsthedifficultiesthattheoldmanfaced：theoldmanhasbeenfutilefor84days。Thisisofcourse，sympathetictopeople，butitisnotenoughtoarousepeople’ssympathyonlybyanumberandthepressureitstatedisalsoambiguous。What’smore，themannerslaterdiscussedisdifficulttomovethereadersandthenovel’sdepthwillbeaffectedwhileitisdifficulttomakeaclearsensethroughafewwordsandtheoldman’saloneappearinginthenovel。SoHemingwaygivesaconsiderabledescriptionofthelittleboyinordertosetoffagradualdeteriorationsituationoftheoldman。Inthisincreasingpressure，theoldman’sfailureisparticulartragic，andthemanneroftheoldmantothefailureiselegant。
　　Atthebeginning，theoldmanandthelittleboysailedtogethereveryday，buttheydonotcatchanyfishformorethan40days，whichisquiteunlucky，〔1〕thisisthefirstlayerofpressure。Atthistime，theboyisforcedtoleavetheoldmanandcatchesonanotherboatfollowedhisparents’order，thustheoldmanisleftaloneinhisboatwhichisasymbolofhisfailure。Obviously，failureandlonelinessisthesecondlevelofpressure。Theboybegantolearntofishfollowingtheoldmanwhenheisonlyfive。Theoldman’swifepassedawayseveralyearsago，sothechildisactualhisonlycompanioninhislonelylife，andthedepartureofthelittleboyatthisunfortunatemomentisundoutableaheavyblowtohim。Previously，ithassaidthatthelittleboydoesnotappearinthematerialonwhichthestorybased。ThelittleboyisimagedbyHemingwayasthesolepartnerandassistantoftheoldman，andthentakeshimawayfromtheoldmanmercilessly，whichisthesocalledgivingitbeforetakingit。Inthisway，theoldman’smiserablesituationbecomesevenworse。Moreover，aftertheboy’sleaving，theoldmandoesnotcatchanyfishfor44dayswhichmakesbearanalmostdesperatefeeling。Thisisthethirdlevelofpressure。Althoughthefirstandthirdlevelofthepressurehavingnothingtodowiththelittleboy，theboy’sleavingpidesthe84daysintothreelevelstoincreasethepressurelayerbylayer，therebycreatingasenseofmoreandmore，dignified。
　　Ontheotherhand，theboyhasgoneattheirorderinanotherboatwhichcaughtthreegoodfishthefirstweek〔2〕，afterhisleaving，soitformsasharpcontrastbetweentheoldman’sdeterioratefateandthelittleboy’s。Asweallknown，thefishermenallbelieveintheluckverymuch。Inthenovel，Hemingwaydeliberatelyusesthewordsalaoandstressesitisthesuperiordegreeoftheunlucky。Andwecanseethattheoldmanalsobelievesfirmlyinfortunefromthewordsheusuallyusessuchaslucky，gamble，takeyourchance，〔3〕andthedetailthathebuyslotteryticketstobetonhisfortune。Thus，itiscommontoothersiftheycatchfishwithasuddentransit，buttheWhiteHousemeetsthelittleboywhohasfollowedtheoldmanfor40dayswithouttakingafish。〔4〕Itismorecertainthattheoldmanisbeinginunlucky〔5〕accordingtothefishermen’sopinion。Beyondanydoubt，itisaheavyblowtotheoldmanandalmostputshimintodespair。AlthoughhereHemingwaycankeepcalmadistancefromhisownfeelingswhenhedescribestheheroofthenovel，itisnotdifficultforthereadersunderstandtotheoldman’ssituationfulloffailure，loneliness，embarrassment，andnearlyindespaironlybecauseheisabletodescribesaccuratelythedetailswhichcanarosethereaders’feelinginanappropriateorder。Itisthispressurethatforcetheoldmantogofartofish，〔6〕thereforehavingthefollowingexperience。
　　Hemingway’sstoryhasoncebeenaccusedthatthescenesaretoonarrow。Butnotalltheliteraryworksmustpursueagrandscene。HereHemingwayputalonelyoldmanintoaconfinedenvironmentinordertomatchthehero’srealsituation。What’smore，althoughthesceneislimited，itcanalsoshowtheauthor’soriginalityifhemayarrangethecontentwellinthislimitedscene。Itisthusmethodthatmakesthebeginningofthenovelmorewonderful。HereHemingwayusesauniquescentwaytosympathytohishero。Wecanfellhissympathyforthepeoplewithdeservessympathy。ThisisHemingway’sstyle。
　　2。2Offeringamethodtoperformtheoldman’sgrace
　　Pressurehasbeenstated，buthowtheoldman’sgraceisperformedvividlyinthenovel，itisnotexacttosaythatthegraceisonlyliesinthebraveandtenacityinhisfightwithfish。Graceisnotasimpleornotionalthingbutalwaysreflectedinpeople’sinnerandexternalbehaviorsespeciallyinfacingwithdifficulties，whiletheboyinthisnoveloffersanimportantwaytorepresenttheoldman’sgrace。
　　Although，theoldmanlivesunderaheavypressure，healwayshasanaturalandunaffectedattitude。Thechildhaslearntfishingskillsfollowingtheoldmanwhenhewas5yearsold。Andnowtheoldmanisatlowebbinhislifeandistrappedbybadluck，butthechildleaveshimandgetsagreatsuccessinanotherboat。Ifthishappensonothers，eventheydonothatethechild，therewillbeanunbalanceintheirheart。Buttheoldmanshowshisbroadmindandunderstanding。Hesaystotheboy：Iknowyouleavemenotbecauseyoudonotbelieveme。〔7〕Whenthelittleboyleaveshimathisparents’orderandcatchesanotherboat，theoldmansays：Iknow，itisquitenormal。〔8〕Havingnoresultafterthreedayshardworkingbutwhenheistoldthattheboyhasaharvesteverydayinthesedays，however，hedoesnotfeelanyunpleasantatall。Instead，hefeelshappyforhimandremarksverygood〔9〕immediately。Inaddition，althoughtheoldmanisisolateandunlucky，heisnotinaspiritofsensitivetotheconcernofothers。Bycontrary，heacceptstheboy’scarecalmly。Hedoesnottakeitforgrantedthatstudentsoughttocareteachers，butviewsthechildashispeerandpartner。Thelittleboyalsoworriesaboutiftheoldmanhasbecomeoversensitiveinsuchanembarrassedsituation。Therefore，heaskstentativelywhethertheoldmaniswillingtodrinkacupofbeerwithhimornot。Andtheoldmanagreed：whynot？Betweenfishermen〔10〕Whiletheyaredrinking，manyfishermenlaughattheoldman，buthedoesnotbecomeangry。Afterdrinking，theoldmansaystotheboy：youboughtmeabeer。Youarealreadyaman。〔11〕Thesedetailsshowthattheoldmanisreasonable，amiableandkindheartedaswellashasanaturalandhealthylifeattitude。Hisunderstandingforlifehasreachedasimpleandnaturalrealm。Thisisthegrace。
　　Secondly，theoldmanhasanotherminutesideinhischaracter。Actually，theoldmanisthemodelofHemingway’stoughguy，butitdoesnotmeanthatheisastubbornfoolordumbcow。Letusseehowhewakesthechildupinthemorning。Hetooktoldofonefootgentlyandheldituntiltheboywokeandturnedandlookedathim〔12〕，buthiswarmthdoesnotaffecthisimageoftoughguyatall。Onthecontrary，thebackgroundofstandinggreatpressureinspiritjustmakestheoldman’sgracekeepinginthebalanceofhardandsoft。
　　Theoldmanhasaconfidentandoptimisticlifeattitudeinthenovel。Infact，theoldmanwouldliketolettheboyreturntohimverymuchinhismind。Butwhentheboyaskstoreturntotheboatbyhimself，theoldmanrejects：noyouarewithaluckyboat，staywiththem。Ifyouweremyboy。Iwouldtakeyououtandgamble。Butyouareyourfather’sandyourmother’sandyouareinaluckyboat。〔13〕Becausetheboy’sleavingisfallinghisparents’order，theoldmandoesnotwanttoputhiminaembarrasssituationandlettheboygetalittlebadluckfromhimwhichreflectshishighspiritofresponsibilitytowardsthechild。Whenthechildsaysitagainaftertheoldman’sreturn，herejectshimoutofthesameconsideration。Asthechild’sinsisting，theoldmanacceptshimcalmlyandthenmakesaplantotheirfollowingfish。However，thechangeoftheoldman’sattitudeisnotconflictingseeingfromthesurface，theoldmanstillremainsnothingatlast，andthewholecycleisfromfailuretofailure。Butitisdifferentbetweenthebeginningandtheendafterthreedays’hardshipandthought。Hehasabetterunderstandingtothesea，thehuman，thefishandhimself。Therefore，hehasenoughconfidencetoacceptthechild’sreturnand，feelsthatitisnecessarytocreateanewfuturetogetherwiththeboy。Theoldman’sacceptancereflectsthatHemingway’sartandphilosophyhasalwaystendedtoreturntothesociety，especiallyfrom1937on。Thisistheperfectintegrationofthepersonalityandsocial。
　　2。3Thelittleboyisthebestcomplementtotheoldman’scharacter
　　AsforHemingway’stoughguy，somecriticspointedoutthatastheheroicmanneristooconspicuous，whichdeterminedtheiractionsisquiteobviousandsometimesitcausedthefiguresthinkingabstractandisolated。However，inTheOldManandtheSea，theimageoftheoldmanisentirebecausetheauthorarrangesalittleboypurposelyanddescribeshiminagreatdealofdetails。Thus，thegraceoftheoldmanbecomesmorerealisticandvivid，whichofcourseshouldbeattributedtotheexistenceofthelittleboy。
　　Inadditiontodescribetheoldmanthroughtheboy’sandhiseyes，Hemingwayalsodrawsadirectiveanddetaileddescriptionoftheboy’scharacter。Inthisway，itrevealstheoldman’scharactercharmfromanotherstandpointwhichshowsaoptimistictrendintheendofthenovel。Theboybegantolearntofishattheageof5，whichistheagethatthechildrenbeginstohavememoriesaboutthings。Therefore，intheprocessoftheboy’scharacter’sshaping，theoldmaninevitablyoccupiedanimportantposition。Hemingway’sdescriptionabouttheboy’spersonalityisactuallyacomplementtoperformtheoldman’scharacter。
　　Althoughtheboyisyoung，heisnotboyish。Helearnsthefishingskills，alsoinheritsthespiritoftheselfesteemandselfreliantfromtheoldman。Afterseveralyearslivingwiththeoldman，hehasunderstoodthehardshipoflifeandthedutyofaman。Herethereisadetail：theboyisverylittle，attheageofsleepy，aftertheoldmanwakeshimup，heissleepywhenhegoesoutofthedoor。Insuchayoungagehehastofacetherealityofthelife，whichobviouslycausespeople’ssympathyintheirhearts。Buttheboydoesnotmindit，histendershoulderhasalreadyaccustomedtothelives’responsibilityandheregardsitiswhatamanmustdo。Thewordsaresosonorousandforcefultodriverasound。Itsauditormusthavefollowers。Thepupilislikethis，letalonethemaster！Heretheboy’spersonalitytosetofftheoldman’s。itprovidesanindispensableprecludetodrawtheperfectimageofthetoughguy。Asaresult，theheroicmettleoftheoldmanappearslogically。
　　AttheendofTheOldManandtheSea，Hemingwayexpresseshisoptimistictendencytolifebythesymbolicmeaningoftheboy’sreturnatlast。Thelittleboydecidestoreturntotheoldmanevenignoringhisfather’sauthorityandthefishermen’ssuperstitionabouttheluck：
　　Thehellwithluck。theboysaid。
　　Iwillbringtheluckwithme。
　　Whatwillyourfamilysay？〔14〕
　　Idon’tcare。Icaughttwoyesterday。ButwewillfishtogethernowforIstillhavemuchtolearn。〔15〕
　　Beforetheboy’sreturn，itisjustaisolatedstruggleoftheoldman。Therefore，nomatterhowitisbrave，itisnotenoughtobeasourceofoptimism。Hemingwayhasconvincedforseveraldecadesthat：lifeisalonelystruggleandthereisnothingmeaningfulbehindit。Sosomecriticspointout：thefigureswrittenbyHemingwayallgototheoldwayexploration，loneliness，theresultisadeadend。ButthispatternchangesinTheOldManandtheSea；theoldmannotonlyhasafollowbutalsocanfindthesupportoftheboy。Andthereturnoftheboyishisnewstartingtheboybecomesmoreandmorematureinthefluenciesoftheoldman’sheroicspirit：Inthissense，TheOldManandtheSeaisorientedtothefuture。Attheendofthenovel，Hemingwaydealswiththeboy，whichshowsthat：heisreturningtohisstartingpointthroughanewpath。
　　Carlos。Bakerpointsoutthat：inacertainsense，thechildandtheoldmansymbolizedtheyouthandtheelderlyofthehuman。Intheoldman’ssubconscious，thechildisanotherstageofhislife。Becauseitisimpossibleforapersontodreamtwostagesofhimselfinonedream，sothoughthechildstayswithhimallday，heneverdreamstheboy。Thereforethechild’sreturnmeansthathumanbeing’sintelligenceandmentalstrengthwillbepassedonfromgenerationtogeneration，whichisthenovel’soptimismliesin，alsoisHemingway’slifelongpursuitandthehighestexpressionofthetoughguy’sspirit。Itisthereasonwhytheboycannotbetakenplacebythewomenhavingthesameageoftheoldman，likeCatharine（theheroineofFarewelltoArms）orAlbright（theheroineofTheSunAlsoRises）。Becausethesameagedwomenandmenareintheparallelorantagonisticconcept，andcannotexpressthecontinualoptimism，whichisanimportantdistinctionbetweenTheOldManandtheSeaandtheotherworksofHemingway’s。Theboy’sreturnalightsthenovelandenrichesthecontentofthework，whichinspiresreaderstomakeafurtherexplorationonthemeaningandtendencyofthework。
　　Therearemanydifferentviewsaboutwhethertherearesymbolsornotinthisnovel。Hemingwayoncewrotetohisfriend，BernardBryson：thereisnotanysymbol，theseaisthesea，theoldmanistheoldman，thechildisthechild，andfishisfish，whatpeoplesaysaboutsymbolismisnonsense。Infact，thereasonforsayinglikethisisthathewantstoopposethatkindofrhetoric，unfoundedandsocalledsymbolism。Objectivelyspeaking，symbolismisoftenstressedthesymbolicnatureofthewholework，however，Hemingwayistoooutrighttobethesymbolism。Butthisdoesnotmeanthatthereisnosymbolismandsymbolicsignificanceinhisworks。Thesymbolism，asawholeandthesymbolicmethodasanrhetoricmethodaretwodifferentconcepts。Hemingwayacknowledgeslaterinpublicthattherearesymbolicmethodsinhisworks，heexplainsthathetriestoportrayarealoldman，arealchild，arealsea，arealfishandrealsharks。Ifhecanpicturethemverywellandrealistically，theywillmeanmanythings。Herewhathesaysthatmeanmanythingsisactuallyasymbolicmeaning，whichisbasedontheprofoundunderstandingofthenovel。Ofcourse，wecannotviewarealisticnovelasasymboliconejustbecauseitappliessomesymbolicmethods；meanwhile，wecannotdenytherearesymbolismsinawordjustbecauseitisarealisticnovel。
　　3。Therolesinmovingandinspiringreaders
　　Inthisnovel，thesecondimportantroleoftheboyisthatheleadsandinspiresthereaders。Hemingway’sdirectdescribingofthelittleboydoesnotonlyrevealtheboy’ssimpleandcomplexemotiontowardstheoldman，butalsoportraytheboy’spersonalityinordertoenhancetheeffectiveoftheworkandrichthecontentofthework。
　　3。1Thelittleboy’semotion
　　InTheOldManandtheSea，inacertainextent，especiallyatthebeginningandtheendofthenovel，theboyismuchclosetothereadersthantheoldman。Sotheboy’sfeelingisinevitabletoleadandimpactthereadersemotion。Thereisnothingintheboy’sinnerstatebuttheoldman。Hisattitudeandemotionstowardstheoldmanaffectsthereadersemotionfortheoldmanquietlyandgradually。SoCarlosBakeroncesaidthattheboyhasaroletomakepeoplepaymoresympathytotheoldman。Becauseatthebeginningandtheendofthenovel，weseetheoldmanintheboy’seyeswhichfillswithrespectandsympathy。Butinfact，theboy’srespectandsympathytowardstheoldmanisnotstaticinhisinnerstateodemind。Hisemotiongoesalongadeeperanddeepertrajectorywhichisfromsympathytoheartache；andsuchkindoffeelingbecomesstrongerandstronger，atlastrisingtothepeakandburstingout，hestartedtocry〔16〕。Thefluctuationsoftheboy’sinnerworldaffectthereaders’emotionunknowingly。Theemotionalchangesoftheboycanbepidedinto3stages。
　　3。2Thelittleboy’ssympathyinthestaticstage
　　Theboy’ssympathyfortheoldmanisverysimpleandplain：theoldmanhadtaughttheboytofishandtheboylovedhim〔17〕。Theboyremainsconcernedabouttheoldmanaftergettingluckyinanotherboat。Hecannotfeelhappyevenwhenhegetsachievesquitegoodgradesbecauseoftheoldman’shardship，whichreflectstheboy’ssincereemotionfortheoldman。Itmadetheboysadtoseetheoldmancomeineachdaywithhisskiffempty。Hewantstoreturntotheoldman。Aftertheoldman’sseveralrejections，hestillwantstohelptheoldmantodosomething。Itisunbootablethattheboy’sdeepandsimpleemotionhasbrandeddeeplyinthemindofthereadersbythefirstimpression。
　　3。3Thelittleboy’srespectandworryinthesubtle，fluctuatingstage
　　Thelittleboyshowshisrespectfortheoldmanallthetime。Hememorizedthepastexperienceofluckyandunluckytogetherwiththeoldman，heregardstheoldmanasthebestfisherman，anunusualfisherman。Theboy’srespecttotheoldmandoesnotreducebecauseoftheoldman’sfrustration。Itistheboy’sencouragementinspiritthatsupporttheoldmantogoonstruggleimpregnably。Latertheoldmanrealizesthatifitisnotthechild，hehasalreadyfinished。
　　Althoughtheboyhopesthattheoldmancancreateanotherbrilliantprospection，heworriesabouttheoldman’spsychologicalconditionaswell。Heisafraidofthattheoldmanissooldandfeeblethathecan’tbearthedifficultiesalone，sometimeshealsorevealshisworries：I’lltrytogethimtoworkfarout。Thenifyouhooksomethingtrulybigwecancometoyouaid。〔18〕Thesecommonwordsseemrandombutisagoodwishofgoodluckwhichleadsthereadersattentiontotheuncertainsea。
　　3。4Thelittleboy’saffirmationintheoutbreakstage
　　Theoldmanreturnsfromtheseaexhaustedandraggedbothinphysicallyandmentally，enduringallkindsofhardshipsanddifficultiesinthreedays，hecatchesabigfishwhichhasaspecialmeaningforhim，unfortunately，thebigfishisgnawedbysharksandleftapairofhugeskeleton。Thevictorygainsnothing，theresultsisdisappointed。Buttheboy’seyesdonotstayonthepaleskeletononly；heperceivesthesuccessthattheoldmaneverachievedfromthefailure：
　　Theybeatme，Manolin，hesaid。
　　Theytrulybeatme。
　　Hedidn’tbeatyou。Notthefish。〔19〕
　　Whattheboysaidisafact。Thatistheboy’saffirmationinhisdeepmindwhichisalsotheoldman’swishofprovingheisunusual。Buttheboy’sattitudetotheoldman’sreturnisnotonlypositive。Afterall，theoldmanreturnsinemptyhand，andbadlybruised，sowhentheboyseestheoldman’shands，hecannothelptearingfulloftheface。Butwhathefeelsheartacheisnotonlythebloodinghands，butwhatevenmoredistressingisthattheoldman’sfishwhichsymbolizesthevictoryhasbeengnawedbysharkswhichmaketheoldmanfeelsmoredisappointedafter84daysfailure。Theemotionoftheboybreaksoutatthistimebecauseofthegreatestpaininhisheart。Hestartstocryanddoesnotcarehowotherswilllookathim，andhiscryinghitsreaders’heartsevenweepsstillaftertheyfinishedtheirreading。
　　4。Conclusion
　　Fromtheabovediscussion，wecanseethatthelittleboyisessentialtothenovelintwoaspects：inhelpingtoshowtheoldman’ssocalledgraceunderpressureandtomoveandinspirethereaders。Itisnotexaggeratedtosaythattheworkcouldnotbetheworkweseenowwithoutthechild。Theimageofthechildisclearanddiscernibleinreaders’mind，themoredescriptionoftheboy，thestrongerfeelingwefeeloftheoldman。Theboyisjustlikethesnowatthetopofthemountain。Themountainbecomesdeeperandmorevaliantbecauseoftheexistenceofthesnow。Theoldmanislikethemountain，itisunnecessaryforhimtotalktoomuch，becausethereaderscanfeelhimwhentheyreadthelittleboy。
　　Notes
　　〔1〕〔19〕TheOldManandtheSea，Simonamp；SchusterInc。1995
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