Hemingway’s Life
Hemingway had a very interesting life, life of adventures. The author was born in the USA in 1899. He was a brave man and he went to struggle against the evil during the World War I. He was wounded there and had to return home. However, his war experiences affected his entire life.
He was involved in the Spanish Civil War and the World War II. He was a war journalist and he had a lot of diverse experiences. His life was full of risk and even after the three wars he still wanted to take risks. He was almost killed in two plane crashes. These incidents made him feel pain for the rest of his life. He eventually committed suicide in 1961.
Hemingway’s Skills in Description
Hemingway’s writing style has been an inspiration for many writers in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His skills in description are especially remarkable. It is possible to assume that his journalistic career had a great influence on his writing. The author describes everything in great detail. It makes his works very realistic and characters he created are very lively. At the same time, his descriptions are also full of literary devices (such as metaphors, allusions and so on).
Manolin and Santiago
Manolin and Santiago are close friends. Santiago has taught the boy a lot of things and they have a lot in common. Hence, the boy is attached to the old man and tries to help him. For example, Manolin comes and brings some newspapers and coffee as he cares about the old man.
The Dialogue between Santiago and Manolin
The dialogue between the old man and the boy serves as a pre-story. In other words, the author tells about the two characters and uses their dialogue to do that. The reader follows the dialogue and learns a lot of details about the two characters. Thus, they talk about their fishing not so long time ago, and their first fishing. They also talk about Santiago’s unlucky days and the reason why Manolin cannot fish with the man. As for the style, the dialogue is written in simple language and it is clear that two anglers are talking.
Killing the Marlin
Hemingway depicts the beast in the story as a creature full of strength. The old man has to make a lot of effort to catch and kill the fish. The marlin is very strong as it keeps struggling for its life. Notably, the old man is fascinated by this strength and he is proud that he has such an opponent.
The marlin also has certain skill as he is trying to free himself from the trap. The fish knows that it can succeed in escaping in some parts of the sea. This quality also makes the old man glad as he wants to have a deserving opponent. He wants to win the fight and he thinks that only a strong and skillful opponent can be worth fighting.
The fish is also beautiful as it can be. It is full of life. It is possible to assume that the old man sees the fish’s strength as its beauty. Again, the old man sees beauty in the world of nature and he understands that the fight itself is beautiful.
Finally, the fish also has pathos as it is suffering. The author shows that the two fighters are in pain but they continue their struggle. They fight and suffer. Through suffering, the old man manages to defeat the beast and this suffering makes the old man feel stronger and more alive.