The Old Man and the Sea Analysis

We know, we know – what in the world is a bone spur? In short, it’s a painful injury DiMaggio had in his heel right around the time The Old Man and the Sea takes place. DiMaggio ended u...

Most of the novella takes place in the old man’s boat out on the sea. Hence the title The Old Man and the Sea, not The Old Man and His Shack, or The Old Man and the Fishing Village. Santiago...

The point of view is rather self-explanatory. Some disembodied voice tells us what’s up and head-hops from the old man’s thoughts to the thoughts of the boy with ease.

We could say "tragedy," but that would be misleading. Actually, it would be wrong, as far as we’re concerned. The ending isn’t really tragic (do you see a death or death wish here?), an...

The author clearly feels something for the old man and his struggles. There’s not really any humor, and the whole fishing endeavor is taken very seriously. The simple statement of emotions an...

Yes, that’s right, the man gets his own style name. That’s because Hemingway is famous for his style: the short, factual sentences, the declarative nature of the words – Hemingway...

The title gets at an interesting question we’ve been pondering while reading this lovely little book. Why is the protagonist always referred to as "the old man?" Wouldn’t it piss you of...

The old man hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-four days. It’s cramping his style.This situation has been the situation for a while. Eighty-four days, in fact. And it has to end soon, since...

The old man prepares for his journey out to sea. He then goes out to sea.There’s some anticipation here (Where will he go? What will he do? What fish might he catch?) and then there’s s...

The old man hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-four days, which is a decidedly bad thing.The old man hooks, battles with, and ultimately kills a really, really, ridiculously big marlin.Sharks eat...

Hemingway published almost three dozen novels by the time he died.Not that this is a "fun" fact, but Hemingway was an alcoholic and most likely had bipolar disorder.Hemingway said of The Old Man an...

There is some sexual slang (jellyfish = whore), but that’s about it. Who has time for sex when they’re battling a fifteen-hundred pound fish?

Dick Sisler (1.119, 1.124)The Yankees (1.58, 1.60, 1.115)Joe DiMaggio (1.60, 1.117, 1.123, 3.85, 3.87, 4.77, 4.95, 4.103) Leo Durocher (1.131)Dolf Luque (1.132)Mike Gonzalez (1.132)