FREE ESSAY ON HEROS AND OLD MAN AND THE SEA

HEROS AND OLD MAN AND THE SEA

Hemingway and a Hero
Erin Elizabeth Ellen Fowler
Period 3
Mrs. Haughey
Outline
1. The Hemingway Code is an idea of what all heroes have in common. 
2. One of Hemingway's best novels was The Old Man and the Sea fore it was a story of
skill.
3. The Old Man and the Sea was a story of courage from Santiago's point of view.
4. Also a story of courage from the fish's point of view.
5. Victory in the soul but in reality, defeat, was demonstrated in this novel.
6. Santiago earned his pride and self-respect from his suffering.
7. Hemingway's way of writing is directed towards the eye rather than the ear.
8. Fear is always present and Hemingway made sure you felt the momentary truce, of facing
a fear, in a hopeless battle.
9. One of the symbols constantly mentioned in the story is that of the great baseball
player Joe DiMaggio.
The Old Man and the Sea is a beloved novel because of the style in which Hemingway
writes, his idea of a hero, and how he applied it affectively. The code for his heroes
way in which they act with courage, always strive to prove them selves one more time, not
to complain about their suffering. The writing techniques brought the story in to full
multimedia life by letting the reader see what is going on. Finally, the way it all just
seems to fit together in the end. 
The Hemingway code is an idea of what all heroes have in common. In the words of Irving
Howe, There emerges...the characteristics hero of the Hemingway world: the hero who was
wounded the bears his wound in silence who is sensitive to but scorns to devalue his
feelings into words who is defeated but finds a remnant of dignity in an honest
confrontation of defeat.(232) This code is a code of honor to all who attain it. Even in
today's life we can find this hero. Take a fireman, there is a fire ripping a building to
shreds with its furry. The firemen come in to the blazing wreck insuring that they will
get burnt. Bearing their wounds in silence. When they save the last family in that
building they would cheer and go on how brave he was and he would think of it as a days
work. But, if he did not save that last family member he would find pride in not having
all the family members died in the building. What is the Hemingway Code? It's had the
fear of death on your back but you will still fight on. And, even if you do not
completely finish the task you still find pride in what you did.
One of Hemingway's best novels was The Old Man and the Sea fore it was a story of skill.
Santiago, the hero, is an elderly man tanned and wrinkled from fishing all his life and
from that he is skilled with the art of the task. "He kept {the lines} Straighter than
anyone did, so that at each level in the darkness of the stream there would be a bait
waiting exactly where he wished it to be for any fish that swam there."(32) This alone
shows how precise he was about fishing, proving his skills of a fisherman. If he did not
keep the lines straight down they can all be at the same level. Then, only the fish
around that one level, which would a shallower part of water, could smell and maybe take
the bait. At that if it was in shallow water where the smaller fish are he cannot have
gotten as big as a fish as he did. For, as the author wrote, the fish he caught took the
bait closer to the bottom of the gulf. The dolphin and the flying fish, which are
smaller, took the bait closer the surface of the water. If Santiago did not have the
skill, which you need to be a fisherman, this novel would not have had a point. For, he
would not have even caught the fish. Than there would not have been a story, which is,
why this story is about skill. 
The Old Man and the Sea was a story of Santiago's courage. When Santiago could no longer
see Havana he realized that he could not do anything with the fish. With courage he
reassured him self that the fish could not do anything with him either so he might as
well keep fishing and stay with the fish until he is dead. A little fear raised and with
the courage he ignored the temptation of believing he was too old for fishing. Proving
yet afraid of the outcome he stilled will sailed on with the fish. Without this factor,
again there would not be a novel. If he did not have the courage from the beginning he
would have cut the marlin free. Having no hero, having no plot, having absolutely no
reason at all to write this story. But, Santiago did have the courage to go on to the
very bitter end even when the sharks started to eat the marlin. He had his courage, which
got him through the ordeal of the plot. Which help this story to be as great as it really
is.
This novel is also a story of the marlin's courage. The marlin with the hook pulling and
tearing the tender fleshing in his mouth still went steadily along in the water. Yet just
like Santiago he would have sudden burst of fear but would over come them just as quickly
as they came. For instance, when Santiago awoke form a jerk on the line, this was a
symbol to show the marlin's fear. He went steadily alone for hours on end, than all of a
sudden he thought that maybe he could not win and panicked. Yet the great fish did
recover and return back to his slow stead pace. If the fish did not have his courage he
would have just let Santiago real him in. Ending the story without courage. Even with
Santiago's courage you need the marlin's to show just how important courage is needed on
both sides to have a story. If one just gives up the other does not seem to be all that
courage's. Which is why the marlin's courage is important to have the story too.
Victory in the soul but in reality, defeat, was demonstrated in this novel. When Santiago
killed the fish he was over joy with happiness. He tried to calculate how much he would
get for him. But, alas, disaster hit and when he came to the port he did not have a fish
to make money off of. He still was very proud of the battle with the fish and especially
winning the battle with him. Yet, he was still defeated in the end. Which is the plot
summary of the story. Man goes fishing, man catches fish, man loses fish in and the
battle seems worthless yet glad he won. The same, although, can be said about the fish.
The fish fought the battle well better and stronger than another fish Santiago has ever
seen. The marlin was proud he last that long but, he died after the battle was over and
than devoured by sharks he could have won battles against. Fish goes hunting, gets
hunted, gets caught, battle strong and hard, and loses, than gets eating for the wrong
reason. Without this again there would not be a novel.
Santiago earned his pride and self-respect from his suffering. Every time he went out on
the skiff he felt he had to reprove him self. His pride and self-respect is why this
story is what it is. If he didn't care enough but, not being a fisherman and more and to
prove him self he wouldn't have gone fishing in the first place. After the sharks came
and took all the meat off the fish he still brought the skeleton home. To prove that it
was not just shame that kept him away from home so long. It showed the long tormented
hours of backbreaking work what was done. That he won the fight over the fish by him self
in his small little skiff after everyone around the town thought he went salao, which is
the worst kind of unlucky there is. When the entire fishermen club at the port saw the
skeleton they thought what a battle. Than instantly after, to bad he could not hold off
the sharks. They all gave Santiago his respect for at least hanging out there as long as
he could.
Hemingway's way of writing is directed towards the eye rather than the ear. In his
descriptive writing you can see the waves and the glow of Havana in the west. For
example, "The clouds over the land now rose like mountains and the coast was only a long
green line with the gray blue hills behind it. The water was a dark blue now, so dark
that it was almost purple." Hemingway did this through out his novel and his short
stories periodically. Letting the reader see what the character sees through his or her
eyes. Instead of hearing the waves crash on the shore or the splash of the fish. In fact,
there is more description of what is happening than dialog. Which helps this novel to be
a great work. The way Hemingway has done this to make the reader think that he is their
wetting the line for Santiago for him and want so badly to see in focus what is
happening. If Hemingway did not right in this style it would just be a man in a boat with
a plain big fish in the ugly, polluted sea. 
Fear is always present and Hemingway made sure you felt the momentary truce, of facing a
fear, in a hopeless battle. This is shown in two ways the fish, and Santiago. Near the
end of the novel Santiago finally made the fish circle his skiff. When the fish came
dangerously close he would simply turn so Santiago could not get a clear shot of killing
him. When the fish did get hit with the harpoon the fish came alive with his death and
jumped about until his final breath. His fear got to him at last, though he resisted the
temptation of freaking out for such a long time he now realized it was a hopeless battle
and death was upon him like the water surrounding him. Facing the fear of fate gave the
reality of the story. Thinking that he is afraid and showing he is afraid is a night and
day concept in which Hemingway use well and often. At the end of the book Santiago can't
even look at the fish for fear that his beauty that once was isn't there anymore.
Hemingway wrote, "There was nothing more for {the sharks} to eat. The old man could
hardly breathe now." Santiago could not breath now because his fear had at last come
true. And, in seeing this a reader can pick up on the reality of the story and relate.
One of the symbols constantly mentioned in the story is that of the great baseball player
Joe DiMaggio. Although it is not apparent without careful study of the text, it can be
seen that the "Great DiMaggio" was a simple fisherman in early life, much like the old
man, and achieved stardom despite adversity. The old man has this great battle with an
enormous fish, and throughout the whole ordeal, he constantly reassures himself by saying
that "the Great DiMaggio" would have been able to pull through this. Just as DiMaggio
managed to struggle through the pain of a bone spur, the old man was able to struggle
through the pain of his hands, and his immense adversity in the fish. Referring to the
meaning, we can see that this relates to life in that we can always struggle through what
is painful, so long as we stick to our principles and our guidance's.
The Old Man and the Sea is a beloved novel because of the style in which Hemingway
writes, his idea of a hero, and how he applied it affectively. The code for his heroes
way in which they act with courage, always strive to prove them selves one more time, not
to complain about their suffering. The writing techniques that brought the story in to
full multimedia life by letting the reader see what is going on. In conclusion, this book
is perfect. 
Bibliography
Works Cited
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184-199. Rpt. In Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Richard Gray. Vol 41. Detroit,
Gale, 1985, 456-457.
Fiedler, Leslie. "The Death of the Old Men," in his Waiting for the End. (1964): 9-19.
Rpt. In Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Carolyn Riley. Vol. 3. Detroit, Gale, 1975,
232-233.
---. "An Almost Imaginary Interview Hemingway in Ketchlum." In Partisan Review. (1962)
Rpt. In Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Carolyn Riley. Vol. 3. Detroit, Gale, 1975,
232-233.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1952
Howe, Irving. A World More Attractive: A View of Modern Literature and Politics. (1963):
65-70. Rpt. In Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Carolyn Riley. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale,
1975, 232-233.