The Old Man and the Sea #1

The novel, The Old Man and the Sea, shows may of the ideas that Ernest Hemingway had about life in general. One obvious one, is that Hemingway loved to fish. The entire novel is about Santiago's experiences before, during, and after catching the greatest fish of his life. The author models the old man after an almost ideal idea of a human. Santiago is a smart, gentle old man, with many great experiences from his long prosperous life. The only downside to the old man's character is his pride. His pride about being able to catch the marlin because he believes that he is a good fisherman makes him go way to far into the ocean to be be able to return safely, and because of this his marlin ends up being eaten by sharks. After the first shark attack, the old man acknowledges that he is now doomed because of his pride. This is rare for a character to actually do in a novel. Through this Hemingway can show that he thinks forgiveness is a vital human trait. The author shows the character realizing his mistake, in the old man's case: too much pride, and forgiving himself and coming to terms with the consequences of his actions. "'I shouldn't have gone out so far, fish,' he said. 'Neither for you nor for me.'" (Hemingway 110).

The novel is written in a third person limited narrative mainly with the old man, Santiago. You are also able to tell what the boy, Manolin, is thinking and doing in the very beginning and the end of the novel. This writing perspective is a good way to be able to see all that goes around the old man while he is fishing and being able to see what he is thinking. As his trip progresses, he mentions that he has been beginning to talk to himself when he is alone fishing. As the old man gets tired and worn out, it gets harder to tell what the old man is thinking and what he is actually saying out loud.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.