Abstract

The Old Man and the Sea is Hemingway’s outstanding works in his later years. Because of its rich ideological content, it has been a hot spot for many scholars to explore, although the length is short. The Old Man and the Sea is strongly endorsed by researchers, however, at the same time, it has been criticized by many critics for lack of description of women. But when applying the iceberg principle to interpreting this novel, we will find female images, which are hidden under the surface of the water, waiting to be explored. According to the iceberg principle, the old man’s tough guy spirit is only one-eighth above the surface of the water, while the seven-eighths are implicit ecofeminism. Through the analysis of the relationship between women and nature as well as the relationship between women and the old man, this paper will dig out the awakening of women’s sovereignty consciousness under the oppression of the patriarchal hierarchy and women’s resistance to patriarchal hierarchy.

Keywords: The Old Man and the Sea；iceberg principle；ecofeminism

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1.Introduction1

2.Literature Review1

3.Iceberg Principle and Eco-feminism..3

3.1 Iceberg principle...3

3.2 Eco-feminism 3

4.The Relationship between Iceberg Principle and Eco-feminism in The Old Man and the Sea4

4.1 One-eighth of the iceberg—tough guy spirit in The Old Man and the Sea .4

4.2 Seven-eighths of the iceberg—the ecofeminism in The Old Man and the Sea.5

5. The Embodiments of Ecofeminism in The Old Man and the Sea..7

5.1 The oppression of patriarchal hierarchy to women 7

5.2 Women’s resistance to oppression of patriarchal hierarchy8

5.3 The exploration of the relationship between men and women.9

6. Conclusion

Works Cited.12