Ernest Hemingway’s writing style in The Old Man and the Sea was very simple. I think that his simplistic writing helped to make the story flow better. It was very easy to be consumed in The Old Man and the Sea because there were no confusing moments where the writing would suddenly become complicated and frustrating. The book itself was not that long, but I thought it was a great book. Hemingway did not try to use huge words to make his book seem more mature. He used everyday vocabulary that is relatable to almost any reader. I really like his writing style in this book. The details were realistic, and he wrote it from a good perspective, I thought. I think Hemingway’s simple writing style helped to attract a wider range of readers. Teenagers can read The Old Man and the Sea without getting lost or confused once. Adults can enjoy this novel, too because although it is short, it is realistic and the situations are relatable. I think that Hemingway’s writing style in The Old Man and the Sea is also clever because he wrote it in such a way that the story seems to be from the old man’s point of view even though it is written in third person. Hemingway made Santiago a relatable character for most people so he is easy to bond to as the story progresses. When Santiago loses the Marlin to sharks at the end of the novel, the readers feel sympathy for him. I think Hemingway did a great job at making Santiago an easy character to like. Throughout the story, I felt like I was really getting to know Santiago. Hemingway made the old man a raw and genuine character. The details and the way Hemingway expressed the old man’s feelings made me feel like I was on the boat with Santiago. I think that Hemingway’s writing style will make The Old Man and the Sea a timeless story.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Old Man and the Sea: Imagery
The imagery used in The Old Man and the Sea was astonishing. All the fish and characters were described with such detail that it felt as if I was hovering over the characters the whole story. I think Ernest Hemingway did a fantastic job describing all the fish. As Santiago sat patiently on his boat, he saw many different fish. Hemingway described those fish using unique words and extremely descriptive colors. Santiago catches a tuna while waiting for a larger fish to take one of his other lines, and Hemingway describes the tuna in full detail. He talks about the awkward bullet shape of the fish and how large and unintelligent it’s eyes appear as it flops around on Santiago’s boat. He notes the tuna’s brilliant blue and black colors as Santiago reels it in, and the shiny gold on the tuna’s sides as it is pulled up and out of the water. Hemingway’s use of detail makes it easy for the reader to feel as though they are viewing the fish in real life. The same amount of detail is used to describe all the other fish Santiago sees swimming beneath the water or floating on the surface like the light purple, dangerously beautiful Portuguese man-o-war.
The fish are not the only things that are described in extreme detail in The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway describes how Santiago is able to feel the delicate pull of a fish by holding the line lightly between his thumb and forefinger. He uses words like “shivering” and “taut” to help the reader feel what Santiago is feeling when he senses a fish biting at one of his lines. The imagery in this novel is not overwhelming, which I found nice. Some novels use either too few or far too many describing words, and I think that can make a novel boring or too confusing, but Hemingway uses a wide range of adjectives and action verbs to help make The Old Man and the Sea a detailed yet simple novel.
Santiago and Manolin
Manolin and Santiago had a father-son relationship. Manolin was always looking out for Santiago in different ways. He would make sure Santiago had food, and if he didn’t Manolin would run down to the local café and pick something up for him. In the beginning of the book, Manolin attempts to give Santiago some of his bait fish so that Santiago will not have to spend his own money. Santiago is stubborn, but he eventually accepts Manolin’s offer. Manolin and Santiago even held father-son conversations. I thought that it seemed almost like a fatherly bonding time when Santiago pulled out a newspaper and started talking about baseball to Manolin. I think that Manolin’s relationship with Santiago is better than the one with his real father. Manolin’s parents forbid Manolin from going fishing with Santiago after an eighty-seven day streak of catching no fish. I think that by doing that, Manolin’s parents weakened his relationship with them and helped to fortify Manolin’s relationship with Santiago.
After Manolin brings Santiago food, they reminisced about the days they used to fish together. Manolin proves how much he looks up to Santiago by saying that he is the greatest fisherman. Manolin knew at that time that Santiago had not caught a single fish for more than eighty days, but he believed Santiago was still the best fisherman of all. I think that the way Manolin looked up to Santiago was like a son looking up to a father or grandfather. Manolin wanted to fish with Santiago again, but Santiago refused his help and insisted that he could do it himself. I think Manolin’s offer to once again sail with Santiago also proved how strongly he looked up to Santiago because Santiago had the worst of luck when it came to catching fish. I found it heartwarming that Manolin would give up catching fish and making money on a larger boat to help Santiago on his much smaller, less successful boat.
First Impression: Santiago
My first impression of Santiago was that he was a kind, gentle old man. In the beginning of The Old Man and the Sea, it seemed like he would never hurt a fly, even though he was a fisherman. I really liked how he treated the boy, Manolin, like his own son. I think Santiago refused to let Manolin join him on his next fishing trip out to sea for a couple reasons. The first reason was that Santiago did not want Manolin to get pulled into his horrible luck at sea. He preferred Manolin to prosper on a different boat rather than keep him company on Santiago’s own small one. I also think Santiago might have felt intimidated by Manolin’s parents because of their hatred towards Santiago and his bad luck with catching fish. The second reason I though Santiago did not want Manolin with him was because of Santiago’s pride. I think he felt that if he gave in to Manolin’s request to help him at sea, it would make him seem like more of a coward. I think he prided himself on being an old, weathered fisherman who did things on his own. Although he never caught any fish and made no money, he was still out at sea almost every day waiting patiently for his luck to turn. Santiago appeared to be a genuine, caring old man who was just trying to make a living on his own. Santiago’s soft, appreciative side made itself known though when Martin, a local café owner, gave him a meal on the house. Santiago’s reaction to Martin’ kind gesture proved that he would accept help if it was given to him with good intentions. I think if Manolin had continued to insist on going out to sea with Santiago the next day, Santiago would have eventually given in. Santiago was extremely stubborn and proud on the outside, but I think on the inside he was a caring individual who appreciated whatever help was given to him.