Symbolism In The Old Man And The Sea

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Old Man and the Sea and Santiago’s Symbolism of Pride
The Nobel Prize for Literature is the most prestigious literary award since its inception in 1901. This award is given annually by a committee of three to five men who award certain authors whom they deem to have “the most outstanding work in an ideal direction” (Nobel Prize Office). Ernest Hemingway’s works, such as The Garden of Eden and The Sun Also Rises, have become very popular and have made him a well read author in the past 50 years. Despite these being well received by critics, they are not the works that won him the Nobel Prize. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize of Literature due to his extensive use of symbolism, his ability to draw the attention of readers of all ages, and his role as a cornerstone through his contemporary writing style.
Hemingway lived an interesting life, which allowed him to take past life experiences and tell them through novels. He does this exclusively through subtle symbolism in works like The Old Man and the Sea. As with all his other works, Hemingway incorporates a past experience into The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway does this in the largest scene in the book by using birds, the sharks Santiago fights off, the marlin itself, and the other fish in the sea as symbols. In the book, Hemingway uses the birds to represent his friends and mentors, the sharks being the critics of his book, the marlin being The Old Man and the Sea, and the other fish representing Hemingway's other works. Hemingway uses symbolism when he writes, “‘You are killing me, fish,’ the old man thought. ‘But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills wh...

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...tory progresses. This contemporary style is what sets Hemingway’s novels apart from the rest. His style and approach was simplistic and direct. We see this simplistic and direct style when Hemingway writes, “But a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated”(103). These two short sentences are simple and direct, yet they carry weight and substance.
As one looks at Ernest Hemingway’s career and life, one is truly able to see how interesting his life was simply by reading his books. This lavish lifestyle attributed to his writing style, and this culmination ultimately led him to become a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Not only did his great ability to translate his life experiences to works of literature help him win this award, but also his ability to use his art of symbolism and to appeal to readers of all ages and education.

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