Part I: Bibliographic information
Type: Novel
Title: The Old Man and the Sea
Writer: Ernest Hemingway
Copyright Date: 1952
Publisher: Scribner Library Books
ISBN: 9780684163260
Genre/subgenre: Adult Fiction/Classics, Adventure
Interest Age: 11+
Reading Level: Middle Reader and Up (MR 6 grade +)
Pages: 140
Awards: Pulitzer Prize (1952)
Part I: Reader’s Annotation, Plot Summary, Critical Evaluation
Reader’s Annotation -- An aging Cuban fisherman whose luck at sea has dwindled to near starvation finds himself hooked to the largest marlin imaginable and battling for his own survival.
Plot Summary -- A Cuban man has worked as a fisherman most of his life. He also has worked on turtle boats. He had the help of a boy on his skiff but when his luck goes against him the boy has to find work elsewhere. The boy visits him and encourages him to continue what he clearly loves to do -- fish. The boy loves the old man like a mentor. But the old man is nearly destitute and the boy has to bring him food and bait. One day the man sets off far from shore and there finds himself engage with a giant marlin. The skiff is pulled far out to sea and even the lights of Havana fall out of sight. It seems he might be facing a turn in his luck as signs indicate the fish are near.
The old man's luck finally turns and he hooks a tuna. Not long after he feels a hard line that is obviously a large, male marlin. It hunkers down and pulls him for miles -- and after three days the old man is on the verge of his physical limits. Amazingly, he manages to harpoon the animal as it tires and pulls it near the skiff for the journey back. However, sharks plague him and he has to fight off the animals in with the few tools he has. The marlin is consumed and he is left with only a carcass. Back at home, the others measure the beast at 18 feet. The old man just returns to his bed and falls fast asleep and into his dreams of adventure.
Critical Evaluation -- Hemingway is the master of the minimal approach to writing. “The Old Man in the Sea” is the culmination of a lifetime of honing this approach. Its crisp, declarative sentences are easy to read and have a certain purity to them. For these literary characteristics, I think the work deserves a place in any young adult’s ‘must reads’ list of classics. However, overlaying his technique are thematic messages relating that the author has become well know for.
Hemingway is fascinated with an ideal of manhood that emphasizes the strong, masculine characteristics like not being too verbose, acting with courage under dangerous circumstance and not folding in the face of adversity. Many have criticized this as dated and even unhealthy view that does not appeal in modern times. To this I would add that the issue of gender and its role in our society is poorly understood. Hemingway focus on the masculine and primal takes us underneath the skin of the characters and reveals truism about human nature that cannot be washed away by calls for political correctness.
The relationship with the boy is another matter that makes this work of universal and enduring appeal. The boy looks up to the man though he sees the signs of his deterioration. While others make fun of the aging fisherman, the boy worships him and serves him in the ways that is possible such as bringing him bait and feeding him while he is out of food. This male bond is representative of Hemingway’s ideal male-to-male human interaction in which mutual reliance is fundamental but ultimately subordinate to individual achievement.
In the end, the old man has to face his demons without the help of the boy. These are the beasts of nature that are clearly more powerful and invinsible than any single man. The sea is symbolic for the feminine wiles that confound men. The marlin is the beast deep within that must be but is not easily tamed. The sharks are the greedy who are quick to feed off of opportunity and weakness. All said and done, this work allows for considerable analysis of the elements of fiction -- conflict, symbol, character, mainly -- that benefit young readers’ ability to see beyond the surface of a literary work.
Part III: Author Info
Hemingway is one of the most recognizable literary figures of the Twentieth Century. His life has been written about in a variety of biographies, including XXXX. Nobelprize.org offers this description of Hemingway’s early life: “Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), born in Oak Park, Illinois, started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. Serving at the front, he was wounded, was decorated by the Italian Government, and spent considerable time in hospitals. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers and was soon sent back to Europe to cover such events as the Greek Revolution.”
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1954, and Nobelprize.org continues about his major literary accomplishments: “During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work, The Sun Also Rises (1926). Equally successful was A Farewell to Arms (1929), the study of an American ambulance officer's disillusionment in the war and his role as a deserter. Hemingway used his experiences as a reporter during the civil war in Spain as the background for his most ambitious novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls(1940). Among his later works, the most outstanding is the short novel, The Old Man and the Sea (1952), the story of an old fisherman's journey, his long and lonely struggle with a fish and the sea, and his victory in defeat.”
Part IV: Curriculum Ties, Diversity, Booktalk Ideas, Challenge Issues
Curriculum Ties, if any -- This would be a good inclusion in any English course. It’s brevity makes it a good choice for reluctant readers.
Diversity of Cultures -- Santiago is Cuban. There are some culturally specific behaviors that are raised in this work. The old man works with his hands and finds a certain pride in this fact. He’s not concerned with material possessions but more so with his conduct in the face of adversity and his toughness.
Booktalking Ideas -- Hemingway was known for his connection to a group of progressive expatriate writers who gathered in Paris during the 1920s and ‘30s. Yet he as an author never abandoned the theme of rugged, masculine individualism that pervades this work and others. What about Hemingway attracted readers then and now? Who were some of his contemporaries who you can contrast his works with?
Challenge Issues -- Some people might say that the pursuit of big game fish is environmentally irresponsible and inhumane.
Part V: Reasons chosen
“The Old Man and the Sea” (1952) was one of the first works of literature assigned to my 9th grade English class. On the whole, I find the work very modern as compared to Shakespeare, Dickens and other authors that had become obligatory for young readers. The theme of man versus nature is also one that is often overlooked as attractive to young readers. The same appeal works for this novel that made works like “Robinson Crusoe” (1719) and other classics of sea-faring adventure popular with earlier generations of readers. Yet this story is compact and direct in a way other works are not. It’s brevity makes it a very digestible classic for the younger reader. There is also some symbolism and thematic depth worthy of class discussion on a level not likely to lose those unfamiliar with literary analysis. In 1958, the book was adapted to a major motion picture starring Spencer Tracy that’s worth visiting if you are a movie buff -- it’s low-end production values made some cringe but the premise is digestible, and it may benefit some young readers to engage both works in combination.
Part VI: Citations
The old man and the sea. (n.d.) Wikipedia [website]. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea
Ernest Hemingway. (n.d.) Nobel Prize [website]. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html
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