What people, ideas, and events probably influenced Ernest Hemingway while writing The Old Man and the Sea

I think that many aspects of life influenced Ernest Hemingway while writing his fantastic novel The Old Man and the Sea, but none as significant as nature itself. Nature can be seen on almost every page of The Old Man and the Sea and Santiago can often be found admiring it. The reader can see that the author often portrays his own love and appreciation for nature by making Santiago feel the same about it. An example of Santiago admiring nature is when he is thinking about the sea and birds (Hemingway 29). This deep admiration that Santiago has for the birds and sea can be seen in the passage that says, "Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? She is very kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes so suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea." (Hemingway 29). This passage doesn't seem like Santiago's thoughts as much as the author's perspective of nature. Another example that shows how much nature influenced the author can be seen through Santiago's dreams. Santiago no longer dreams about anything, but an old memory that he has from his youth (Hemingway 25). This memory is from when Santiago sailed to Africa and saw a group of lions playing on the bright beaches of the Canary Islands (Hemingway 25). These lions had a huge impact on Santiago and he loves them like he loves the boy that helps him (Hemingway 25). It seems that Santiago feels that the lions are old friends and he looks forward to seeing them in his dreams every night. The lions playing on the beach are a strong image of nature and seem to make Santiago very happy. This satisfaction may come from Hemingway's own fondness of nature and views on how dignified nature is. By using lions, which are known for being noble, he is making nature in this book seem very proud and dignified.

Bibliography:Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

Why do we still read The Old Man and the Sea? What can we learn from this book?

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is still read today because of the important lessons it teaches the readers. The primary lesson of this book is the struggle for life. This struggle is important and relevant because in nature something survives off another's demise. Not just animals participate in this battle, but humans as well. This can be seen through Santiago's fight with the marlin. Santiago is a fisherman and has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish (Hemingway 9). He needs to catch a fish, so he can earn money and food to survive. When Santiago catches the marlin he embarks on a long struggle to bring the fish to the surface without breaking his fishing line (Hemingway 44). As Santiago waits out the fish he begins to admire and even love him (Hemingway 55). The fish is a worthy adversary for the old man, and Santiago grows to think of the fish as a brother (Hemingway 95). Even though Santiago loves the fish he still kills him in the end (Hemingway 94). This shows the struggle between lives. To live Santiago has to kill the fish even though he regrets it. Santiago will now be able to survive for longer.

The struggle for life is shown in another way in this story as well. This is shown when the sharks attack the marlin's body against the boat (Hemingway 100). The sharks must also eat to survive like Santiago, but by taking the marlin's meat they are not participating in the same struggle that Santiago and the marlin fought in. Their attack of the marlin is not as noble as Santiago's. Unlike Santiago, the sharks do not understand the fair match between the marlin and Santiago. They take away the marlin's dignity because they feed off him when he was already dead. The marlin did not have the chance to defend himself against the sharks like he did against Santiago. Nor do they love and respect the marlin as Santiago did. They simply will kill until the day themselves would be the ones killed.

Bibliography: Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

What techniques does the author use to engage the reader of The Old Man and the Sea?

In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the author uses many different techniques to make his story engaging for the reader. One of the techniques that he uses is suspense. Suspense is used in very many different ways, and causes the reader to want to keep reading. One example of suspense being used in The Old Man and the Sea is when Santiago catches the marlin on his fishing line (Hemingway 44). This makes the reader excited because this means that Santiago's streak of not catching fish will be over. However, it is not easy for Santiago to pull the heavy marlin in. This makes Santiago's struggle to pull the fish in last for several days (Hemingway 46). While Santiago endures hardships to rein the fish in, this leads the reader to wonder whether Santiago will be successful or not. Curiosity drives the reader to keep reading to see what will happen. Suspense is used again in this story when the sharks begin to attack the marlin's corpse (Hemingway 100). Santiago now must fight the sharks for the marlin using whatever means he has (Hemingway 102). Once again the reader is put into suspense about whether Santiago will succeed or not in protecting the marlin. It also causes the reader to wonder when the next shark will come for the marlin.

Not only does the author use suspense to draw the reader into the book, but he also uses symbolism to make the reader engaged. The main symbol of this book is the marlin. The marlin represents nobility and innocence. The marlin means no harm, but Santiago kills him anyway (Hemingway 96). Santiago kills him so he can sell him, and he can continue to support himself (Hemingway 97). This shows the sacrifice that man must endure to keep living and surviving. We are like other creatures in that we kill to live. This symbolism is used to interest the reader and make them think. The thought that this book provokes gets the reader really into the book.

Bibliography:Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

Who is the hero of The Old Man and the Sea?

The hero of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is an old fisherman named Santiago. Santiago at the beginning of the story seems to be an unlikely hero because he is so old. The reader soon finds that looks are deceiving, and that Santiago is full of life and is very strong in his determination. In this book, Santiago is a hero because of how he defends the marlin that he has caught from sharks. In the middle of the story, Santiago hooks the marlin on one of his fishing lines and begins a long struggle of trying to catch the fish (Hemingway 44). The longer Santiago struggles with the fish the more he feels connected to it. Santiago grows to love the fish (Hemingway 54). He admires how beautiful and strong the marlin is (Hemingway 63). He also knows that the marlin is a noble creature full of dignity (Hemingway 63). When Santiago finally catches the fish and is taking him back to the harbor, when sharks attack the marlin's body that is attached to the boat (Hemingway 100). Santiago sees the sharks as mindless killers and scavengers, and not worthy of the marlin (Hemingway 108). They are not as noble as the marlin, and are taking away the dignity of the dead marlin. Santiago soon regrets that he sacrificed the fish and decides to fight the sharks to death for respect for the marlin (Hemingway 115). This is what makes Santiago a hero. He is willing to fight for an innocent. He is also willing to fight for the marlin's dignity and pride.

Some of the qualities that help Santiago make his decision to fight for the marlin are his respect for nature and his sense of determination. Santiago's respect for nature helps him defend the marlin because through this respect he has come to love the marlin (Hemingway 54). It also makes the reader see that his struggle with the fish was more natural since it was about survival. It makes the sharks seem evil though because they do not respect the struggle and are not noble. Santiago's sense of determination also helps him because it gives him strength. This determination leads Santiago to find any way to kill the sharks so they do not eat the marlin.

Bibliography:Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

What universal theme does The Old Man and the Sea address? What does the author understand about human nature?

The universal theme of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is the survival of the fittest. This theme can be seen many times throughout the novel, but is most represented by Santiago's struggle with the marlin that he has caught. This struggle represents the survival of the fittest because for the marlin to live he needs Santiago to give up. Santiago however is not the kind of person to give and would die before he gave up (Hemingway 87). So, the marlin needs Santiago to die, but on the other hand Santiago needs the marlin to die. This would enable Santiago to win the struggle between the two and for him to sell the fish at the market. When Santiago set out to catch the fish he had gone eighty-four days without catching a fish (Hemingway 9). Since Santiago makes a living as a fisherman, he hadn't made any money for almost three months. While the marlin has size and strength in his favor, Santiago is able to use his cunning and weapon to win the match (Hemingway 94). This fight for survival is represented as something natural and noble, as opposed to the scavenger sharks that do not have the dignity to respect the balance. This can be seen through Santiago's love for the marlin's dignity, and hatred for the sharks (Hemingway 93).

After reading The Old Man and the Sea, the reader can tell that Hemingway has a deep understanding of human nature. He understands that unyielding determination to survive in humanity. Santiago is a good example of this because of his persistence in fishing. Most people might throw in the towel after eighty-four days without catching a fish, but this is how Santiago makes his living (Hemingway 9). Fishing is the thing that keeps him going, and he cannot quit on that. Despite his age, he sets off to fish and ends up catching a huge fish (Hemingway 44). It takes him days before he can kill the marlin (Hemingway 94). His body is wearing down, but he preservers because he has to catch the fish to keep surviving.

Bibliography: Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

What are the causes,gains, and losses dealt with in The Old Man and the Sea?

In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the conflict in this novel is the struggle between Santiago and the marlin that he is trying to catch. This conflict like many others has causes, gains, and losses. The cause of this conflict is Santiago's need to catch a fish. This old fisherman went eighty-four days without catching a fish (Hemingway 9). Since he was not catching fish he was not making money or eating as much as he should have been (Hemingway 16). This desperate desire to catch a fish causes Santiago to decide to go out farther in the ocean then he usually does (Hemingway 14). This is where Santiago finds the huge marlin that he hooks and struggles with to catch (Hemingway 44).

The conflict of The Old Man and the Sea has very few gains. One of these gains is that Santiago is able to break his eighty-four day streak of not catching a fish (Hemingway 97). Since he actually caught the fish this makes Santiago seem not as senile. Santiago probably also gains a little more respect from the other fishermen, because they see the huge skeleton that Santiago brings in to the harbor (Hemingway 22). Not all of these gains are as good though, because Santiago also gains a few injuries in the process of bringing up the fish. His body becomes worn down and his hands are covered with marks from holding on to the line (Hemingway 56).

This book not only has gains, but also losses. The main loss in this book is the loss of the marlin's dignity and life. The reader can see how much Santiago regrets killing the marlin when the sharks attack the body (Hemingway 115). The marlin was once a majestic and noble creature, but becomes bait for the sharks when they come and eat him (Hemingway 100). This enrages Santiago that this would happen to the marlin because the sharks do not deserve to eat him (Hemingway 108). Santiago thinks that they are not noble like the marlin and are mere scavengers (Hemingway 108). This makes Santiago vow to fight the sharks until he dies in the effort of maintaining the marlin's dignity (Hemingway 115).

Bibliography : Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

What does the author reveal about his values in The Old Man and the Sea? What perspective is this novel written in?

In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the reader can tell that the author values sacrifice. The reader can determine this through all of the sacrifices that the protagonist, named Santiago, must go through in this story. While Santiago achieves his goal in this novel, it does not come without its consequences along the way. One of the first sacrifices that Santiago makes in the novel is not letting the boy go with him fishing (Hemingway 10). Santiago loves the boy and would like him to come along, but knows that he is does not catch enough fish for it to be worthwhile for the boy (Hemingway 10). The boy would provide some comfort to Santiago, but he sacrifices his comfort for the good of the boy. Santiago's next sacrifice that he is forced to make ends up being much more major than not letting the boy come. Santiago is out on his boat when he finds one of his fishing lines is weighed down by a fish (Hemingway 43). Santiago soon finds that the fish is bigger than he ever imagined, and embarks on a struggle with the fish that lasts a few days. Santiago needs to pull the fish up to the surface, and has to hold onto the line for several days while he waits for the fish to come up (Hemingway 57). This struggle causes not only external conflict for Santiago, but internal conflict as well. A part of Santiago loves the fish that he has hooked , but knows that he must kill him (Hemingway 54). He admires the marlin's strength and beauty, and finds him to be a truly noble creature (Hemingway 92). Several times through the story, Santiago refers to the fish as his brother and does not want to kill him (Hemingway 92). Yet, Santiago also knows how many people the fish will feed and how much money he is worth, so Santiago must sacrifice the marlin's life (Hemingway 97).

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is written in third person omniscient. Since this book is written in third person omniscient, the reader knows what Santiago and other characters are feeling and thinking.

Bibliography: Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.