Abstract：In the novella The Old Man and the Sea, the role of the boy is extremely significant to depict the old man’s another aspect of character except “a tough hero”. Valiant as he is, the old man’s power is not only just from himself but also from the boy. The thesis analyzes the boy’s support to Santiago including emotional support through the repetition of sentence “I wish I had the boy.” as well as spiritual support and physical support via plot repetition in the novella. In addition, the thesis attaches more emphasis on the functions of repetitions in the novel comprehension, including shaping the character of the old man, connecting the plots of the novella closely and evincing the underlying theme of the novella. Finally, by analyzing the boy’s support to Santiago, the thesis reveals an underlying theme of the novella--the essence of life lies in the companionship and support from other people.

Key Words: Ernest Hemingway; The Old Man and the Sea; repetition; support; the essence of life 

从重复的角度分析《老人与海》中小男孩对老人的支撑

摘  要：在中篇小说《老人与海》中，小男孩的角色对于刻画老人除 “硬汉”之外的另外一个性格特征至关重要。尽管老人英勇无比，但是他的力量不仅来自他自己，也来自于小男孩。这篇文章分析了小男孩对老人的支撑作用，包括通过重复句子 “要是孩子跟我来就好了。”体现出来的情感上的支撑，以及情节重复中包含的精神的和物质的支撑。此外，文章重点讨论了重复现象在小说阐释中的作用。在《老人与海》中重复的作用主要有塑造老人的性格特征，使文章各部分情节紧密相连以及表明文章隐含的主旨。最后，通过分析小男孩对老人的支撑，文章揭示了小说隐含的一个主题——生命的本质来自他人的陪伴和支撑。

关键词: 欧内斯特·米勒·海明威；《老人与海》；重复；支撑；生命的本质

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 The Introduction of the Book The Old Man and the Sea 1 

1.2 Literature Review 1 

1.3 Research Purpose and Significance 1 

2. The Repetitions in Fictions 3

2.1 Types of the Repetitions 3

2.2 Causes of the Repetitions 3

2.3 Functions of the Repetitions 4

3. Analysis of the Boy’s Support to Santiago via Repetitions 5

3.1 The Emotional Support 5

3.2 The Spiritual Support 7

3.3 The Physical Support 9

3.4 Summary 10

4. Conclusion 11

References 12

1. Introduction

1.1 The Introduction of the Book The Old Man and the Sea 

As Ernest Hemingway’s most typical masterpiece, The old man and the Sea tells a simple story about an old fisherman who has not caught any fish for 84 days. As a result, the only boy who cares for him has to fish with another fisherman whom his parents consider luckier than the old man. On the 85th day, he goes far out into the sea and snares a giant marlin. After two days and two nights’ desperate struggle, he manages to kill the fish and tie it to his boat, only to find that there are more battles on his way home with some dangerous sharks. While coming back to the harbor, he finds that the marlin has left nothing but a skeleton due to sharks’ attacks. At last, the boy decides to fish with the old man again and learn much from him. The old man’s struggle also earns him much respect.