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Thesis of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway's influence on other writers
Literary analysis of ernest hemingway
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Jin Woo Lee
Ms. Pat Cessna
English 10-2B
27 May 2013
The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea is a famous novel written by Ernest Hemingway in 1950 and it is still widely read today. Over the course of the rest of the story, it is evident that the author’s life had an enormous influence on the novel. In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway’s early experience as a journalist, his struggle as an author before writing this novel, and his unsuccessful relationships with women have greatly influenced his writing.
To start with, Hemingway’s early experience as a journalist greatly influenced his writing techniques in this novel. Throughout the novel, the readers can easily realize that Hemingway enjoys using clear and simple words or sentences. This particular writing technique was developed when he began writing newspapers for The Kansas City Star after graduating from high school (“Earnest Hemingway”). Since then, Hemingway wrote short sentences and paragraphs to make sure his messages were clear to the readers. This technique used by Hemingway is evident in The Old Man and the Sea as when he writes, “He was barefooted” in the middle of the paragraph (Hemingway 19). In addition, Hemingway uses simple verbs and adjectives in a sentence to make his story clear to the readers, as when he writes, “he was happy”, and “the fish moved steadily” (Hemingway 43, 45). Therefore, by looking at some examples from The Old Man and the Sea, it can be concluded that Hemingway’s early experience of working as a journalist led him to write simple and short sentences.
Furthermore, Hemingway’s struggle as a writer before writing this novel greatly influenced the way he described his main character. After being a very successful writer in th...
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... in his life greatly influenced this book.
In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, author’s life background greatly influenced the way he wrote the novel. Hemingway’s experience as a journalist led him to write simple and short sentences. In addition, his struggle as a writer before writing this novel, and his failed relationships with women greatly influenced him to continue to make connections with Santiago and himself throughout the story. Therefore, it can be safely concluded that this great novel clearly reflects the life of Ernest Hemingway. (756 words)
Works Cited
“Earnest Hemingway.” History. N.p, 15 May 2005. Web. 21 Aug. 2013.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner’s, 1980. Print.
Kalbach, Clint. A Biographical Analysis of The Old Man and the Sea. N.p, Sept. 2007. Web. 23 May 2014.
Works Cited
One observation that can be made on Hemingway’s narrative technique as shown in his short stories is his clipped, spare style, which aims to produce a sense of objectivity through highly selected details. Hemingway refuses to romanticize his characters. Being “tough” people, such as boxers, bullfighters, gangsters, and soldiers, they are depicted as leading a life more or less without thought. The world is full of s...
This may be true in all cases, but it is clearly predominant in Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. It is evident that Hemingway modeled the main character, Santiago after his own person, and that the desires, the mentality, and the lifestyle of the old man are identical to Hemingway's.
Ernest Hemingway once said, "As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." Hemingway knew this because he actually invented his famous code hero. The Hemingway code hero was a macho man that indulged in liquor, women, and food, and usually did not fear God. While reading The Old Man and the Sea, the reader is not exposed to the usual Hemingway code hero. Hemingway creates an aging hero that proves to be the opposite of the normal code hero by his disinterest in physical pleasures, the presence of religion, and the presence of a companion.
There is never a simple key to any writer worth much attention, but in the case of Hemingway there is something that looks so like a key… that it cannot escape any informed and thoughtful reader’s notice" (O’Conner 153). Ernest Hemingway was one such author. Very rarely did he summarize statements, therefore the only way to solve his puzzle was to take it apart and examine each components. One of the hidden elements that the reader must analyzie closely is the parallel between Santiago and Jesus Christ. In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway creates connections between Santiago and Jesus Christ that adds religious coloration to the story.
When a writer picks up their pen and paper, begins one of the most personal and cathartic experiences in their lives, and forms this creation, this seemingly incoherent sets of words and phrases that, read without any critical thinking, any form of analysis or reflexion, can be easily misconstrued as worthless or empty. When one reads an author’s work, in any shape or form, what floats off of the ink of the paper and implants itself in our minds is the author’s personality, their style. Reading any of the greats, many would be able to spot the minute details that separates each author from another; whether it be their use of dialogue, their complex descriptions, their syntax, or their tone. When reading an excerpt of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast one could easily dissect the work, pick apart each significant moment from Hemingway’s life and analyze it in order to form their own idea of the author’s voice, of his identity. Ernest Hemingway’s writing immediately comes across as rather familiar in one sense. His vocabulary is not all that complicated, his layout is rather straightforward, and it is presented in a simplistic form. While he may meander into seemingly unnecessary detail, his work can be easily read. It is when one looks deeper into the work, examines the techniques Hemingway uses to create this comfortable aura surrounding his body of work, that one begins to lift much more complex thoughts and ideas. Hemingway’s tone is stark, unsympathetic, his details are precise and explored in depth, and he organizes his thoughts with clarity and focus. All of this is presented in A Moveable Feast with expertise every writer dreams to achieve. While Hemingway’s style may seem simplistic on the surface, what lies below is a layered...
In the novel The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway develops the concept of
Earnest Hemingway’s work gives a glimpse of how people deal with their problems in society. He conveys his own characteristics through his simple and “iceberg” writing style, his male characters’ constant urge to prove their masculinity.
Hemingway has a very simple and straightforward writing style however his story lacks emotion. He makes the reader figure out the characters’ feelings by using dialogue. “...
Moderation is fully evident in Hemingway’s characters. Santiago, the protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea, firmly balances two contrasting qualities - his humility and pride. Santiago reveals his humble nature when Manolin asserts that he is the best fisherman to which Santiago replies “No. I know others better.” (The Old Man and the Sea 23). Meanwhile Santiago’s attempt to capture the fish and prove that he is a capable man despite his old age signifies that he retains a certain level of pride for his masculinity. Humility is the antithesis of pride, yet, the old man has the ability to retain both through moderation. Emotions are not the only characteristics to be moderated; actions as well as speech must be balanced. In “Indian Camp”, the father explains a mature topic –the act of givin...
Poignant circumstances surrounded the composition of this novel, which bring out many of the above points. It is widely recognized that Hemingway was possessed of a turbulent personality and suffered from emotional depression. This was despite the fact that he enjoyed much critical acclaim. The Old Man and the Sea was written after a ten-year hiatus of public and critical approval. This period saw much of his work receive negative criticism in literary and journalistic circles. This affected Hemingway adversely and very deeply (Carey 9). Therefore, Hemingway's personal battle with seeming failure in his life's work and society's attendant criticism parallel Santiago's stoic resolve in the face of his neighbors' disdain. The author's struggles symbolically match those of Santiago and set the stage for the writing of this novel.
Many times, stories by Ernest Hemingway have much religious influence and symbolism. In The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, numerous occurrences in the life of Santiago the fisherman are similar to the incidents recorded in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The names of the characters translated from Spanish to English are just one of those many similarities.
Hemingway has a way of making his readers believe that the feats and strengths that his characters obtain in his novels are actually possible. Although this statement may be too critical, and maybe there is a man out there, somewhere on the coast of Cuba who at this very moment is setting out to the open sea to catch a marlin of his own. The struggle many readers have is believing the story of Santiago’s physical powers and his strength against temptation bring forward the question of whether or not The Old Man and the Sea is worthy to be called a classic. Hemingway’s Santiago brought Faulkner and millions of other readers on their knees, while to some, believed Hemingway had swung his third strike. As we look further into Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, we can analyze the criticism and complications of the character Santiago. He is portrayed as a faulty Jesus, an unrealistic and inhuman man, and again still a hero to those who cannot find happiness in their life.
Hemingway uses simplicity language to convey the strength of emotions in his novel. “The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him,” (10) Manolin is the devoted pupil of Santiago.Hehas learned the art of fishing from Santigo. He has been with him since the afe of five. The boy is fully attached to Santigo. He loves the old fisherman sincerely and selflessly. Not only the disciple-teacher relationship exists, but the sone-father relation between them. “There are many good fisherman and sam great ones. But there is only you.” (23) In this dialogue, it is shows how much the old man means to Manolin and proves he respects
As it can clearly be seen, Earnest Hemingway has reflected his life throughout his works. This outlet of expression has proven to be worth the time and effort he had put forward in crafting these stories. It is unfortunate that factors such as human suffering as well as intimate harm were present in Hemingway's life, but it is thanks to those themes that such great works came about. In the short stories "Indian Camp," "The Old Man at the Bridge," and "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway has proven that he was indeed the voice of his generation and has crafted a path for future authors and writers to write in a similar manner and style.
In this world, there is quote after quote after quote on people’s stances on life. Readers are exposed to those millions of opinions with every story they pick up. Ernest Hemingway shared his judgments on life through a classic novel that seems to connect to many of those readers. What seems to be his belief on life was that though this world may seem to be destined for defeat, it’s imperative in life to attain triumph, bravery, respect, and love in the end. That message in The Old Man and the Sea is exposed through the minor themes, the major, overall theme, and the symbolism in the novel that contributes to the the major theme.