The Old Man and the Sea�By: Ernest Hemingway�

Presented by

Asst Prof. V. N. YAMAGar

Author Background

• 1898-1961
• Was born to an affluent family in Chicago
• Began writing in high school
• Became an ambulance driver during World War I in Italy

Author Background

• Moved to Paris to pursue a writing career
• Lived in Paris and met Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, two famous writers who influenced him greatly

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Hemingway Revealed

• Hemingway loved adventure and his stories reflect this
• Was an avid hunter and sportsman
• Known for his to-the-point, non-descriptive form of writing

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Old Man and the Sea

• He lived in Cuba while writing The Old Man and the Sea
• The Old Man and the Sea was published in full by Life magazine and sold all 5.3 million copies within 48 hours
• May 1953: Hemingway wins a Pulitzer Prize for writing The Old man and the Sea

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Hemingway’s Accolades

• May 1953: Hemingway wins a Pulitzer Prize for writing The Old man and the Sea
• October 1954: Hemingway wins the Nobel Prize in Literature
• He is known for his Code Hero, a man who is stoic and stays strong against sometimes unbeatable odds.

Literary Elements

• Setting (time and place)
• A Cuban village near Havana
• Mostly set on the sea in the Gulf Stream
• Characters

1. Santiago—Old Cuban fisherman

2. Manolin—The boy who is Santiago’s friend

Hemingway’s Code Hero

• A hero must be courageous but must avoid death at all costs
• A hero does not have self-pity, but he does have self discipline and control
• A hero realizes death is in all things, therefore, he tries to live life fully
• A hero is a person of action
• A hero practices humility—doesn’t discuss his achievements
• A hero faces his greatest trial alone and tests himself to his limit.

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Symbols

• Joe DiMaggio: ideal of strength and grace under pressure
• Marlin: willful pride or the old man’s lost dream
• Fish: ancient symbol of Christianity
• Santiago’s name: Spanish for St. James the lesser/thought to be symbolic of Christ

Symbolism

• The marlin and the shark symbolize the 2 sides of nature
• The marlin—a kind, respectable opponent
• The sharks—death and destruction
• The lions—the strength of nature and youth (he loves them as he loves the boy)

Christ-like imagery

• Santiago endures 3 days on the sea
• The struggle with the marlin reflects Christ’s struggle on the cross
• Santiago bears the weight of the fish on his back (Christ carrying the cross)
• The wounds to his hands

Christ-like imagery cont.

• When the sharks attack, Santiago utters a sound “as a man might make involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hand into the wood”
• He is humble, long-suffering, courageous, but he experiences defeat, unlike Christ.