Hemingway Essay
Megan Hetterick
Mr. Kantor
Pre-AP English hour 1
November 19, 2012
Is Hemingway’s Code Hero a Macho Man?
Ernest Hemingway once said, "As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." Hemingway knew this because he actually invented his famous code hero. The Hemingway code hero was a macho man that indulged in liquor, women, and food, and usually did not fear God. In almost all of Hemingway’s stories and books such as: “Indian Camp”, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, his Inter Chapters, and all of his other stories and books. However, while reading “The Old Man and the Sea”, the reader is not exposed to the usual Hemingway code hero. Hemingway creates an aging hero that proves to be the opposite of the normal code hero by his disinterest in physical pleasures, the presence of religion, and the presence of a companion.
Santiago, the main character in the story, does not divulge in any pleasures what so ever. It almost seems as though he is trying to make himself suffer. Everyday, Santiago hardly eats anything but a little fish or coffee. He does not have any relationships with women in the story, as many Hemingway novels have included such as “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” with the character, Wilson who has sex with Francis Macomber’s wife. While Santiago is out on the boat, he does not let himself stray from the task at hand even though it is very uncomfortable. The Hemingway code hero would be the exact opposite of Santiago. He would eat large meals every day, make love to many women, and never put himself in a position that he did not like. The code hero would do everything as though it was the last time he was doing it because he did not believe strongly in the presence of God.
Santiago was different because he believed in God, and prayed to him for help throughout the story unlike most of Hemingway’s soldier characters who always seemed to be atheist like in his “In Our Time” Inter Chapters like for
Mr. Kantor
Pre-AP English hour 1
November 19, 2012
Is Hemingway’s Code Hero a Macho Man?
Ernest Hemingway once said, "As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." Hemingway knew this because he actually invented his famous code hero. The Hemingway code hero was a macho man that indulged in liquor, women, and food, and usually did not fear God. In almost all of Hemingway’s stories and books such as: “Indian Camp”, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, his Inter Chapters, and all of his other stories and books. However, while reading “The Old Man and the Sea”, the reader is not exposed to the usual Hemingway code hero. Hemingway creates an aging hero that proves to be the opposite of the normal code hero by his disinterest in physical pleasures, the presence of religion, and the presence of a companion.
Santiago, the main character in the story, does not divulge in any pleasures what so ever. It almost seems as though he is trying to make himself suffer. Everyday, Santiago hardly eats anything but a little fish or coffee. He does not have any relationships with women in the story, as many Hemingway novels have included such as “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” with the character, Wilson who has sex with Francis Macomber’s wife. While Santiago is out on the boat, he does not let himself stray from the task at hand even though it is very uncomfortable. The Hemingway code hero would be the exact opposite of Santiago. He would eat large meals every day, make love to many women, and never put himself in a position that he did not like. The code hero would do everything as though it was the last time he was doing it because he did not believe strongly in the presence of God.
Santiago was different because he believed in God, and prayed to him for help throughout the story unlike most of Hemingway’s soldier characters who always seemed to be atheist like in his “In Our Time” Inter Chapters like for