Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

 Born in Oak Park, Illinois

Started writing at a very young age
Worked as a reporter and later served in World War I as an ambulance driver

 Important Works
In Our Time (1920-short story collection)
The Sun Also Rises (1926)
A Farewell to Arms (1929)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)
The Old Man and the Sea (1952)
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories (1961-short story collection)

 Pulitzer Prize in 1952

 Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954

 Features of writing

o Verbal economy—importance of suggestion and understatement—a prose that

is free from any kind of ornamentation
o Stimulate as well as regulate the expression of emotion
o Right selection of external details—facts, events, etc that invoke the desired
emotion in the reader
o A kind of writing that in his own words, gives importance to “what you really
felt rather than what you were supposed to feel or taught to feel.” Similarities
with Eliot’s principle of ‘objective correlative’
o Autobiographical elements—places associated with Hemingway, his interests
like bullfighting, big-game hunting, deep sea fishing, etc, and also his
experiences during the war and life in Europe—autobiographical aspects used
in imaginative ways
o Undue focus on autobiographical elements can lead to subjectivity, but
Hemingway’s stint as a journalist made him understand and stress upon the
importance of objectivity in writing.
o Symbolism—a visible sign of something invisible—Hemingway’s ‘iceberg
principle’—the tip of the iceberg on the surface suggests a larger landmass
underneath that is hidden—Hemingway’s use of symbols and their meanings
work in this fashion. You also find a combination of symbolism and realism

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 o Use of symbols—connotative, not denotative; contextual not allegorical
The Old Man and the Sea

 Characters (very minimal)

o Santiago (the old man)

o Manolin (a boy who helps him)
o Marlin (a type of large fish)

 Narration
o Hemingway’s precision in the use of words to describe characters,
situations, settings, etc
o Objective narrative presentation of the action

 Themes
o Struggle:
Santiago—84 days without being able to catch a fish—considered an
outcaste, a stigma by others in his village—sail of Santiago’s fishing boat
resembles ‘the flag of permanent defeat’. The boy Manolin is the only one
who tries to help him out. Santiago alienated—a misfit within the numbing
confines of a modern world, but rises to perform extraordinary feats in the
natural world—similar to other Hemingway protagonists—similarities can
also be drawn with Faulkner’s Ike.
Santiago struggles 84 days without a catch—struggles three days with the
marlin and in the process injures himself—struggles against hunger and
exhaustion. Eventually manages to kill the marlin and then the next round
of struggling begins with the sharks—loses his weapons, his harpoon, his
knife, his rope, etc.

o Pride:
Often cited as the reason for Santiago’s downfall. Did he overestimate his
abilities? Did pride make him feel that he could accomplish the
impossible? After all his struggles-against the marlin and the sharks-come
to an end, Santiago reflects on what went wrong? His conclusion—
“Nothing…I went out too far” (Santiago had ventured farther into the sea
than fishermen usually do. As a result, when he finally subdued the marlin,
he could not bring it overboard as it was much bigger than his skiff. There
was no other fisherman nearby whose help he could have sought. This was
the reason why he could not prevent the sharks from completely devouring
the marlin he had caught.)
The concept of ‘pride’ can also be seen in a positive manner—pride as a
motivating factor—something that aroused in Santiago his hidden
strengths of determination and perseverance. His resolve to fight the

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 elements, the sea, the marlin, the sharks can be seen as emanating from his
ferocious sense of pride. In the end, the people in his village are also
awestruck on seeing the huge skeletal remains of the marlin he brought
back.

o Harmony:
Santiago knows that as a hunter, he has to kill the marlin—nevertheless,
has a deep sense of respect for the marlin. During the three-day long battle
with the marlin, he is so exhausted that he feels that he may even die. But
he doesn’t give up for he knows that he is fighting a worthy opponent,
even going to the extent of calling the fish his brother. “You are killing me
fish…but you have a right to, brother…come on and kill me. I do not care
who kills who” Santiago regrets that he has to kill the marlin. While
thinking about selling the fish, Santiago bemoans that its flesh will be
consumed by people who do not deserve such a worthy fish.
Santiago’s struggle—interpreted as a man versus nature conflict—also a
reflection of man’s position in nature—law of the jungle—kill or get killed
—survival of the fittest—death is inevitable, but how will you meet that
inevitable end—will you give in to the predictable defeat or ‘go down with
all guns blazing’? Santiago’s philosophy—“Man’s not made for defeat…
man can be destroyed, but not defeated” Santiago’s true place lies in
nature, out at sea, away from his village where he is ridiculed and
alienated. Life and death are all part of the natural world. Even in defeat
you can be triumphant.

 Religious symbols:
o Symbols related to Christ—Santiago’s scarred palms as he struggles with
the marlin—the cross-like mast of his skiff that he carries up the hill—
when the sharks approach, Santiago makes a sound like a man who has
nails driven through his hands—all these are very overt symbols—can be
seen as attempts by the author to perhaps show that his protagonist is a
Christ-like character

 Other symbols:
o Lions: Santiago’s dreams—young lions playing on the beaches of Africa.
He sees these dreams thrice—in the beginning before he sets out for
fishing, in the midst of his battle with the marlin when he dozes off and at
the end, when he peacefully sleeps at home after his exhausting duels with
the marlin and the sharks. According to Hemingway, this is Santiago’s
only remaining dream. Probably the young lions are a link to Santiago
himself, as they too are hunters.

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 o Joe Di Maggio: real-life baseball player—made a remarkable comeback to
the game after a serious career threatening injury—a source of inspiration
for Santiago—during the struggles at sea, he often thinks about Di
Maggio.

Pictures indicating the size of a marlin

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