An Analysis Of Metaphors In The Old Man And The Sea From The Perspective Of Conceptual Integration Theory

This thesis attempts to interpret the metaphors in Nobel Prize winner Hemingway,s novel The Old Man and the Sea under the guidance of Fauconnier and Turner's Conceptual Integration Theory(CIT).It aims at elucidating the blending process of metaphors used in The Old Man and the Sea by delving into some metaphor cases and it is also meant to examine the power of CIT in expounding the metaphors with great background knowledge and culture in this famous novel.In the long history of metaphor study,a range of theories appeared,such as Interaction Theory,Conceptual Metaphor Theory and CIT.Among them,CIT is the up-to-date one and its explanation of metaphor is persuasive,for its working mechanism is systemic and dynamic and it could evoke people's imagination and creativity of metaphor production.To account for novel metaphors with great culture innovation and background knowledge,CIT's cutting-edge of explanation is sound obviously.In the analysis of novel metaphors in The Old Man and the Sea,a qualitative study was conducted.Twelve most conspicuous metaphors were selected and analyzed in the light of Conceptual Integration Theory.The analyses show the importance of culture origin of these metaphors in the literary creation.The compressions involved in the creation process include identity and change,time and space,cause and effect,part and whole compression.The part and whole compression also show the metonymic basis of metaphor.For example,in the metaphor the fish and my two hands are brothers,the fish and the old man's two hands are taken metaphorically as brothers."Two hands" as human body parts stand for a person,the old man in particular,indicating metonymically that the fish and the old man are brothers.In the Christian culture,all the things are created by God and they are created equal.Hence comes that the fish and the fisherman are brothers.CIT proves to have greater explanatory power in understanding the metaphors which have the strong basis of culture and context.CIT holds that the visible language is only a small part of the language and the most part of meaning is invisible and hidden in communication.It coincides with Hemingway's "iceberg theory" applied in his novels.There is no doubt that the metaphors used in the literary works are different from the ones in everyday use.And the reason lies in the background and culture involved in the literary works and the very moment of meaning construction in the fictional world.If we want to have a deeper and mature understanding of the metaphors used in a literary work,the proper grasp of background knowledge,culture,cognitive style and a powerful theory of metaphor analysis are the necessities.The background knowledge and culture elements contribute to the interpretation of metaphors in the Old Man and the Sea.