A Research On Hemingway's Death Theme

This thesis is a systematic research into the death theme of Ernest Hemingway's novels. Being the sixth Nobel Prize winner for literature in American literary history, Ernest Hemingway occupies an unshakable position in 20th century world literature as well as American literature. This achievement has largely been attributed to his mastery of the art of modern narration and his representing the "lost generation".Through conscientious and systematic studies into his writings, the author of this thesis has found that death is such a significant theme in his works that no critics can afford to ignore in order to achieve a more thorough interpretation of Hemingway. Hemingway drew on his own experiences in writing his books, in the hope that he would tell the world in the form of literary creation his own view upon death and his attitude towards death. Hemingway's fascination with death can be dated back to his childhood, when he was under the great influence of his father, who was a doctor and loved adventures. Later Hemingway's view of death was complicated and enriched by the wars he went through. In this process, his attitude towards death has undergone changes, which can be detected from his works. The final formation of his view of death has gone through a long time, and is constantly changed because of the writer's sensitive consciousness as well as the influence of wars. This kind of emotional variety manifested in his novels change from fear for death to powerlessness before death, then to acknowledgment of death, to transcendence of death, and finally to detachment of death. It should be specially mentioned that Hemingway's attitude towards death is reflected and embodied by the Code Heroes that he portrayed in most of his books. They are typically characterized by their belief in the ideals of courage, honor and endurance.It is safe to say that Hemingway has formed his view of death and his unique understanding of death on the basis of his personal experiences, that is. death is not the end of life, but is a reverse confirmation of life. Hemingway advocates that people should face up to death, and fight against death with the spirit of a Code Hero. It is in this sense that the author of this thesis is to point out that this spirit has inevitably...