The Old Man and the Allegory From most books, the reader finishes the last page, and they don’t think anymore about what they read unless they have to. In Ernest Hemingway’s most famous work, “The old Man and the Sea” for the reader to know Hemingway’s real point, they are required to think. This type of literature is called an allegory, where everything means something else. Santiago, the main character of the book, does not just represent an old fisherman, Hemingway wrote Santiago as the idealized human being. This human, has many stupendous qualities, such as his manliness, endurance, pride, and determination. He exemplifies these qualities in a famous quote, “‘But man is not made for defeat,’ he said,’A man can be destroyed, but not defeat.’,” (Hemingway 70). These qualities help him catch the largest fish in his career. …show more content…
These two are an even match and appreciate each other, “‘Fish’ he said,’I will stay with you until I'm dead.’,” (Hemingway 44). This amazing human has an idol just like you and me. In this case, baseball player Joe DiMaggio, who has a bone spur acts as an idol. Joe represents the determination of fighting through pain, which this human does a lot in the story. The ocean in which the ideal man fights his ideal opponent is life. This life has struggles, peace, and evil. The peace, represented by the turtles, minds its own business, and always remains calm. Sharks, the evil in the story, attack the true opponent after it has been defeated by this ideal man. The Evil seems to be neverending, but the ideal human can do its best to fight it off. While doing all of these activities the human makes friends with quite a few sea birds, symbolising the connection to nature Hemingway believes the perfect human
but not defeated.” (Hemingway 80) Santiago, an old, scarred fisherman, lives in a hut and fishes in a battered and torn skiff with a sail that was, “patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.” (Hemingway 3) His terrible circumstances and misfortune made him an object of mockery in the eyes of young fishermen and a man to pity for old fishermen, but Santiago knows that with skill, perseverance and commitment, he will prevail. “The lines went straight down... He kept them straighter than anyone did, so that at each level in the darkness of the stream there would be a bait waiting exactly where he wished it to be for any fish that swam there.” (Hemingway 21-22) Santiago was a skillful fisherman. While Santiago is fighting to lure ...
Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea was published in 1952, the last of his fiction stories to be published before his death in 1961 (Lombardi). The novella is still celebrated to this day as a riveting tale of man versus nature under the most dire of circumstances. The story’s protagonist, Santiago, is a man with supreme determination and hope. His battle with the great marlin is an illustration of human strength, physically and mentally, at its finest. These qualities about him, along with the decisions he makes throughout the novel, give him similarities to Christ, while other elements of Hemingway’s prose can arguably serve as Christian symbolism as well.
Growing up in a rich atmosphere of culture, religion, and the sciences, Ernest Hemingway was always surrounded by different perspectives and thoughts of the world around him. There was a restlessness in him that wanted to discover and explore new things. Beginning as early as high school, his inner-writer began to emerge and his stories were often read aloud to the class as examples of what the other students should strive for. These stories are rarely spoken of nowadays, but display his early talent. While the majority of people are mostly familiar with Hemingway’s well-known works in his later years, some of his earliest pieces that he contributed to the world are often forgotten. (Reef 53).
Earnest Hemingway is one of the most revered and debated writers of all time. He authored many great novels including: For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Farewell to Arms, The Old Man and the Sea, and The Sun Also Rises. He was a true master of the English language, and his unique skill set becomes apparent in each of his works through the use of his exemplary literary knowledge. Hemingway shows an exceptional utilization of literary devices in his well acclaimed novel, The Sun Also Rises. From the bull-fights of Pamplona to Lady Brett Ashley, Hemingway fills the story line with seemingly endless examples of symbolism giving each of the characters and figures its own specific purpose and underlying meaning.
The Old Man and the Sea is novella written by Ernest Hemingway in 1952. It tells the epic journey and struggles of the old fisherman, Santiago, and his younger fishing partner, Manolin. The story goes into detail the day to day life struggles that a fisherman off the coast of Africa endures. The majority of the story focuses on one particular trip out sea. In life, one will go through a number of stages in life. Infancy, Youth , Adulthood, and Old Age are all key stages. As one grows, they mature through these various stages. When one reaches old age, there is often a lot of doubt surrounding their lives. Serenity, and independence are often the two most questioned. These are some questions that Santiago has to ask himself as well.
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.
Throughout The Old Man and the Sea and “Indian Camp”, Hemingway utilizes Stoicism to portray his characters. Santiago’s discipline and Dr. Adam’s careful diction are an example of moderation in motion. The two’s indifference is bewildering, but enable calm rational operation in demanding situations, exactly why apathy is crucial in Stoicism. Finally, Dr. Adam’s complete disregard for acting humanely contrasting with the old man’s stickler for virtue affirms the significance virtue bears in gaining happiness. The Stoic ideas of moderation, virtue, and indifference are demonstrated in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and “Indian Camp”. Hemingway’s use of Stoicism in his literature embellishes his lauded minimalistic style.
Hemingway's view of human nature was that happiness was rare and was found within a man and not in his outside circumstances or surroundings. Hemingway illustrates this in three ways. First, he portrays the human nature of Santiago, the main character, as being one of humility and compassion, full of strength and pride. He is shown not as a gleefully happy man, but one who meets life with a serene, quiet resilience. Second, Santiago's fellow villagers are shown as shallow and materialistic, with a narrow view of life compared to his. Their focus on appearances is in sharp contrast to Santiago's focus on intrinsic values. Third, it will be shown that his rare brand of happiness comes from within.
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, pits his strength against forces he cannot control. We learn from Santiago's struggles how to face insurmountable odds with bravery and courage. Though we find an indifferent and hostile universe as Santiago's stage, his unwillingness to give in to these forces demonstrate a reverence for life's struggles. Santiago's struggle is for dignity and meaning in the face of insurmountable odds. His warrior-like spirit fights off the sharks full-well knowing the fate of his marlin. Santiago loses his marlin in the end, but his struggle to keep it represent a victory because of the dignity and heroism with which he carries out his mission. However, as Santiago acknowledges, he is almost sorry he caught the marlin because he knows the animal and he have a great deal in common as fellow beings in nature. However, he only caught the marlin "through trickery" (Hemingway 99). Santi...
”(page 111). Santiago had plans for him already but failed to accomplish them. Some will argue that he won because he gained spiritual victory. This , in a way, is true; but fishing is his job and only way of living. If the case had been different and Santiago was only fishing for his personal entertainment, which wasn’t, it could be seen as a new experience or story to tell.
In the story Santiago’s bravery is unsurpassed but it is not until he hooks the “great fish” that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago’s actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his “luckiness” and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin we also suspect that Santiago is a widower. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself.
Some people will go far in order to get what they want, but how many individuals would be willing to die for the sake of creating their own fate? Deciding one’s meaning of life with sincerity and passion is the core of existentialism. This philosophy plays an integral part in Hemingway’s writing, as well as his personal life. Paradigms of existentialism appear often in Hemingway’s book, The Old Man and the Sea, especially when Santiago, the old man, is determined to fell the great marlin he pursues, wants to prove to Manolin how much of a strange old man he is, and contends against the brutal sharks when there is little chance of him succeeding.
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.
The Old Man and the Sea, was written by Ernest Hemingway. In the novella, the old man, Santigo and the young boy Manolin has a relationship that goes dar beyond friendship. They have a soul bonding relationship. The boy needs the old man as a teacher and the old man needs the boy was family. Hemingway creates a very powerful, poignant relationship between the old man and the young boy throughout his novella using dialogues.
The old man and the sea is a novella about an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago, and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin fish. Throughout the novella, Santiago is portrayed in different perspectives. He is tough and refuses to give up at any time. He withholds the will to continue and the courage to overcome what is believed to be the impossible. His persistence and confidence, his absolute determination and his unique way of accepting the reality makes him a noble hero.