Analysis of Ernest Hemingways Literary Works - Essay Example

Ernest Hemingway Literary Work(s) Ernest Hemingway was born in 1899 at Oak Paris in Illinois. He was the second born of six children coming from a higher middle class family. His father, Clarence Edmunds Hemingway was a physician while the mother, Grace Hemingway was a former opera singer and an authoritarian woman. His mother often bullied his father and this made Ernest have an unhappy childhood. He was fond of his dad who occasionally encouraged him to develop interest in outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting and swimming(Cleanth pp.6). He therefore spent most of his early childhood in the woods among the Indians in the north of Michigan. In these woods, Ernest learnt some life’s most primitive aspects such as pain, danger, fear and death. He was a bright student and graduated at seventeen years from Oak Park High School. He started working as a war correspondent for the Kansas City Star in 1917 and the next year he volunteered to work with the Italians as an ambulance driver during the world war. He got injured twice and in 1919 he went back to America. In 1921, Ernest got married to Hadley Richardson(Abraham, pp.175). He latergave up journalism and devoted himself into writing fiction. After settling in Paris, he met fellow Americans, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. It is through interacting with these two individuals and other people that Ernest learnt the discipline of his literary style-stark dialogue, understated emotion and firm monosyllabic vocabulary. Ernest’s first published works were, “Three Stories and Ten Poems” and “In Our Time”. These initial writings foretold his mature writing techniques as well as concern for ideals in an apathetic and corrupt world. His place as a writer of repute was established by his book, “Torrents of Spring”. The international acclamation he received was cemented by the three books he wrote next, “Men Without Women”, “The Sun Also Rises” and “A Farewell to Arms”. These three novels set his career rolling, and thus he wrote numerous novels, a collection of poems, short stories a play called “The Fifth Column.” Ernest involvement in game hunting, deep sea fishing and bullfighting during his childhood times influenced his writings. His visit to Spain during the civil war and the experiences he had influenced the writing of one his best seller books, “For Whom The Bell Tolls.” During World War II, he went to war against the Nazis and got ill. He fell in love with Mary Walsh, the nurse taking care of him, and they got married(Abraham, pp.175). She was his fourth wife and they stayed together till his death.In Cuba, he continued with his adventurous life of hunting and fishing. These often brought him publicity and controversy in the literary world. He started losing his literal skills and creative nature; however, he came back to the limelight with the publication of the book, “The Old Man and The Sea”. The book was successful and made him win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Hemingway shot himself in July 1961 after falling victim of an acute depression. His depression was caused by the decline of his creative talents and Fidel’s Castro ordering of Americans out of Cuba. These two incidences had caused him much psychological pain and agony. Discussion Ernest Hemingway’s novel, “The Old Man and the Sea” narrates the story of an old fisherman called Santiago, living in Cuba. The old man had gone eighty four days without a single catch. He was thin and lived in a squalid condition. He was thin and had wrinkles at the back of his neck (Ernest, pp.10). His only friend was Manolin, a small boy who had fished with him for the first forty days until the parents cautioned him from fishing with the old man claiming he was unlucky. Despite the warnings, Manolin always helped Santiago prepare his boat before he sets out to fish. This material day Santiago went deep into the sea to fish and is lucky to catch a big marlin. He struggles with the sharks which try to tear the flesh of the marlin. He manages to kill some and injured many others. Manolin went to visit the old man as usual and is surprised by the old man’s catch. Other fishermen also gather around the skiff marveling at the old man’s catch and wondering how he had managed to do that alone. Manolin is pleased with the old man and tells him that they would fish together again (Ernest, pp. 125) The conflict in the novel is brought about by the fact that Santiago has stayed for eighty four days without a single catch. The novel is based on that issue since we see the way he works towards its resolution. Santiago goes deep into the seas to prove his worth and manages to bring home a huge marlin that surprises both the other fishermen and a lady tourist who had not seen the beautiful tail of a shark. The conflict in the novel is resolved and Santiago is no longer viewed as an unlucky fisherman(Cleanth pp.6). The story is told through Santiago, he is the voice in the story taking us through the events that occurred in the sea and how he managed to bring the marlin from the inner depths of the sea. Ernest has succeeded in using Santiago’s point of view in narrating the story. The readers are able to clearly see what happened and understand the struggles that he went through in killing the marlin and bringing it to the shore. His point of view enhances his heroic character. The story is set around the sea and its shores. This setting limits the characters since all their activities and life revolve around the sea and fishing. Manolin likes Santiago so much because they used to fish together. Even after being cautioned not to fish again with the old man, Manolin maintains his friendship with the old man. Some of the themes illustrated in the novel are heroism, unity, success and pride. Heroism is portrayed through Santiago; he travels deep into the seas alone to fish. He triumphs and manages to slay a marlin amidst difficulties. Ernest claims that heroism requires labor and this was seen in the way Santiago fought tirelessly with the sharks while in the sea and on his way back to the shore. Pride is also a theme evident in the novel. In as much as Santiago was a humble man his pride to reclaim himself as a man compelled him set to for fishing far into the gulf. It is therefore argued that pride could be beneficial to individuals if they motivate them to achieve good things in life. Ernest also emphasize that pride is a positive trait if one has done his job well, even if he was forced by circumstances to do the good the job. Santiago apologizes for the mutilation the fish has suffered. He asserts that, “I shouldn’t have gone out so far...am sorry, fish” (Ernest, pp.110). Santiago’s assertion shows that he is a person with remorse and has people’s feelings at heart. He feels the marlin’s pain yet there’s little that he can do. The damage has already been done. It is from this assertion that we learn that Santiago is concerned and caring. While talking with Santiago, Manolin says, “…we will fish again” (Ernest, pp. 125). This statement made by Manolin brought to the reader’s attention that the conflict had been resolved. Earlier on, Manolin had fished with the old man for forty days without a single catch and his parents told him to look for another boat since Santiago was not lucky. Santiago having made a kill with the huge marlin, Manolin felt that his parents would allow him to go fishing with him. Santiago also asserts that, “Man is not made for defeat…A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (Ernest, pp.103). In making this statement, Santiago was laying emphasis on the theme of heroism. He meant that a man should not give up no matter the situation he is in. This statement acts as an inspiration to readers facing difficulties and rejection that they should not give up their endeavors while struggling to correct their predicament. Ernest Hemingway’s novel, “The Old Man and the Sea” was influenced by his childhood experiences and adventures. As a young boy, Ernest used to go hunting and fishing with his father. He therefore incorporated the experiences he had as a child to write the book. He successfully managed to connect the natural environment with Santiago. Conclusion In a nutshell, Hemingway’s hypothetical concern regarding nature and the people’s existence made him conceive the protagonists in his plays and novels as individuals fighting a losing battle against life challenges with endurance, will and courage as the only weapons. According to Hemingway heroes were lonely individuals who were wounded either emotionally or physically. He presented human life as a struggle which ended only in death. To him, one’s victory depended on the way he faced the struggle. Works Cited. Abraham H. Lass, A student's Guide to 50 American Novelists (New York: Washington Square `Press, 1970), p. 175. Cleanth Brooks, 'Ernest Hemingway, Man On His Moral Uppers' The Hidden God (New Haven and London: Yale Press, 1969), p. 6. Baker, Carlos. Hemingway: The Writer as Artist. Fourth edition, Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, 1972. Ernest, Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea. Charles Scribner's Sons: New York, 1952. Nahal, Chaman.The Narrative Pattern in Ernest Hemingway's Fiction. New Delhi: Vikas Publication, 1971. Lynn. Kenneth S. Hemingway. Simon and Schuster: London, 1987. Wagner-Martin, Linda (Ed.). “A Historical Guide to Ernest Hemingway.” Oxford University Press: New York and Oxford, 2000 Read More