The Old Man and the Sea goes beyond the simple story of a fisherman and a fish, deeply portraying human loneliness, challenge, and the dignity of life. Why do people call this work a masterpiece?
Author Ernest Hemingway Introduction
Ernest Hemingway, who wrote The Old Man and the Sea, was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, USA. His family background was relatively affluent; his father, Clarence Edmonds Hemingway, was a physician, and his mother, Grace Hall, was a woman of exceptional musical talent. Hemingway was the eldest son. His parents frequently visited Lake Huron in northern Michigan, and the wild natural environment of this lake left a deep impression on the young Hemingway. It later became a major factor in nurturing his literary sensibility. His first collection of short stories, In Our Time, particularly reflects his experiences as a boy during that period. Enrolling at Oak Park High School in 1913, he began displaying exceptional talent in various sports and literature. During this period, he contributed to the student newspaper and wrote short stories—though still rough drafts—that explored themes of nature and violence, subjects he would revisit throughout his life.
In April 1917, the United States entered World War I. Hemingway, who graduated high school that year, attempted to enlist but was opposed by his father and ultimately gave up. Instead, he joined The Kansas City Star newspaper, where he gained the opportunity for formal writing instruction. However, unable to suppress his burning desire to serve, he was eventually assigned the following year as a Red Cross stretcher-bearer on the Italian front. A month later, he saw action on the outskirts of Milan and was severely wounded in the leg on the northern Italian front. This experience is extensively depicted in his work A Farewell to Arms.
In January 1919, discharged from the army, he returned to New York. From this point, he became a temporary reporter for the Toronto Star Weekly, gaining his first formal training in writing. That autumn, Hemingway went to Chicago, where he associated with established writers involved in the Chicago literary revival. He formed a particularly close friendship with Sherwood Anderson, who greatly influenced him. When Hemingway married his first wife, Hadley Richardson, and traveled to Europe as a foreign correspondent for the Star Weekly, Anderson’s letter of introduction enabled him to meet world-renowned writers, poets, and critics residing in Paris.
During his time in Paris, Hemingway associated with first-rate writers like James Joyce and received literary guidance. Gertrude Stein and the poet Ezra Pound were particularly influential. They provided invaluable assistance in rigorous sentence-writing lessons based on concise phrasing.
In 1923, his first collection, Three Stories and Ten Poems, was finally published. Hemingway then severed ties with the Toronto newspaper and began his career as a full-time writer. In 1924, he published In Our Time, a collection depicting dark violence and inner worlds—bullfighting, war, murder—far removed from peace. The following year saw the publication of The Torrents of Spring, and in 1926, his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, was released, causing a tremendous sensation. It was from this point that he gained literary fame.
In January 1927, he formally divorced his wife, from whom he had been separated for over a year. However, that summer, he remarried Pauline Pfeiffer, who was in Paris as a correspondent for Vogue magazine, and returned to the United States with her.
Hemingway began writing the novel A Farewell to Arms in early 1928 and completed this timeless masterpiece six months later. This second novel was serialized in Scribner’s magazine the following year, 1929, and published as a book in late September. A Farewell to Arms became a sensation, selling over 80,000 copies within just four months of publication. Ultimately, the novel was adapted for the stage and later made into a film in 1932.
In the summer of 1931, drawing on experiences from his travels in Spain, he completed Death in the Afternoon. Hemingway also traveled extensively around the world; he went on a hunting trip to East Africa and later compiled his accounts into a book titled The Green Hills of Africa.
He drew upon his hunting experiences to write one of his most iconic short stories, The Snows of Kilimanjaro. This work is considered one of Hemingway’s most autobiographical pieces.
When the Spanish Civil War broke out in July 1936, Hemingway resumed active involvement under the banner of anti-fascist struggle. This earned him acclaim even from the leftist camp. Ultimately, the civil war ended in victory for the fascist side, and Hemingway wrote ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ immediately afterward. Published in October 1940, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ set a record by selling over 500,000 copies by April of the following year.
After completing this work, Hemingway divorced his second wife and reunited with the writer Martha Gellhorn, whom he had met in Madrid. They purchased a large estate near Havana and began their third honeymoon there.
In September 1939, World War II broke out. When the United States entered the war, Hemingway crossed over to Europe as a war correspondent and participated in the famous Normandy landings. He returned after a year of war reporting, but divorced Murray in December of the following year. He then married Mary Welsh.
His novella The Old Man and the Sea was published in 1952 and received unstinting praise from critics.
The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of an old fisherman living off the coast of Cuba who spots a whale larger than his own boat. After battling the fish for two days and nights, he finally catches it, only to find that by dawn, when he returns to port, the shark attacks have left nothing but the fish’s remains—just its head and bones. At first glance, it seems a very simple story, yet within this simplicity lies infinite meaning. It seems to symbolize the creative struggle of an artist. The figure of the old fisherman vividly portrays a human being who never lost courage or conviction, even amidst all manner of hardship and adversity.
Hemingway embarked on another hunting trip to Africa in the summer of 1953. However, in 1954, he was involved in a plane crash that fractured his skull and damaged his internal organs. This accident rapidly deteriorated his health. That same year, he won the Nobel Prize for ‘The Old Man and the Sea,’ but he was unable to attend the award ceremony. In the spring of 1960, Hemingway moved from Cuba to Key Largo, Florida. However, on July 2, 1961, he took his own life by shooting himself in the head with his favorite shotgun. His funeral was held in Key Largo on July 6, and his remains were buried on a small hill north of Key Largo.
Why is The Old Man and the Sea considered a masterpiece?
Why on earth is The Old Man and the Sea considered a masterpiece? Those encountering The Old Man and the Sea for the first time may find it difficult to grasp the reason. However, through repeated readings, I came to better understand the charm of The Old Man and the Sea, and with each reading, I felt the depth of its impact grow, surpassing my initial experience.
Regardless of the field, almost every creator expresses their thoughts through their work. Of course, real life may align with that or be entirely separate. In that sense, this work might be a bit complex, requiring an approach grounded in the author Hemingway’s actual life to understand better. Or it might be relatively simple, needing only to read and grasp what the work itself conveys. From a writer’s perspective, unless it’s a special case, an author crafts their writing so readers can understand and empathize with their thoughts through the text itself. Therefore, from the latter viewpoint, if you read this work, discover what Hemingway intended to convey through it, empathize with it to some degree, and then connect that empathy to your own life and apply it to yourself, it could be considered a fairly successful reading experience.
The Old Man and the Sea is Hemingway’s masterpiece that makes us reconsider the precious value of life itself through an old man who barely scrapes by day to day fishing, yet whose self-respect remains intact. Hemingway tells us that life isn’t that simple, that it’s a story of a higher dimension. He speaks to the many people living today who believe that only reaching the top is success, that only the successful are victors, and that everyone else is a loser.
Once hailed as a champion arm-wrestler, he was a recognized strongman. He had caught several very large fish and even sailed on ocean-going vessels as far as Africa. As a veteran fisherman in his village, he had once enjoyed a solid standing. Yet, after 84 days without catching a single decent fish, he found himself desperately needing his neighbors’ help. Even so, the old man does not ask for help first. While grateful for his neighbors’ aid, he showed no shame whatsoever. Instead, he displayed a dignified demeanor and a genuine humility steeped in experience. Nowhere did he reveal despair or lament his difficult circumstances. Thus, on the 85th day, the old man set out to sea unchanged, still holding onto hope. Perhaps it was because of his past experience: after failing to catch a single decent fish for 87 days, he then landed a monster fish every day for three consecutive weeks. He himself tries to suppress his expectations, saying such luck is unlikely to repeat, but that experience of overcoming adversity surely gave him strength and hope. And truly, on the 85th day, the old man hooks an enormous fish. After a three-day struggle, on the 87th day, he finally hauls up a fish of immense size, the likes of which he has never seen or heard of before. The joy must be something unimaginable to those who haven’t experienced it. But the joy was short-lived. Attacked by sharks, the old man lost most of the giant fish. Returning to port with only the skeleton of the fish, he dragged his exhausted body home and fell into a deep sleep. While the outcome might seem futile, his subsequent conversation with the young man about new plans reveals the old man’s unyielding will and hope for life.
This novel, through the character of Santiago, prompts readers to contemplate profoundly important themes in our lives: worldview, reflections on nature and humanity, and one’s attitude toward life. It leads readers to ponder the true meaning of life and gain a profound realization.
“A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
Through this old man in his novel, Hemingway encourages us that humans are not built to be defeated, urging us to challenge ourselves in our endeavors until our strength is spent, no matter the circumstances. Thus, through this book, we learn wisdom and humility, patience and courage. Throughout life, there may be periods like the old man’s 84 days, the time between the 85th and 87th days, the time spent in Africa, the three weeks of catching big fish, or the moment of being called champion. All these times together form a noble life.
