Article written by Emma Baldwin
B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is the last of Hemingway’s great fiction books. This short novella was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and is often cited as one of the defining factors (along with several near-death experiences) in Hemingway’s selection for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The story follows Santiago, a poor Cuban fisherman who is suffering from a long streak without successfully catching anything. He hooks an enormous marlin, the biggest he’s ever seen and the majority of the novella follows him trying to reel in this gigantic fish.
Key Facts aboutThe Old Man and the Sea
- Title:The Old Man and the Sea
- When/where written: 1951 in Cuba
- Published: 1952
- Literary Period: Modernism
- Genre:Parable
- Point-of-View: Third-person omniscient, mostly limited to Santiago
- Setting: 1940s, Cuban fishing village, the Gulf of Mexico
- Climax:When Santiago finally catches the marlin
- Antagonist:The sharks and the marlin
Ernest Hemingway and The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Seais one of his most popular novels. The story is moving, endearing, and emotional. His direct style of writing is suited perfectly to the life and death situation that Santiago finds himself in. During the period of time in which Hemingway wroteThe Old Man and the Sea,he was living in Cuba. It was the 1940s and he spent a great deal of time on the water, fishing off his boatThe Pilar. He lived in Cuba for almost 20 years and became an important figure, well-known through Havana. Hemingway lived much more luxuriously than Santiago, the main character ofThe Old Man and the Sea,but hewas well acquainted with hardship. He’d been part of the First World War as a war reporter and was even present on D-Day during WWII. It was his exposure to the realities of life and death as well as his knowledge of the Cuban people that helped this novel become the success that it was and still is. Some scholars have also suggested that the solitude, struggle, and desperation that Santiago experiences in the novella mirror the same emotions in Hemingway’s life at the time he wrote the story. His writing career was at a low point, and he was relatively isolated from his contemporaries while living in Cuba.
Books Related to The Old Man and the Sea
While Hemingway is almost always associated with Cuba, he also spent a good deal of time in Paris. While there, he became part of the “lost generation” of writers. This is a term used to refer to Americans who moved to Europe after WWI. Others included Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein with whom Hemingway was well acquainted. Works by these authors, as well as those by F. Scott Fitzgerald are similar in style and technique to Hemingway’s novels. His books and stories often rebel against ideas of patriotism and express the same disillusionment with tradition that can be found in Pound’s poetry. Novels of adventure and determination can also be counted as similar toThe Old Man and the Sea.These includeThe Call of the Wildby Jack London,The Roadby Cormac McCarthy, and Hemingway’s ownThe Sun Also Rises.
The Lasting Impact of The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Seais a memorable novel. Love it or hate it, it sticks with you. It is a story of hardship, perseverance, and the indomitable nature of the human spirit. It is a book about suffering and accepting that suffering as part of one’s life–it is inescapable. When readers make their way through this novel, it’s emotionally turbulent. At one moment it’s desperately sad and at the next, triumphant. Much like life, Santiago’s quest to end his 84-day streak without catching a fish doesn’t go as planned.
Additionally, just as this novel works as a metaphor for Hemingway’s life, it can also be applied to any reader’s personal struggle. These struggles don’t have to be as physical as Santiago’s but they can be just as trying. Today, the novel is regarded as one of the finest examples of American literature, of any period.
The Old Man and the Sea Character List 🎣
From the vicious mackerel sharks to the kind and thoughtful Manolin, the characters in Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ speak to every element of the human condition.
The Old Man and the Sea Historical Context 🎣
Completed in 1951, and published in 1952, ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is considered Hemingway’s greatest work of fiction. It was also his last major publication during his lifetime.
The Old Man and the Sea Quotes 💬
Without Hemingway’s original, deeply moving style of prose, ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ wouldn’t have the impact it does.
The Old Man and the Sea Review ⭐
‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is a story of man versus nature, hardship, poverty, and himself. At the beginning of the novella, Hemingway takes a reader directly to the life and struggles of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman.
The Old Man and the Sea Analysis 🎣
‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is often considered to be Ernest Hemingway’s finest work and one of the most important books of 20th century American literature.
The Old Man and the Sea Summary 🎣
Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, ‘The Old Man and the Sea’, opens with the main character, Santiago returning from his eighty-fourth day with catching a fish.
