The Old Man and the Sea caused a sensation after its publication in1951. It not only helped Hemingway win the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 but also helped him become the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. It is widely accepted that The Old Man and the Sea is the most outstanding one among all his works. And it is also regarded as Hemingway’s top achievement. This book is so renowned that a large number of critics from all over the world have commented on it since it was published. Most critics focused on the symbolism and “Hemingway’s Heroes” but few of them discussed the characterization of Santiago. Thus, this paper will further probe the characterization of Santiago from his main personalities to reveal the spirit of never giving up and call upon the whole society to learn the spirit.
Chapter One Social Background and Hemingway’s Experience in Creating Santiago
1.1 The Social Background Information
    After the Civil War, American politics, economy and culture developed rapidly. Meanwhile, American capitalism was rising rapidly. The USA was becoming the world’s industrial power. At this time, the economy was booming, which aroused a sense of optimism and hope among American. Most people were optimistic about the future. However, economic imperialist brought about all kinds of social problems, such as poverty and class struggle. Faced with all these problems, American became not so hopeful as before.
    In the 20th century, many wars broke out, which affected the life of people deeply, especially World War I and World War II. The wars brought violence, blood and death. The Americans who used to be proud of their material progress and the improvement of civilization, realized their dream was completely destroyed by the wars. Order didn’t characterize the world any more.
    Strikes happened in the cities owing to the industrial depression; peasants left their land due to the poor harvest; the rate of employment declined because of the oversupply of goods—all these led to the Great Depression in the 1930s. The society became more unstable with racial tension, political corruptions and changed values. People felt hopeless and helpless.
    Hemingway believed that men should face the cruel and violent society bravely with courage, will and endurance. World War I destroyed American Dream. Young soldiers came back from battlefields with wounded body and broken heart. They felt disillusioned and were disappointed with the society. At this time, in order to help these lost people, Hemingway composed a novel and created Santiago, a code hero. The whole novel is filled with optimism. The protagonist suffers from only physical injuries and his spirit can’t be defeated. He remains confident and optimistic forever. 《老人与海》圣地亚哥的人物塑造(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_25140.html