41 'The Old Man And The Sea' Facts: A Work Of Fiction By Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway wrote the wonderful book 'The Old Man And The Sea.'

Ernest Hemingway is an American author who published the book in 1951 in Cuba. It was the final significant work of fiction of Hemingway to be published during his life, and it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1953.

Set in the backdrop of a Cuban fishing village, the plot follows Santiago, a poor fisherman who has been unsuccessful in catching anything for a long time. He snags the biggest marlin he's ever seen, and the novella spends the majority of its time following him as he tries to reel in this massive fish.

Characters Of 'The Old Man And The Sea'

In 'The Old Man and the Sea,' the main protagonists are an old man named Santiago, a fish named Marlin, and a little kid named Manolin.

Santiago is the protagonist of the tale. Manolin learned everything he knew about fishing from this diligent fisherman.

Manolin is a young man from the coastal village who has known Santiago since he was five years old and now cares for him. Manolin has decided to start fishing with another fisherman who, according to his parents, is more fortunate than Santiago.

Martin is the Terrace's proprietor. Through Manolin, he delivers food and drinks to Santiago.

Rogelio is a villager who sometimes assists Santiago with the fishing net trap.

Perico is a bodega employee who provides Santiago with newspapers.

Marlin is a blue color billfish measuring 18 ft (5.5 m) long and a haul of legendary proportions.

Mako is a pelagic shark with rows of enormous, powerful jaws that is a ravenous and terrifying killer.

Shovel-nosed sharks are a type of shark that has a long, pointed nose. The scavenging sharks that kill the marlin.

Santiago's boat and gear are looked after by a village fisherman name Pedrico, who also receives the marlin's head for use in fish traps.

While Hemingway stated that the old guy, Santiago, was modeled on no one in specific, he most likely drew inspiration from his fishing partner, Gregorio Fuentes, who was born in the Canary Islands.

Hemingway's boat was captained by Gregorio Fuentes, and the two commonly talk about the book.

About Author

Ernest Hemingway wrote 'The Old Man And The Sea' to show that he has not given up writing in the face of relentless criticism.

Hemingway hadn't authored a substantial work of literature in over a year when 'The Old Man And The Sea' was released in 1952.

In 1940, he published 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', which was a resounding hit.

His novella, 'Across the River and Into the Trees', was universally criticized when it was published in 1950.

He immediately wrote 'The Old Man and the Sea' to prove that he was not only still creating but that he had not yet written his finest work.

Hemingway fished for marlin with his boat, the Pilar, while residing in Florida and Cuba. Atlantic blue marlin are enormous billfish that live in the temperate and tropical areas of the Atlantic Ocean. 

His exposure to the reality of life and death, as well as his understanding of the Cuban people, contributed to the novel's popularity, which it still enjoys today.

Many historians believe that the loneliness, suffering, and despair that Santiago goes through in the novella reflect Hemingway's life at the time he wrote it.

The works of F. Scott Fitzgerald are stylistically and technically similar to Hemingway's books.

Hemingway's friends Charles Scribner and Max Perkins were honored in the book's dedication. They both died before the book was published.

Many of Hemingway's literary contemporaries, Sherwood Anderson and Gertrude Stein, passed away in the previous decade.

'The Old Man And The Sea' Synopsis

The film 'The Old Man And The Sea' describes the tale of an elderly man who catches a massive fish off the coast of Cuba. The large fish was eventually eaten by sharks. He returns home with fish bones on his boat.

Santiago is presented as an old Cuban fisherman. He has been unsuccessful in catching fish for the past 84 days.

Manolin, a teenager Santiago has been training since early life, has been compelled to work on this fortunate boat by his parents.

Santiago says he'll go fishing in the north of Cuba, Florida. He believes that his bad luck is coming to an end.

By lunchtime, he's hooked a monster fish, which he believes was none other than a large fish, marlin.  

He shows empathy and admiration for the marlin, referring to him as a sibling.

Santiago lashes the marlin to the side of his boat since it is too big to fit inside the boat.

He stabs the fish in the side and kills it with a harpoon,

He thought he could easily fetch a large amount of money from the market for this fish.

Santiago uses his harpoon to kill a large marlin, but he loses the boat weapon.

He straps his dagger to the front of a paddle and uses it to slaughter three sharks.

Each shark, on the other hand, has attacked the marlin, boosting the blood flow. Santiago chastises himself for pushing himself too far. A full group of real sharks arrives later on that night.

He returns to his cabin and falls asleep quickly, dreaming of lions on an African beach. When he wakes up, he gives his friend, Pedrico, the fish's head.

Manolin discovers Santiago the next morning. Santiago drifts off to bed, dreaming of his childhood and lions on a beach in Africa. He and Manolin agree to go fishing together more.

Reviews Of 'The Old Man And The Sea'

Ernest Hemingway was a well-known and respected novelist before writing the short novel 'The Old Man And The Sea,' but it was 'The Old Man And The Sea' that sealed his place as the literary juggernaut we know today. The novel was well-received by critics, and it went on to win numerous accolades.

Wallace Meyer happens to be the editor of the book. When Hemingway went to Meyer to deliver the manuscript, he said that his book was the finest work he could write in his entire life.

According to Scribner's, Hemingway's work is a contemporary classic.

There are several other reviewers who compared the book positively to works like 'The Bear' (1942) by William Faulkner and Herman Melville's 1851 masterwork 'Moby-Dick.'

Some reviewers were of the opinion that Santiago, the old man, belongs to the Canary Islands, and that's why Hemingway's Spanish roots are well reflected in the novel.

Joseph Waldmeir provided a good critical appraisal of the book in a 1957 article that has shaped interpretive issues ever since.

In various interviews, Joseph Waldmeir remarked in response to concerns regarding the book's core theme. The purpose of the novel's Christian imagery was analyzed by Waldmeir.

Hemingway's The Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954 is attributed to his win of the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Three versions of 'The Old Man And The Sea' have been created for the screen: a film starring Spencer Tracy in 1958, a drama starring Anthony Quinn in 1990, and an animated short film (1999).

It also influenced the Kazakhstani film 'The Old Man,' which aired in 2012 and switched the fisherman with a shepherd attempting to protect his sheep from wolves. It is frequently taught in the American literature syllabus in secondary schools.

Conclusion

The novel 'The Old Man and the Sea' is a classic. It lingers with you, whether you like it or not. It's a narrative of adversity, perseverance, and the tenacious character of the human spirit. It is a novel about hardship and embracing that misery as an unavoidable part of life. This novella is extremely tumultuous for readers as they progress through it. It's sad one minute and jubilant the next. The work is now considered one of the best examples of American literature in the entire era.

FAQs

What is the book 'The Old Man And The Sea' all about?

The plot follows Santiago, an elderly Cuban fisherman who is battling a massive marlin far out in the Gulf Stream along the coast of Cuba.

What does 'The Old Man And The Sea' symbolize?

The sea is a metaphor for life and the hardships that everyone must face. Man is the most deserving in solitude, according to Hemingway, because he has to labor and thrive on his own. The sea symbolizes life and Santiago's isolation in the world in the story.

What's the irony at the end of 'The Old Man And The Sea'?

Santiago has managed to capture a fish, but it has been entirely killed by sharks, as 'The Old Man and the Sea' concludes. In this way, the elderly fisherman has had both good fortune and bad luck.

Why did 'The Old Man and the Sea' win a Nobel Prize?

For his command of the art of storytelling, most notably exhibited in 'The Old Man And The Sea', and for the effect that he has exerted on modern style,' Ernest Miller Hemingway was given the prize.

What does the Harpoon represent in 'The Old Man and the Sea'?

Harpoon refers to the sea-faring power of fishermen. Simply said, the loss of the harpoon represents Santiago's loss of might and bravery in the face of the sea.