full title The Old Man and the Sea
author Ernest Hemingway
type of work Novella
genre Parable; tragedy
language English
time and place written 1951, Cuba
date of first publication 1952
publisher Scribner’s
narrator The novella is narrated by an anonymous narrator.
point of view Sometimes the narrator describes the characters and
events objectively, that is, as they would appear to an outside
observer. However, the narrator frequently provides details about Santiago’s
inner thoughts and dreams.
tone Despite the narrator’s journalistic, matter-of-fact
tone, his reverence for Santiago and his struggle is apparent. The
text affirms its hero to a degree unusual even for Hemingway.
tense Past
setting (time) Late 1940s
setting (place) A small fishing village near Havana, Cuba; the waters
of the Gulf of Mexico
protagonist Santiago
major conflict For three days, Santiago struggles against the greatest
fish of his long career.
rising action After eighty-four successive days without catching
a fish, Santiago promises his former assistant, Manolin, that he will
go “far out” into the ocean. The marlin takes the bait, but Santiago is
unable to reel him in, which leads to a three-day struggle between
the fisherman and the fish.
climax The marlin circles the skiff while Santiago slowly
reels him in. Santiago nearly passes out from exhaustion but gathers
enough strength to harpoon the marlin through the heart, causing
him to lurch in an almost sexual climax of vitality before dying.
falling action Santiago sails back to shore with the marlin tied to
his boat. Sharks follow the marlin’s trail of blood and destroy
it. Santiago arrives home toting only the fish’s skeletal carcass.
The village fishermen respect their formerly ridiculed peer, and
Manolin pledges to return to fishing with Santiago. Santiago falls
into a deep sleep and dreams of lions.
themes The honor in struggle, defeat, and death; pride as
the source of greatness and determination
motifs Crucifixion imagery; life from death; the lions on
the beach
symbols The marlin; the shovel-nosed sharks
foreshadowing Santiago’s insistence that he will sail out farther
than ever before foreshadows his destruction; because the marlin
is linked to Santiago, the marlin’s death foreshadows Santiago’s
own destruction by the sharks.
