The Analysis of the Value Connotation of IcebergPrinciple in Hemingway’s Literary Creation

【Abstract】Hemingway is a famous American writer， specifically a novelist. He is a rare winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature，he has an irreplaceable position in the history of American novel creation and literature development.Ernest Hemingways usual “Iceberg principle” has become a golden rule in contemporary literary creation，This paper tries to explore the value of iceberg principle in his novels.

【Key words】Hemingway; Iceberg principle; Literary creation; Connotation value

【作者簡介】董佳妮，衡水市冀州区信都学校。

I. The Overall Features of Literature of Hemingway

Among the great American writers， Hemingway is famous for his unique writing style. Of all his works， the Old Man and the Sea best reflect his unique writing style and technique.The language of this novel seems simple and natural， but in fact contains the authors careful elaboration and refinement. Sometimes in order to highlight a certain part， the author will use long sentences instead of short sentences.The dialogue in the text is true and close to life， while the form of expression is processed by art.Behind the simple and natural language of the novel， profound meanings and feelings are hidden.The paper also uses figures of speech， personification and other rhetorical devices.This unique style has something to do with his experience as a journalist.This style has had an important impact on the whole world of literature.The Old Man and the Sea uses a lot of facts， most of them from the authors own experience.Hemingway chose these facts carefully to attract the readers interest and give him an immersive feeling.At the beginning of the novel， a lot of facts are used to describe the living environment of the protagonist， and the narrative style is simple and natural， without any emotional colorWith the development of the plot， a large number of facts are mainly used in the psychological activities of the protagonist， rather than mainly narrated by the author.At the same time， these facts form an indispensable part of the whole novel system.

II. On Connotation of Iceberg Principle

Hemingway put forward the principle of iceberg for the first time in his works death in the afternoon.“Iceberg movement is spectacular because its only 1/8 on the surface，” he said.The so-called “iceberg” principle is to use concise words to create a clear image， and to hide the authors own feelings and thoughts in the image.Let the reader explore the ideological significance of the work through the feeling of the vivid image Concise words， vivid images， rich emotions and profound thoughts are the four elements of the iceberg principle， thus becoming Hemingways basic creative style.The novella the Old Man and the Sea is the summary of Hemingways life thought and art.His Iceberg principle has reached its maximum here.Hemingway used a lot of symbolism， metaphor and other techniques to abstract the theme of his works and hide them completely in the underwater “7/8”.For the elderly， the sea is not a specific fishing area as it is for young fishermen， but a personality. It is both merciful and cruel. On the one hand， it nurtures so many fishermen who depend on the sea for their livelihood， on the other hand， it brings disaster to them.In the depths of the sea， the old man found the great Marlin， whom he had never heard of or seen.The sea is wide enough for the old man to understand and experience the unknown mystery.If the esoteric implication of the work is embodied in this way， he is inseparable from the old man going fishing alone.In fact， it is only in this way that such a concept of the sea becomes particularly vivid.Perhaps it was such considerations that Hemingway let Manolin， the old mans only companion， leave him.In terms of artistic techniques， Hemingway formed a unique creative style with the simplicity， lightness， strength， clean rhetoric and natural rhyme of dialogue.Hemingways language and portrayal are clear and specific， but his subject is implicit and obscure.

III. Conclusion

Hemingways prose style is simple and fresh。When he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954， he placed particular emphasis on the capacity of his unique modern prose，Iceberg Principle brings a wealth to literary creation and is synonymous with literary self-cultivation and euphemism.

References：

[1]Zhao Hongning.On the Iceberg Style of Ernest Hemingway[J].Scientific and technological Information：academic Research，2007.

[2]Yang Qinghua.On Hemingways Iceberg Theory——From The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber[J].Overseas English，2011.