preview

Analysis Of The Old Man And The Sea

Decent Essays
Ernest Hemingway was viewed as a talented writer, and was considered in his prime up until his novel Across the River and into the Trees, which led to his downfall. After this point he was seen as old and a has been. He rose from his sorrows and created the Old Man and the Sea, his final and most popular work. This novella featured an old man, Santiago, going through a time in his life where he is attempting to prove he is at his prime by catching a marlin, despite all his previous defeats. Similar to many other writers, as an author his novella included experience from his life, and at this point in his life he was becoming old and leaving his best years, so it reflected in his writing. The major and recurring theme of the Old Man and the Sea is growing old as seen through Santiago’s denial, pain, and acceptance. Santiago has gone 85 days without a single fish, many others “looked at him and werre sad”, yet Santiago seems not to care (Hemingway 11). There’s still a sense among him that he refuses to acknowledge that he is not in his prime anymore. He convinces himself that being able to display “what a man can do and a what a man endures” will prove that he is still strong to any others that question him (Hemingway 66). Proving his strength is remarkably important to him that when fighting for the marlin he thinks to himself that “[he does] not care who kills who” meaning that he’s willing to die to win this fight( Hemingway 92). His denial of age is what throws him out
Get Access