Old Man and the Sea and Santiago’s Symbolism of Pride
The Nobel Prize for Literature is the most prestigious literary award since its inception in 1901. This award is given annually by a committee of three to five men who award certain authors whom they deem to have “the most outstanding work in an ideal direction” (Nobel Prize Office). Ernest Hemingway’s works, such as The Garden of Eden and The Sun Also Rises, have become very popular and have made him a well read author in the past 50 years. Despite these being well received by critics, they are not the works that won him the Nobel Prize. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize of Literature due to his extensive use of symbolism, his ability to draw the attention of readers of all ages, and his role as a cornerstone through his contemporary writing style.
Hemingway lived an interesting life, which allowed him to take past life experiences and tell them through novels. He does this exclusively through subtle symbolism in works like The Old Man and the Sea. As with all his other works, Hemingway incorporates a past experience into The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway does this in the largest scene in the book by using birds, the sharks Santiago fights off, the marlin itself, and the other fish in the sea as symbols. In the book, Hemingway uses the birds to represent his friends and mentors, the sharks being the critics of his book, the marlin being The Old Man and the Sea, and the other fish representing Hemingway's other works. Hemingway uses symbolism when he writes, “‘You are killing me, fish,’ the old man thought. ‘But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills wh...
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...tory progresses. This contemporary style is what sets Hemingway’s novels apart from the rest. His style and approach was simplistic and direct. We see this simplistic and direct style when Hemingway writes, “But a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated”(103). These two short sentences are simple and direct, yet they carry weight and substance.
As one looks at Ernest Hemingway’s career and life, one is truly able to see how interesting his life was simply by reading his books. This lavish lifestyle attributed to his writing style, and this culmination ultimately led him to become a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Not only did his great ability to translate his life experiences to works of literature help him win this award, but also his ability to use his art of symbolism and to appeal to readers of all ages and education.
On December 10, 1950, in Stockholm, Sweden, one of the greatest literary minds of the twentieth century, William Faulkner, presented his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize. If one reads in between the lines of this acceptance speech, they can detect a certain message – more of a cry or plead – aimed directly to adolescent authors and writers, and that message is to be the voice of your own generation; write about things with true importance. This also means that authors should include heart, soul, spirit, and raw, truthful emotion into their writing. “Love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice” (Faulkner) should all be frequently embraced – it is the duty of authors to do so. If these young and adolescent authors ignore this message and duty, the already endangered state of literature will continue to diminish until its unfortunate extinction.
Hemingway’s narrative technique, then, is characterized by a curt style that emphasizes objectivity through highly selected details, flat and neutral diction, and simple declarative sentences capable of ironic understatements; by naturalistic presentation of actions and facts, with no attempt of any kind by the author to influence the reader; by heavy reliance on dramatic dialogue of clipped, scrappy forms for building plot and character; and by a sense of connection between some different stories so that a general understanding of all is indispensable to a better understanding of each. He thus makes the surface details suggest rather than tell everything they have to tell, hence the strength of his “iceberg.” His short stories, accordingly, deserve the reader’s second or even third reading.
Meter, M. An Analysis of the Writing Style of Ernest Hemingway. Texas: Texas College of Arts and Industries, 2003.
... experiences of love with Agnes von Kurowsky. That being said, the two main characters of the text can be psychoanalytically depicted through the use of the id, the ego, and the superego, which helps uncover how complete happiness is unachievable. The protagonist, Fredric Henry could not obtain complete happiness due to the situations he encountered himself in. Catherine also could not acquire absolute happiness because of the loss of her fiancé. Lastly, the rain symbolizes tragedy and the dissolution of happiness, which can be seen through the soldiers on the battlefield. Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 because of his ability to capture the art of narrative. Later on, Hemingway committed suicide on July 2, 1961 (“Ernest Hemingway- Biorgaphy”). “In order to write about life first you must live it” (Ernest Miller Hemingway, 1899 – 1961.”).
Ernest Hemingway is today known as one of the most influential American authors of the 20th century. This man, with immense repute in the worlds of not only literature, but also in sportsmanship, has cast a shadow of control and impact over the works and lifestyles of enumerable modern authors and journalists. To deny his clear mastery over the English language would be a malign comparable to that of discrediting Orwell or Faulkner. The influence of the enigma that is Ernest Hemingway will continue to be shown in works emulating his punctual, blunt writing style for years to come.
Throughout the 20th century there were many influential pieces of literature that would not only tell a story or teach a lesson, but also let the reader into the author’s world. Allowing the reader to view both the positives and negatives in an author. Ernest Hemingway was one of these influential authors. Suffering through most of his life due to a disturbingly scarring childhood, he expresses his intense mental and emotional insecurities through subtle metaphors that bluntly show problems with commitment to women and proving his masculinity to others.
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...
Wagner, Linda Welshimer, Ed. Ernest Hemingway: Five Decades of Criticism. Michigan State University Press, 1974.
Ernest Hemingway was an American 20th century writer, renowned for his simplistic writing style and seemingly macho ideals (Hemingway, 2012, 430) (Putnam, 2006, para.2) (Ziff, 1978, 417). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 because of his ‘mastery of the art of narrative’ and influence ‘on contemporary style’ as demonstrated in one of his later works, the short novel The Old Man and the Sea which also won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize (Bracker, 1953, para.1) (Nobel Media AB, 2016b, para.1). One of Hemingway’s earlier short stories, Up in Michigan, was published in 1923, signifying the beginning of his career as a short story writer and subsequent development of his writing style (Fenstermaker,
The Cambridge Companion to Ernest Hemingway; edited by Scott Donaldson; Cambridge U. P.; New York, NY; 1996
...n, it is apparent to say that Hemingway has a distinct writing style, where he is simplistically brilliant in the way he portrays reality in minimal details. The main conflicts throughout the novel are between traditional and liberal views, strength taken for weakness, the powerful drive of sex, as well as individuals fixating their despondency on aimless interests in pursuit of happiness. It is vital to find a true path through realization of ones own self, in order to gain strength as an individual. One must learn to view life realistically and relish it for what it is, rather than what it cannot be. When euphoric illusions shatter, realization is necessary in order to move on; pain must first be felt and accepted before the healing process can begin. The course of redemption is essential in the final cycle of acceptance, in order to experience emotional rebirth.
During his life, Ernest Hemingway has used his talent as a writer in many novels, nonfiction, and short stories, and today he is recognized to be maybe "the best-known American writer of the twentieth century" (Stories for Students 243). In his short stories Hemingway reveals "his deepest and most enduring themes-death, writing, machismo, bravery, and the alienation of men in the modern world" (Stories for Students 244).
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.
Calvin Krauss Ernest Hemingway Argumentative Essay English 11 12/12/14 Many have wondered how to tell what type of writer a person is. How do you tell? How can you be sure? One famous writer to focus on is Ernest Hemingway. Does he write because of his life experiences or does he write for other reasons?
Born to Dr. Clarence Hemingway and music teacher Grace Hall Hemingway; Ernest Hemingway had abundant mental stimulus for growth throughout his juvenile advances. As early as the seventh grade there are records of his school work that showcase his early affinity for written art; namely one piece that illustrates not only his creativity but also passion for prudence and literature “Class Prophesies” which detailed what he believed his classmates would go on to do in their adult lives (Targeted News Service.) A large collection of Hemingway’s works are in the JFK Library where one could practically observe the development of his writing and style from kindergarten drawings to childhood essays to sonnets and short stories recognized in the literary publication of his high school. Ernest Hemingway embodied the characteristics of a gifted and talented student from a very young age as many would expect from one of the greatest literary minds in history.