The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway.docx
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TheOldManandtheSeaisoneofHemingway
TheOldManandtheSeaisoneofHemingway'smostenduringworks.Toldinlanguageofgreatsimplicityandpower,itisthestoryofanoldCubanfisherman,downonhisluck,andhissupremeordeal——arelentless,agonizingbattlewithagiantmarlinfaroutintheGulfStream.HereHemingwayrecasts,instrikinglycontemporarystyle,theclassicthemeofcourageinthefaceofdefeat,ofpersonaltriumphwonfromlos.Writtenin1952,thishugelysuccessfullynovellaconfirmedhispowerandpresenceintheliteraryworldandplayedahugepartinhiswinningthe1954NobelPrizeforLiterature
TheOldManandtheSeaisanovella(justover100pagesinlength)byErnestHemingway,writteninCubain1951andpublishedin1952.ItwasthelastmajorworkoffictiontobeproducedbyHemingwayandpublishedinhislifetime.Itisnoteworthyintwentiethcenturyfiction,reaffirmingHemingway'sworldwideliteraryprominenceaswellasbeingasignificantfactorinhisselectionfortheNobelPrizeinLiteraturein1954.
Backgroundandpublication:
MostpeoplemaintainthattheyearsfollowingHemingway'spublicationofForWhomtheBellTollsin1940until1952werethebleakestinhisliterarycareer.ThenovelAcrosstheRiverandIntotheTrees(1950)wasalmostunanimouslydisparagedbycriticsasself-parody.EvidentlyhisparticipationasanAlliedcorrespondentinWorldWarIIdidnotyieldfruitsequivalenttothosewroughtofhisexperiencesinWorldWarI(AFarewelltoArms,1929)ortheSpanishCivilWar(ForWhomtheBellTolls).
Inspirationforcharacter:
GregorioFuentesisonepossiblemodelforHemingway'seponymous"OldMan”.WhileHemingwaywaslivinginCubabeginningin1940withhisthirdwifeMarthaGellhorn,oneofhisfavoritepastimeswastosailandfishinhisboat,namedthePilar.GeneralbiographicalconsensusholdsthatthemodelforSantiagoinTheOldManandtheSeawas,atleastinpart,theCubanfishermanGregorioFuentes.
Fuentes,alsoknownasGoyotohisfriends,wasbornin1897onLazarettointheCanaryIslands,migratedtoCubawhenhewassixyearsoldandmetHemingwaytherein1928.Inthe1930s,Hemingwayhiredhimtolookafterhisboat.DuringHemingway'sCubanyearsastrongfriendshipformedbetweenHemingwayandFuentes.Foralmostthirtyyears,FuentesservedasthecaptainofthePilar;thisincludedtimeduringwhichHemingwaydidnotliveinCuba.
Fuentesattimeswouldadmitthatthestorywasnotexactlyabouthim.Herelatedthatthetrueinspirationoftheoldmanandtheboydidexistbuttheyneverknewwhotheywere.Thestorygoesthatinthelate1940s,uponreturnfromanearlymorningfishingtrip,FuentesandHemingwaysawasmallrowboat10milesouttosea.HemingwayaskedFuentestoapproachthevesseltoseeiftheyneededhelp.Insidetheboatwasanoldmanandaboy.Asthevesselsclosedintheoldmanbeganyellingatthemwithinsultsincludingtellingthemtogotohell,indicatingthattheyhadscaredawaythefish.AccordingtoFuentes,heandHemingwaylookedateachotherinsurprise.Justthesame,HemingwayaskedFuentestolowerthemsomefoodanddrinkswhiletheoldmanandboyglaredatthem.Withoutanotherwordexchanged,thetwoboatspartedways.AccordingtoFuentes,Hemingwaybeganimmediatelytowriteinhisnotebookandlateraskedhimtofindtheoldman.AccordingtoFuentes,heneverwasabletofindthefishermanthathadmadesuchanimpressiononHemingway.Fuentesrecountsthatthiswastherealoriginofthelore.AfewyearsafterTheOldManandtheSeawaspublished,residentsofCojimarbelievedthattheoldfishermanthatFuentesandHemingwayranintoatseawasahumblelocalfishermantheycalledelViejoMiguel;somedescribedhisphysicalappearanceasawirySpencerTracy.
Fuentes,sufferingfromcancer,diedin2002;hewas104yearsold.Priortohisdeath,hedonatedHemingway'sPilartotheCubangovernment.
HemingwayhadinitiallyplannedtouseSantiago'sstory,whichbecameTheOldManandtheSea,aspartofarandomintimacybetweenmotherandsonandalsothefactofrelationshipsthatcovermostofthebookrelatetotheBible,whichhereferredtoas"TheSeaBook."(HealsoreferredtotheBibleasthe"SeaofKnowledge"andothersuchthings.)SomeaspectsofitdidappearintheposthumouslypublishedIslandsintheStream.PositivefeedbackhereceivedforOntheBlueWater(Esquire,April1936)ledhimtorewriteitasanindependentwork.Thebookisanovellabecauseithasnochaptersorpartsandisslightlylongerthanashortstory.
Thenovellafirstappeared,inits26,500-wordentirety,aspartoftheSeptember1,1952editionofLifemagazine.5.3millioncopiesofthatissueweresoldwithintwodays.Themajorityofconcurrentcriticismwaspositive,althoughsomedissentingcriticismhassinceemerged.ThetitlewasmisprintedonthecoverofanearlyeditionasTheOldMenandtheSea
[edit]Plotsummary
TheOldManandtheSearecountsanepicbattlebetweenanold,experiencedfishermanandagiantmarlinsaidtobethelargestcatchofhislife.Itopensbyexplainingthatthefisherman,whoisnamedSantiago,hasgone84dayswithoutcatchinganyfishatall.Heisapparentlysounluckythathisyoungapprentice,Manolin,hasbeenforbiddenbyhisparentstosailwiththeoldmanandbeenorderedtofishwithmoresuccessfulfishermen.Stilldedicatedtotheoldman,however,theboyvisitsSantiago'sshackeachnight,haulingbackhisfishinggear,feedinghimanddiscussingAmericanbaseball—mostnotablySantiago'sidol,JoeDiMaggio.SantiagotellsManolinthatonthenextday,hewillventurefaroutintotheGulftofish,confidentthathisunluckystreakisnearitsend.
Thusontheeighty-fifthday,Santiagosetsoutalone,takinghisskifffarintotheGulf.Hesetshislinesand,bynoonofthefirstday,abigfishthatheissureisamarlintakeshisbait.Unabletopullinthegreatmarlin,Santiagoinsteadfindsthefishpullinghisskiff.Twodaysandtwonightspassinthismanner,duringwhichtheoldmanbearsthetensionofthelinewithhisbody.Thoughheiswoundedbythestruggleandinpain,Santiagoexpressesacompassionateappreciationforhisadversary,oftenreferringtohimasabrother.Healsodeterminesthatbecauseofthefish'sgreatdignity,noonewillbeworthyofeatingthemarlin.
Onthethirddayoftheordeal,thefishbeginstocircletheskiff,indicatinghistirednesstotheoldman.Santiago,nowcompletelywornoutandalmostindelirium,usesallthestrengthhehasleftinhimtopullthefishontoitssideandstabthemarlinwithaharpoon,therebyendingthelongbattlebetweentheoldmanandthetenaciousfish.
Santiagostrapsthemarlintohisskiffandheadshome,thinkingaboutthehighpricethefishwillbringhimatthemarketandhowmanypeoplehewillfeed.
WhileSantiagocontinueshisjourneybacktotheshore,sharksareattractedtothetrailofbloodleftbythemarlininthewater.Thefirst,agreatmakoshark,Santiagokillswithhisharpoon,losingthatweaponintheprocess.Hemakesanewharpoonbystrappinghisknifetotheendofanoartohelpwardoffthenextlineofsharks;intotal,fivesharksareslainandmanyothersaredrivenaway.Butbynight,thesharkshavealmostdevouredthemarlin'sentirecarcass,leavingaskeletonconsistingmostlyofitsbackbone,itstailanditshead,thelatterstillbearingthegiantspear.Theoldmancastigateshimselfforsacrificingthemarlin.Finallyreachingtheshorebeforedawnonthenextday,hestrugglesonthewaytohisshack,carryingtheheavymastonhisshoulder.Oncehome,heslumpsontohisbedandentersaverydeepsleep.
Agroupoffishermengathersthenextdayaroundtheboatwherethefish'sskeletonisstillattached.Oneofthefishermenmeasuresittobeeighteenfeetfromnosetotail.Touristsatthenearbycafémistakenlytakeitforashark.Manolin,worriedduringtheoldman'sendeavor,criesuponfindinghimsafeasleep.Theboybringshimnewspapersandcoffee.Whentheoldmanwakes,theypromisetofishtogetheronceagain.Uponhisreturntosleep,SantiagodreamsoflionsontheAfricanbeach.
TheOldManandtheSeaiswrittenaccordingtoatruefact.
AftertheSecondWorldWar,HemingwayimmigratedintoCuba;therehewasacquaintedwithanoldCubanfisherman.In1930,Hemingwaycameacrossahurricaneonaboat;fortunatelythefishermansavedhim,afterthat,theyoftenwenttofishingtogether.In1936,theoldfishermancaughtabigfish.Thefishwassobigthatitspentalongtimetobebroughtback,afteritwasbroughtback;therewasonlyagiantskeletontobeleft.Hemingwaywasveryinterestinginthisstory,andherealizedthatitwasanexcellentnovelmaterial.In1950,Hemingwaybegantowriterthisnovel.Intheearlyof1951itwasfinished,andtherewerejusteightweeksspentinall.Afterashorttimeitwaspublished.Hemingwayhimselfaccountedthatthisnovelishisbestworkinhisliterarycreation.
Whenthisworkwasfinished,Hemingwaywasover50yearsold;HehasexperiencedthetwoWorldWarsandwitnessedthecollapseanddepravityofwesterntraditionalculture.Nowhewasanoldman,justlikeSantiago.Nomatterhowambitioushewas,hewasoldandnotasstrongashisyouth.Thiswaslife,andnobodycouldchangeit.WiththisworkHemingwayexpressedhistragicthoughtthroughhisseemlytoughstyle.
ChapterⅣAnalysisaboutTheOldManandtheSea
AsthequintessenceofHemingway’sworks,TheOldManandtheSeahasgreatinfluenceintheworldliteraryworks.ThefigureofthisworkistheconcentrateofHemingway’slifetime.Everythingintheworkmeansmanythings,andhasitsdiffer