Extract from The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway

This extract has been taken from the novella, “The Old Man and the Sea,” by Ernest Hemmingway which was written in Cuba in the year of 1951 and was published in 1952. This fictional novella is Ernest Hemmingway’s last work and is a parable of man’s struggle with the natural world, his endurance in the face of adversity. Hemmingway’s idea of the fishing community was chosen particularly because he had witnessed the plight of the Cuban fishermen and could relate his life to theirs in many ways. Although the idea of the plight of the Cuban fisherman was inspiring, Hemmingway was deeply influenced by the bible, Mark Twain and the two world wars which reflected in his style of writing. Ernest Hemmingway’s “the old man and the sea,” had won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 followed by an achievement of The Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. His experience as a journalist and war correspondent are responsible for the striking simplicity of his plot lines, woven around one or two central characters. The old man and the sea is a story about an epic struggle between and old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. After eighty-four days without catching any fish, the old man, also known as Santiago, an aged Cuban fisherman, had set out to sea in search for fish because his apprentice/friend, Manolin, was forcefully taken away by his parents but dejectedly, the old man had returned empty handed. Although the boy was obligated to fish in a more flourishing boat, he still did not give up on the old man and accommodated him until he had returned back from the sea. The old man had a stressful journey because of his 3 days of vigorous fighting with the biggest catch of his life, the Marlin.
Hemmingway portrays Santiago’s struggle through the theme, suffering and struggle. From the very first paragraph, Santiago is characterized as someone struggling against defeat. This extract that is presented to us is the beginning of the book and we are introduced to the two main characters , Manolin and Santiago (The old man) who is the protagonist in this novella. The setting is a small fishing village near Havana, Cuba; the water of the Gulf of Mexico .The beginning of this extract has been presented in a very unique way. While reading the first paragraph of the extract, there are many themes that appear to protrude such as alienation/isolation, friendship, luck, hope. The theme isolation/alienation is shown through the quote, “ He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff..(Pg_).” This is the part where we are told about the old man fishing alone; it shows how alienated/isolated he is from everyone else. At times, the narrator describes the characters and events without any objection , which is that they would appear to an outside observer. The narrator provides details about Santiago’s inner thoughts and dreams. The way style Hemmingway has used explains why so many individual commenters view his piece of work to be more as a fable than to be fiction. In the next sentence, “ But after forty days.” There is a biblical illusion which is presented. The number of days (40 days) is the length of time it took Christ to subdue Satan in the desert. The sentence shows a theme which is the heroic struggle against unchangeable fate.
The old man has now been identified to be salao which is a way of saying that he is unlucky. Another theme found is in the following sentence,” The sail was patched…” The sentence foreshadows about what is going to happen ahead in the story. The first paragraph of this extract tells us about Santiago’s lack of success. The second paragraph talks about the appearance of the old man himself and Hemmingway has used many adjectives such as gaunt, brown, benevolent, etc. This paragraph shows a lot of visual imagery as they are talking about the appearance. There was a shift in the way Hemmingway described the old man. In the second paragraph the old man was described as a thin and gaunt person who had wrinkles followed by the many blotches on his skin but later on, it shifts to his eyes. “Everything about him was old except for his eyes..” In this sentence, Hemmingway has given another theme which is perseverance. Judging by the old man’s eyes we come to know that although he is old and not in good shape, he never accepts to be defeated. The marlin’s death foreshadows Santiago’s own destruction by t he sharks.
Manolin is Santiago’s dear friend/apprentice who has always been with the old man all along. Although Manolin only appeared in the beginning and end of the story, he still plays a big role in Santiago’s life. Manolin’s parents did not have much faith in the old man as the boy had. The boy was known to be loyal to the old man as he adored Santiago so much. Since Santiago had set outn to sea alone, the boy did not give up on the old man as he was very tired when he had returned. He had helped him tote his gear to his ramshackle hut, secured food for him, and discussed the latest developments in baseball as he was a big fan of the Yankees especially Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio also plays a big role in the old man’s life because he is the reason that Santiago was able to endure the struggle he went through for three days straight. DiMaggio is the old man’s idol.