The Authenticity Of Santiago's Existence: An Existentialist Reading Of The Old Man And The Sea

The present thesis aims at explicating the "authenticity" of Santiago's existence,through an existentialist reading of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.With the introduction of Heidegger's and Sartre's thoughts on "authenticity," the first chapter elaborates on this existentialist concept,summarizing that "authenticity," as an existentialist virtue,refers to fidelity to oneself,authorship of oneself,and responsibilities for oneself,and the "authenticity" of one's existence consists in three aspects:1)the understanding of death;2)the attitude towards existence;3)the way of existence.The three aspects are interrelated,and constitute a three-level structure:on the basis of the authentic understanding of death,the authentic attitude towards existence can be attained;and under the guidance of this attitude,man finds the authentic way of existence.On the basis of this structure,the authenticity of Santiago's existence is then examined.The second chapter discusses the "authenticity" in Santiago's understanding of death.In the world filled with lethal atmosphere, Santiago,rather than being depressed or discouraged,held a calm and brave stand and fought a winning battle to reach his home.With a survey of Santiago's struggles against death in the life,this chapter investigates his unique and "authentic" understanding of non-existence. The third chapter explores the "authenticity" in Santiago's attitude towards existence,which involves his "self-understanding" and "attitude towards individual existence." Santiago's "authentic" self-understanding is reflected in his "strangeness" and his comprehension of the past and future.Moreover,Santiago's view of fishing as his born choice,his profound love for this choice related to killing,and his highly valuing of the godlike attributes just reveal the "authenticity" in his attitude towards individual existence.The fourth chapter deals with Santiago's "authentic" way of existence,in its relation to his choices and responsibilities for his life. Santiago made decisions based on his own evaluation,and claimed full responsibilities for all his actions in the life,hence an "authentic" way of existence,which finally fulfills his "authentic" existence as well as his being an "authentic" man.In conclusion,an existentialist reading of The Old Man and the Sea proves to be fairly significant,in that we human beings,ever since being thrown into this world,should first get to "authentically" know what death and existence really are.Starting from this knowledge,we are able to make our "authentic" choices and shoulder our self-imposed responsibilities for our lives.Only thus can an "authentic" value as well as the true meaning of human existence be actualized.