The Old Man and the Sea, by E. Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea was written in 1952, in the declining years of Ernest Hemingway. Nine years later the author would commit suicide, leaving this work as a testimony of the inner struggle between life and death.
Only a year later its publication, the novel The Old Man and the Sea, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and was highly responsible for Hemingway’s Nobel Prize in 1954. The remarkable success of this work is due to the profound issues developed in the story: the simplicity of duty, the dignity of old age, the teaching of experience, the permanent sacrifice of life and the recognition of the wise.
Because he himself lived in Cuba, and met there the strength of the sea, the beauty of the landscape and the nobility of the people, Hemingway is the perfect witness to fictionalize the life of a fishermen he knew well. Aged Santiago sees himself in his last “battle” trying to catch an enormous marlin. In his fight, the protagonist exhibits his wisdom and experience to defeat his big enemy, and he constantly gives himself to the suffering of old age and to the mysterious power of the sea.

Activity: after you finish reading the novel, form groups of four or five students (not more) and complete the following study guide.
You are required to hand in your guide (one per group), in paper, next Friday, June 15th, in class. If you have doubts you may consult Professor Cuervo next Monday in office hours (16.30 to 18.30 off.226)
(For the preparation of this study guide I have used the defintions from Merriam Webster´s Reader´s Handbook. Massachusetts, Merriam Webster Inc.: 1997.)
Study Guide
1.Author (Write brief information about the author, mainly related to The Old Man and the Sea)
2.Point of view (the perspective from which a story is presented to the reader. The three main points of view are first person, third person singular and third person omniscient)
3.Protagonist (brief description)
4.Style (“a distinctive manner of expression”. Consider how ideas are transmitted, the language used, the words chosen, etc.)
5.Climax (retelling of the event)
6.Symbols (explain two symbols present in the story. You may quote the Dictionary of Symbols)
7.Themes (explain deeply two themes you observe in the novel)