Abstract:As the most predominant representative of the “Lost Generation”, both the prestigious writer Ernest Hemingway and plenty of his writings enjoy worldwide popularity in the literary circle of the twentieth century. With his unique “Hemingway style” and the “iceberg theory”, he successfully creates a type of modern narrative stylistics which is completely presented in The Old Man and the Sea, a novel considered as the peak of Hemingway’s literary career. The utterance of Santiago in the story, “A man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated”, vividly stands for Hemingway’s symbolism that he imposes on this masterpiece.

　　　Exploring how Ernest Hemingway’s symbolism is reflected in his best work The Old Man and the Sea, the paper, to be more specific, firstly unfolds a literate review of Ernest Hemingway and his The Old Man and the Sea. Then the essay briefly discusses the symbolism, including its definition, general application as well as effects. Eventually, it focuses on the specific application of symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea reflected in this novel’s theme, characters and plot, respectively. In conclusion, the paper restates that the symbolism finds full expression in Ernest Hemingway’s masterpiece The Old Man and the Sea and the protagonist Santiago who actually is the embodiment of the creator.

Key words: Hemingway; symbolism; Santiago; the unyielding character; the “Lost Generation”