The Old Man and the Sea , Ernest Hemingway
Updated: Nov 3, 2022
The old man and the sea, a short heroic novel by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1952 and awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Short but sweet, Ernest Hemingway's classic novella.
The story:
The Old Man and the Sea is Hemingway’s masterpiece. A short novel. It tells the story of an old man, struggling to stay financially afloat, who sets out to sea to catch a marlin. He does so without the boy that usually keeps him company, and so when the fish eventually bites he must reel it in alone. He battles the sea and its occupants—namely sharks—in an attempt to bring the fish he grows to respect and love back to the harbour.
Major Themes
in The Old Man and the Sea Strength and Determination — The old man demonstrates physical strength, as well as resolve to prove himself as a great fisherman. Both illustrate the perseverance of humanity itself, despite the ever-present antagonists of time, age, and wear. Pain — Pain is a necessary evil in the case of overcoming challenges. Santiago endures both physical and psychological pain during his fight to catch and secure the marlin. Memory — Out at sea alone, Santiago must ponder his own life. He often thinks about lions, which represent his youthful prime.
About the writer
Ernest Miller Hemingway is American novelist and short-story writer. He was born on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, where he was raised. He died on July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho, where he committed suicide. Hemingway's economical and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. He produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He was noted both for the intense masculinity of his writing and for his adventurous and widely publicized life. His succinct and lucid prose style exerted a powerful influence on American and British fiction in the 20th century.
Comments