Hemingway's Style

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is the misleadingly simple story of an old fisherman who undergoes the hardest struggle of his life. Even though it is rather short, the novel is full of meaning. Hemingway uses simple diction and language, with small words and straightforward sentences. In addition to his use of simple diction, Hemingway’s novel has an unassuming plot that is easy to follow. His use of simple language is deceptive because the novel as a lot of underlying meanings. Hemingway is attempting to express as much as possible with the fewest and simplest words possible. The fact that he is able to use simple language and in as few words as possible, and still be able to display a complex meaning is a testament to his ability as a writer. Hemingway integrated a lot of metaphors into the novel in order to get across his themes, one of which being the ability of one man to persevere through the most difficult times. Throughout the story is met with many hopeless situations yet he is never defeated, and he is able to find strength in thoughts of his youth, Joe DiMaggio, and thoughts of the boy Manolin. The fish becomes a metaphor reflecting Santiango’s mental and physical states as they develop a bond through the element that they are at the mercy of the sea. Hemingway also integrates the use of allusions to get across his underlying messages. For example, he makes multiple religious and Christ references in an attempt to associate Santiago with Christ, with their suffering. In addition, he helps to uncover important parts about the story by making historical and true-life references and allusions. Hemingway also used a lot of imagery in the novel, and his use of these vivid descriptions acted as a way to make the story more realistic and display important events, people, etc. The tone of the story is sympathetic of the old man and his struggles, but at the same time it is straightforward and factual. Ernest Hemingway’s mastery of language is put on display in this novel by the way he is able to use simple language and yet still create a story with so much meaning; therefore, his rhetoric does suit his purpose.