Top 10 Notes: The Old Man and the Sea

Born 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, Ernest Hemingway began writing for newspapers following high school graduation. He also served in the First World War and worked as a journalist. His most famous novels include “A Farewell to Arms,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “The Old Man and the Sea.” He died in 1961.

“The Old Man and the Sea” is a fictional novel most likely based on the experiences of real-life fisherman Gregorio Fuentes. This man was actually the first mate on Hemingway’s boat, the Pilar, and taught the writer about catching a type of fish known as marlin.

Written while Hemingway was in Cuba, “The Old Man and the Sea” is set in Havana.
The novel’s protagonist is a fisherman named Santiago who spends most of his time on his fishing boat out at sea during the 1940s. In addition to his experiences with the fish, the novel also follows Santiago as he copes with nature and the weather.

Narrated by an all-knowing third person, “The Old Man and the Sea” follows the adventures of a fisherman named Santiago, who has been teaching his trade to a young boy named Manolin. Unfortunately, Santiago has had bad luck for the last 84 days and has been unable to catch any fish. His luck changes when he sets off by himself and he catches what he believes to be a marlin. However, the fish is so big and struggles so hard that Santiago spends the next two days and nights struggling with the creature alongside his boat. Though Santiago kills the marlin with a harpoon, his voyage back is complicated by multiple sharks. Since Santiago can’t fight them all, the deadly predators consume the marlin, until it’s just bones. This is all the fisherman has left to try to win his lost admiration and respect back home.

Nicknamed El Campeon, or The Champion, Santiago is the novel’s protagonist. He used to be considered one of the best fishermen in his community. But bad luck and hard times led to him lose that reputation and instead he became a target for put-downs. Driven by a desire to prove himself to his community and his apprentice Manolin; the noble Santiago sets off on a solo voyage to catch a marlin. While his battle with the marlin and the sharks, demonstrate his pride, determination and fishing skills, his willingness to survive on such little food shows his willpower and sense of sacrifice. He and the marlin also represent the natural cycle of life.

Manolin sees Santiago as his teacher and his friend. Despite the old man’s age, he respects and admires him. Manolin cares about the fisherman so much that he’s overcome with tears of joy upon his safe return. As Santiago’s only real human companion, he believes in him and wants to fish with him again.

As Santiago’s enemy and the novel’s main antagonist, the marlin is so strong that the fisherman spends several days and nights at sea trying to reel it in and capture it. It has so much fight in it that Santiago sacrifices his well-being to tire it out and finally end its life with a harpoon. Though all that’s left of the marlin when he returns home is a skeleton, its massive 18-foot frame has people thinking it was a shark. It represents the same qualities as the Old Man: greatness, beauty and nobility of spirit.

The novel explores several themes but it’s Santiago’s determination, endurance and perseverance despite everything that goes wrong that stand out. Related to this is the exploration of pride and suffering. Meanwhile, Santiago’s friendship with Manolin showcases a relationship between student and teacher, respect for one’s elders and the need for human companionship.

“The Old Man and the Sea” turned Hemingway into a worldwide name: not only did it play a role in Hemingway being awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature but it’s still studied in schools today.

Since it’s one of Hemingway’s most popular novels, “The Old Man and the Sea” has been adapted for the screen more than once. This includes the Oscar-nominated 1958 live action flick and an Oscar-winning animated short film.

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