Ernest Hemingway
Ernest
Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and
sportsman. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg
theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous
lifestyle and his public image brought him admiration from later generations.
Introduction
The
novella was published in 1952 and only after two years of its publication it was
awarded Nobel Prize. Much regret for those who are of the view that story is
nothing. Basically, if we want to enjoy
the novel first, we should know of the philosophy of Hemingway. If we
understand well the philosophy of Hemingway, novel will give us pleasure. The
central philosophy of the novel is that," A man is not made for
defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated. " If one goes
through the novel from the very first word till the very last word, the whole
novel proves this philosophy of Hemingway. The old man is determined to achieve
his goal but the hostile forces of nature try to destroy the old man but he is
not ready to be defeated. To achieve anything is not success. The real
success is continuous struggle. If one compares this statement to the
ending of the novel that is much controversial, one can say that the ending is
quite justified. As per this philosophy Santiago is highly successful.
Characters
Major
characters of the novel
Santiago
He is the central figure of the novel. He is the
severe victim of the loneliness. He lives in a small cottage near the
shore. He goes without fishing for the last 85 days but he does not lose heart.
On 86th day, he catches a big
fish , Marlin but at the end is de[rived of the fruit of his life by the cruel
attacks of the sharks.
Manoline
He is a young boy who is the only pupil
and friend of the old man at the sea. First forty days , he accompanies the old
man but after forty days, his parents shift him to another boat saying that the
old man is a Salao. But he still loves and respect the old man and helps him.
He is very attached to the old man. He brings food for him, have gossip with
him and encourages the old man.
Marlin, the Fish
It
is a very huge fish caught by the old man. It gives very tough time to the old
man. It pulls the old man along with his skiff for three days and nights. It is
18 fat long and has purple strips on the body. At the end it is eaten away by
the sharks.
Sharks
In the novel, sharks represent the hostile
forces of the nature. They attack the fish one by one first and in the packs
later on. They deprive the old man of the fruit of his long efforts. Old man kills
some of them but as thy were large in numbers, so they defeated the old man
outwardly.
Sea
Sea plays a very important role in the progress
of the novel. Hemingway has treated the sea as a living being. It is very kind
and provides subsistence to the human. But sometimes, it become very cruel and
harsh. The importance of its role cannot be denied.
Summary
The
Old Man and the Sea is the story
of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch
of his life. For eighty-four days, Santiago, an aged Cuban fisherman, has set
out to sea and returned empty-handed. So conspicuously unlucky is he that the
parents of his young, devoted apprentice and friend, Manolin, have forced the
boy to leave the old man in order to fish in a more prosperous boat.
Nevertheless, the boy continues to care for the old man upon his return each
night. He helps the old man tote his gear to his ramshackle hut, secures food
for him, and discusses the latest developments in American baseball, especially
the trials of the old man’s hero, Joe DiMaggio. Santiago is confident that his
unproductive streak will soon come to an end, and he resolves to sail out
farther than usual the following day.
On the eighty-fifth day of his unlucky streak, Santiago does as
promised, sailing his skiff far beyond the island’s shallow coastal waters and venturing into the
Gulf Stream. He prepares his lines and drops them. At noon, a big fish, which
he knows is a marlin, takes the bait that Santiago has placed one hundred
fathoms deep in the waters. The old man expertly hooks the fish, but he cannot
pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat.
Unable to tie the line fast to the boat for fear the fish would
snap a taut line, the old man bears the strain of the line with his shoulders,
back, and hands, ready to give slack should the marlin make a run. The fish
pulls the boat all through the day, through the night, through another day, and
through another night. It swims steadily northwest until at last it tires and
swims east with the current. The entire time, Santiago endures constant pain
from the fishing line. Whenever the fish lunges, leaps, or makes a dash for
freedom, the cord cuts Santiago badly. Although wounded and weary, the old man
feels a deep empathy and admiration for the marlin, his brother in suffering,
strength, and resolve.
On the third day the fish tires, and Santiago, sleep-deprived,
aching, and nearly delirious, manages to pull the marlin in close enough to
kill it with a harpoon thrust. Dead beside the skiff, the marlin is the largest
Santiago has ever seen. He lashes it to his boat, raises the small mast, and
sets sail for home. While Santiago is excited by the price that the marlin will
bring at market, he is more concerned that the people who will eat the fish are
unworthy of its greatness.
As Santiago sails on with the fish, the marlin’s blood leaves a
trail in the water and attracts sharks. The first to attack is a great mako
shark, which Santiago manages to slay with the harpoon. In the struggle, the
old man loses the harpoon and lengths of valuable rope, which leaves him
vulnerable to other shark attacks. The old man fights off the successive
vicious predators as best he can, stabbing at them with a crude spear he makes
by lashing a knife to an oar, and even clubbing them with the boat’s tiller.
Although he kills several sharks, more and more appear, and by the time night
falls, Santiago’s continued fight against the scavengers is useless. They
devour the marlin’s precious meat, leaving only skeleton, head, and tail.
Santiago chastises himself for going “out too far,” and for sacrificing his
great and worthy opponent. He arrives home before daybreak, stumbles back to
his shack, and sleeps very deeply.
The next morning, a crowd of amazed fishermen gathers around the
skeletal carcass of the fish, which is still lashed to the boat. Knowing
nothing of the old man’s struggle, tourists at a nearby café observe the
remains of the giant marlin and mistake it for a shark. Manolin, who has been
worried sick over the old man’s absence, is moved to tears when he finds
Santiago safe in his bed. The boy fetches the old man some coffee and the daily
papers with the baseball scores, and watches him sleep. When the old man wakes,
the two agree to fish as partners once more. The old man returns to sleep and
dreams his usual dream of lions at play on the beaches of Africa.
Describe the theme of the novel.
Some critics say that the novel is
pessimistic. It presents before us a very poor and aged fisherman who is unable
to make both ends meet. Without the help of Manolin, Santiago might have died.
He lives in a humble shake and has no money to buy his food. Even his
companions make fun of him. When he hooks the big marlin, it takes him into the
open sea. When he sails back with his fish, the attacking sharks reduce it to a
skeleton.
Thus his entire struggle takes him nowhere.
The arguments of these critics seem logical and convincing. But the fact is
that they judge things from their appearance. The true yardstick of measuring
"Success" is not "gain or loss"; victory or defeat. The
great thing is not victory, but the struggle. One may lose; what matters how
when behaves while one is losing. The only failure is failing to try.
Actually, the novel is highly symbolic. Its
theme is Man's struggle against the forces of nature. -Hemingway has shown the
dignity of man under adverse circumstances. The old man struggles against the
big fish and says,
I will show him what a man
can do and what he endures
He is confident and resolute. His battle is
not yet over.? the
sharks attack the marlin. The old man fights against them honorably. Physically
he is falling, fainting and faltering but spiritually he remains resolute,
confident, hopeful and determined. He says
But man is not made for
defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated
The sharks deprived him of his hard-earned
fruit. He is proud of his fight. He does whatever is possible to save his
marlin. He behaves with courage and endurance. The great human virtue is
dignified behaviour while fighting a losing battle. Santiago is a winner who
may not have taken anything but who comes out of his conflict with high human
dignity and indomitable courage.
Thus we can rightly say that the novel is a
superb piece of literature. It is full of hope and optimism. The theme is
universal. The language is simple, terse and crisp. Events are logical and
convincing.
Discuss the novel, The Old Man and the Sea”
as a tragedy?
The old man and the sea” is a tragedy because it describes
the sufferings of the old man at the sea and tragic end of his great struggle.
The novel describes the heroism and bravery of a Cuban fisherman, Santiago who
ventures alone in the deep sea for a long time to hook some fish. After a long
and hard struggle, he is able to hook a marlin but, in the end, he is left with
nothing because all his hopes are shattered when the marlin is eaten up by the sharks
and it is very depressing to see the old man completely helpless against the
sharks in spite of all his daring efforts.
A tragedy is usually a story
describing the great struggle of the hero and ends either the death of the hero
or in the absolute faille of his great struggle. In spite of the great
qualities of bravery, courage and patience shown by the hero, he comes across a
failure. The failure is caused because of bad luck, society, nature of chance. If
we look at the novel, “The Old man and the Sea” in this context, we find it a
perfect tragedy.
When the novel begins, we
find the old man exposing superb qualities of bravery, courage and patience. He
was not an ordinary fisherman. He possessed exceptional skills of fishing and
was greatly expert in his profession. Although he was old yet he acted as a
young man and faced all odds boldly. He looked very impressive as a fisherman.
He showed great patience when the marlin pulled his boat for three days.
He was not ready to
accept defeat. He would prefer death to defeat. He had great determination and
he even triumphed over his inner conflict with his strong determination.
After having lashed the marlin to his boat, he
wanted to reach home as soon as possible. The tragedy started when the sharks
attacked the marlin. He did his best and fought boldly against the sharks but
he became quite helpless when the sharks attacked in a pack and reduced the
marlin to a skeleton. All his great struggle had failed because of his bad luck
but Santiago considered himself responsible for his failure. He thought that he
should not have gone too far in the sea..It was eighty fifth day of his
struggle that he had been able to hook a marlin and it was very great tragedy
for him to have been deprived of the fruit of his great struggle.
Describe the relationship between Santiago
and Manolin?
The relationship between
Santiago and Manolin was very deep one. The young boy mandolin was the pupil of
the old man and the old man had taught him the art of fishing. In spite of
great difference in their ages, the two were always very happy to be together.
Manolin had great affection for the old man. He was always ready to serve him
in one way or the other. The old man also loved him like his own son.
The old man had been going
for fishing for the last eighty-four days without any success. For the first forty
days mandolin had been with him but then his parents sent him to some other
boat because they thought that the old man was an unlucky person. Manolin did
not like it and he still continued his relationship-p with the old man and
served him a usual. When the old man came each day empty handed, the young boy
helped him and encouraged him. He still wanted to work with the old man but he
could not disobey his parents also. When Santiago went to sea for fishing, the
boy always saw him off in the morning and waited for him in the evening.
On the eighty fifth day, he saw him off as
usual. When the old man returned after many days, he went to his shack and made
all the arrangements so that the old man should recover as soon as
possible. He always encouraged him. He was not disappointed of his failure. He
told him that once he had caught a fish after eighty seven days of
failure. He also told Santiago that if the world was against him, he was with
him.
Santiago also loved him
deeply. He had shaped up his personality and character. Manolin was now very
responsible and careful young man. Although he wanted Manolin to be with him
yet the old man allowed him to go away to obey his parents, command. We find
him missing the young boy many a time during his struggle in the sea. It is
pathetic to find him saying, “No one should be alone in the old age.”. The boy
was his only company and he always missed him when he was away. He was living
without wife, children, brothers, sisters and friends. Manolin was everything
for him in the whole world and he was always in high spirits in his company.
What were the major interests of the fisher man Santiago?
Discuss Santiago s' hand
contest with Negro?
Santiago was a fisher man
and fishing was his profession which was his major interest. He was not and
ordinary fisher man. He was exceptionally skilled in his profession and knew
the art of fishing more than anyone else. His company with Manolin was also a
great charm for him. Manoline came to him in his childhood and the old man had
taught him the art of fishing Now he was a young boy.
He respected and served the old man in
every way. They had been going together for fishing for forty days but could
not catch any fish. At this Manolin s’ parents shifted him to another boat
saying that the old man an unlucky fellow. But the young man did not think so.
He still kept his company with the old man on
the shore. Santiago s’ mind always occupied with his ideas and he constantly
thought about Manolin. To be in his company and to enjoy talking to him was a
great interest for the old man.
Another interest of the old
man was baseball. He always talked to Manolin about baseball matches. He knew
all the teams and had a perfect understanding of their performance in the game.
He read the news about the baseball matches in the papers and liked to listened
to commentary on the radio. Even at the sea while struggling against the marlin,
he thought about the baseball and was anxious to know about the result of the
baseball matches. DiMaggio was his favorite baseball player. He believed that
he was the greatest champion of the game and that his team would always win. He
even wanted to be as great an expert in his profession as DiMaggio was in
baseball. He had great respect in his heart for DiMaggio because he believed
that he was the greatest champion of baseball.
To dream about lions was
another interest of the old man. Santiago had once travelled to Africa by ship
in his early youth. He had seen lions moving on the shore. he had seen the lions
playing like cats on the shore in the evening. In his old age, he often dreamed
of these lions. They dominated his mind He always loved talking about them. He
did not think about big fish, big cities, women or his wife in his old age. He
only thought about lions. He loved them as he loved Manolin.
Character of Santiago
Santiago, the old fisher man
is the hero of the novel, “The Old Man and the Sea”. He is rather the only
character of the novel because the other character Manolin appears in the novel
only in the beginning and at the end. We find only the old man dominating the
whole novel.
The old man was thin and gaunt with wrinkles
in the back of his neck and brown blotches on his cheeks which went down the
side of his face. His hands had deep creased scars by handling heavy fish on
the cords. These scars were old and had recovered. Everything about him was old
except his eyes and they were the same colour as the sea and were cheerful and
full of determination.
Santiago was considered to be an unlucky person
by the local fishermen and they made fun of him when he returned with empty
skiff every day but he was not disappointed. He continued making effort and
believed that one day he would catch a big fish. He was an expert fisherman and
knew all the techniques of fishing.
The old man was a man of
strong determination. His determination is shown when he says, “Man is
not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but he cannot be defeated."
He was never disappointed. Without sleep and without food, the old man struggles
all alone against the marlin. He remained in the most difficult situation for
two days and two nights but he was still full of determination and was
eventually successful in catching a big fish.
Santiago was highly
imaginative person. Being all alone in the sea he often lost in his imagination
and usually talked to himself. He often thought about the young boy Manolin and
wanted him to be with him. Sometimes, he thought about the baseball matches and
of the great payer DiMaggio who was his favorite. He also remembered his hand
wrestling contest with the negro. He dreamed about the lions moving on the sea
shore at Africa.
Santiago was a great
philosopher also. He first considered the killing of the marlin as a sin but
then he justified it as a professional act. In the same way, he justified the
killing of the sharks in self-defense.
Discuss sea as a living being? /Symbolic importance of the
Sea?
In, “The Old man and the
Sea” the ocean plays its role as a living being. It has its own relations with
other characters of the novel. It has its own tastes, voices, atmosphere and colors.
Still it treats old man rather cruelly when the sharks come out of it to eat up
the huge marlin. But we cannot ignore its gentle role as well. It gives
Santiago continuous supply of food in the form of tunas, shrimps, dolphins and
flying fish.
|
No |
Object |
Symbol |
|
1 |
Sea |
Life |
|
2 |
Santiago |
Common Man |
|
3 |
Marlin |
Aim |
|
4 |
Sharks |
Difficulties |
|
5 |
Manolin |
Hope |
The sea is a great source of livelihood for the
fishermen. It teaches the sailors and the fishermen how to lead their lives. It
also teaches the spiritual lessons to the fishermen when they need. Santiago is
not a religious man but he learns his religious lessons by the oceans. He prays
to God first to let the fish be baited and then release him to sufferings as
well as physical pains.
The ocean has its own rules and regulations like
the characteristics of a man. Its world is full of weeds, fishes, turtles, gulls,
and clouds. It is a different universe where large creature eats up the small one.
Still man rules supreme there. It is oblivious that the old man is not defeated
by the ocean but by his own fault that he went too far out in the sea.
Santiago as a Code Hero
A code hero is a person who follows a system
or code of life in his role as a hero. He displays the qualities of courage
dignity honor, dedication, and endurance. Such heroes fight against corruption
and disorder in life. They spend their life according to some system or order.
They fight against the awkwardness of the world and try to put an order in it.
Santiago is Hemingway's code hero. He
illustrates the values of life that Hemingway cherished and glorified all his
life. Santiago may become old and weak. He has bad luck, but he continues to
show courage till the end of his fight with evil forces. Life offers many
opportunities for success and defeat. It is an odd mixture of pleasure and
pain. In human life, there are many forms of both marlin and sharks. Much is to
be endured but a little is to be enjoyed. To live life in itself is a success
and a rewarding experience.
Santiago is a humble fisherman. He is the
best fisherman. The boy Manolin has great confidence in his skill and
craftsmanship. He is devoted to his work and follows the rules of discipline.
He shows his heroic qualities in everything. He has not performed anything
extraordinary related to war, love death. He relies on his own resources. He is
alone and goes into the sea to a place that is far away from safe fishing. His
fight with the fish marlin and against the sharks reveals his strength and his
will to overcome the odds of life. He does not lose heart at his defeat He
remains heroic and courageous till the last moment of his life.
Character
sketch of Manolin.
Manolin is the devoted pupil of Santiago. He
has learnt the art of fishing from Santiago. He has been with him since the age
of fie. Manolin comes every morning to Santiago but is pained to see him
without fish. He pities the Old Man for his luck. He considers the Old Man a
complete and experienced fisherman. He has complete faith in the experience and
skill of the Old Man. When at the end of the novel, the Old Man tells the boy "They
beat me, Manolin.... They truly beat me." The boy does not believe
that. He replies with complete confidence. He did not beat you. No the fish”
and Santiago has to correct himself “No, truly afterwards.”
The boy tells Santiago that he has to learn a
lot from him. "I can learn and you can teach me everything." Manolin
loves the old man sincerely and selflessly. It is not only a disciple - teacher
relationship but a son-father relationship. He is very helpful to the Old Man.
He brings sardines for the Old Man so that he may make baits for the fish. He
helps him in carrying his lines, gaff and harpoon. He provides the Old Man
food, medicine and clothes.
The boy is greatly moved at the exhausted
condition of the Old Man. He declares "Now we fish together again".
He is greatly worried at his weakness and fatigue. He finds his hands badly
bruised. He begins to cry. He goes to the restaurant to bring good and coffee
for the Old Man. He tells the fishermen that the Old Man was sleeping and they
should not disturb him. The Old Man is also in love with him. He thinks of the
boy a number of times during his fish expedition. The boy is the symbol of
Santiago's youthful strength. The constantly reminds Santiago of his youth,
courage and bravely The Old Man datives much consolation from the thoughts of
the old boy.
Discuss
the old man and the sea as a tragedy.
The Old Man and The Sea is a tragedy. The Old
Man stands undefeated in his fight with the sharks and the fish. He is
physically exhausted and weak. He has suffered a lot during the course of his
adventure. His sorrows and sufferings are endless. These sorrows make him a tragic
character and he wins our sympathy.
At the end of the novel, when we take into
account the heroic adventure and sorrows and pains of the Old Man, we pity his
tragic figure. The tragedy is defined as a tale of sorrows and sufferings in
which the hero shows the highest qualities of patience. courage and sacrifice.
But he also suffers from some handicaps which becomes a cause of his downfall.
The Old Man and the sea fulfill most of the
criterion of a tragedy. Santiago is heroic in his character as well as in his
achievement. He is noble, brave, patient and romantic. They boy Manolin calls
him the best fisherman. Santiago calls himself 'a strange Old Man' with
strength and resolution to catch a big fish. He is a true hero due to his
courage and boldness. He exposes himself to the risks of defeat and death. He
rows beyond the 'ordinary fish areas and hooks a huge marlin'. He shows his
strong will and courage 'I will stay with you until I am dead'.
Like all tragic heroes, Santiago suffers from
a tragic flaw. After he kills the Marlin, he is visited by remorse. He asks
himself if he has committed a sin by hitting the fish. He consoles himself by
saying that 'everybody kills everybody'. But his answer does not satisfy him.
He knows that he has killed the Marlin in order to feed people and keep his
name alive. Like all tragic heroes, he is also responsible for his downfall. He
felt sorry for going too far out.
Hemingway suggests that the
Old Man has overstepped the limits of his physical and mental powers. He is
alone on the boat. He is an Old Man. He is weak and exhausted. He must have
known that he cannot be a match for the fish and sharks. His tragedy is surely
the result of his pride-and individualism.
