The emphatically realistic basis of the story requires an assessment of each small internal episode with indispensable consideration of the real psychological and physical state of the hero. Furthermore, a separate episode and even a separate artistic detail must be considered in conjunction with other thematically related details and certainly in the general context of the narrative. This is the only way to find out, for example, whether the notes of defeat really sound in the story. Props and the realities of everyday life are also very important not only in terms of artistic authenticity and persuasiveness, but also in philosophical terms.
However, their philosophical significance is subordinate in relation to the corresponding role of living nature and the images of the characters. The desire to absolutize the characteristics of one or another reality of everyday life, for example, sails, and to substitute a person in its place is not always justified. Philosophical meaning the poverty of things and their characteristics in the story is, first of all, to emphasize: we're talking about about the very basics human existence, data in the most naked form. The matter is complicated by the fact that in many individual details, not one theme is often reflected, but several, and all of them, in essence, are interconnected.
In “The Old Man and the Sea” we really find not symbols, but a realistic story about the life of one person. But the way this person lives, how he thinks and feels, how he acts, makes you think about the principles of human existence, about your attitude to life. The small number of foreground characters and the paucity of material design do not lead to the destruction of social and other connections and do not create the impression of uniqueness. It’s just that these connections find a special form of identification and reflection in the story, giving the content a general character. You can't demand from a small philosophical work demon--"strations social connections, a social structure that is excluded by its very form. That is why it seems to us that the mechanical comparison of “The Old Man” with Hemingway’s great novels is inappropriate, and the position of critics who regret the narrowness of the story is very vulnerable. Hemingway during his long creative life wrote about a lot. Of course, not all of his themes and not all, even the most important, problems of the century were reflected in The Old Man. But some essential aspects human existence were philosophically generalized in this little story and illuminated from the standpoint of triumphant humanism.
At the center of the story is the figure of the old fisherman Santiago. This is no ordinary old man. This is how he talks about himself, and in the process of getting acquainted with the action, the reader manages to become convinced of the validity of this self-characterization. From the first lines, the image of the old man takes on the features of elation and heroism. This real man, living in accordance with his own labor ethical code, but as if doomed to defeat. The problem of victory and defeat, perhaps the first, naturally arises in the story: “The old man was fishing alone on his boat in the Gulf Stream. For eighty-four days now he has been out to sea and has not caught a single fish.” These are the first words of the work. On the eighty-fifth day, the old man caught a huge marlin, but could not bring the catch home... The fish was eaten by sharks. It seems the old man has been defeated again. This impression is aggravated by the fact that the hero, having lost his prey, also had to endure suffering that would have broken a weaker person. Considering the philosophical nature of the story, the theme of victory and defeat takes on special importance.
Subsequently, the notes of despair, fatigue, and defeat are invariably clearly contrasted with a victorious motive. What is established is not the balance of victory and defeat, but the triumph of a victorious, optimistic principle. Exhausted from the fight with the marlin, Santiago mentally addresses him: “You are ruining me, fish,” thought the old man. “This, of course, is your right. Never in my life have I seen a creature more enormous, beautiful, calm and noble than you. Well then, kill me. I don’t care anymore who kills who.” But there is a difference between what a person at the limit of his strength thinks and what he does. But the old man does not allow himself to despair even in his thoughts. He, like Robert Jordan once, controls the work of his consciousness all the time. “Your head is confused again, old man,” the quote just given continues directly, and on the same page it is said how Santiago, feeling that “life is freezing in him,” acts and wins, not only the fish, but also his own weakness, fatigue and old age: “He gathered all his pain, and all the rest of his strength, and all his long-lost pride, and threw them into a duel with the torment” that the fish endured, and then it turned over on its side and quietly swam to side, almost reaching the skin of the boat with the sword; it almost floated past, long, wide, silver, intertwined with purple stripes, and it seemed that there would be no end to it.”
Notes of despair sound again when the fish are attacked by sharks. It even seems that all the old man’s torment, all his perseverance and perseverance were in vain: “My affairs were going too well. This couldn't go on any longer.
What appears to be a defeat in the concrete event plan turns out to be a victory in the moral plan and in the philosophical generalization plan. The whole story turns into a demonstration of man’s invincibility even when external conditions are against him, when incredible difficulties and suffering befall him! Critics often compare The Old Man to The Undefeated. There, the person also does not give up until the end. But there is a fundamental difference between these two works. Manuel, for all his wonderful qualities, is the embodiment of that “code” that gives a loner the opportunity to withstand a hostile world. The matador’s courage is, as it were, turned towards himself. With an old man the situation is different. Here comes the time to turn to the question of what everything in the world is for, to the question of the meaning of life, that is, to one of central problems Hemingway's philosophical story.
This point is especially important, since in the post-war foreign literature The problem of victory and defeat was repeatedly raised. Sartre, Camus and other writers representing different directions existentialist philosophy, condemn their heroes to defeat, and emphasize the futility of human efforts. In American criticism there are attempts to declare Hemingway an existentialist.
In the last quoted paragraph, it is no coincidence that the old man’s thoughts merge with the author’s thoughts. The meaning of what is happening is to affirm the concept: life is a struggle. Only in such a continuous struggle, which requires extreme exertion of physical and moral strength, does a person fully feel like a human being and find happiness. A person's self-affirmation is in itself optimistic.
The emphatically realistic basis of the story requires an assessment of each small internal episode with indispensable consideration of the real psychological and physical state of the hero. Moreover, a separate episode and even a separate artistic detail must be considered in conjunction with other thematically related details and certainly in the general context of the narrative. This is the only way to find out, for example, whether the notes of defeat really sound in the story. Props and the realities of everyday life are also very important not only in terms of artistic authenticity and persuasiveness, but also in philosophical terms. However, their philosophical significance is subordinate in relation to the corresponding role of living nature and the images of the characters. The desire to absolutize the characteristics of one or another reality of everyday life, for example, sails, and to substitute a person in its place is not always justified. The philosophical significance of the scarcity of things and their characteristics in the story is, first of all, to emphasize: we are talking about the very foundations of human existence, given in the most naked form. The matter is complicated by the fact that in many individual details, not one theme is often reflected, but several, and all of them, in essence, are interconnected. In “The Old Man and the Sea” we really find not symbols, but a realistic story about the life of one person. But the way this person lives, how he thinks and feels, how he acts, makes you think about the principles of human existence, about your attitude to life. The small number of foreground characters and the paucity of material design do not lead to the destruction of social and other connections, and do not create the impression of uniqueness. It’s just that these connections find a special form of identification and reflection in the story, giving the content a general character. One cannot demand from a small philosophical work a demonstration of social connections, a social structure that is excluded by its very form. That is why the mechanical comparison of “The Old Man” with Hemingway’s great novels seems to us illegitimate, and the position of critics who regret the narrowness of the story is very vulnerable Hemingway wrote about a lot during his long creative life. Of course, not all of his themes and not all, even the most important, problems of the century were reflected in “The Old Man,” but some essential aspects of human existence were philosophically generalized and illuminated from a perspective. triumphant humanism. At the center of the story is the figure of the old fisherman Santiago. This is no ordinary old man. This is how he talks about himself, and in the process of getting acquainted with the action, the reader manages to become convinced of the validity of this self-characterization. From the first lines, the image of the old man takes on the features of elation and heroism. This is a real person, living in accordance with his own work ethic code, but seemingly doomed to failure. The problem of victory and defeat, perhaps the first, naturally arises in the story: “The old man was fishing alone on his boat in the Gulf Stream. For eighty-four days now he has been out to sea and has not caught a single fish.” These are the first words of the work. On the eighty-fifth day, the old man caught a huge marlin, but could not bring the catch home... The fish was eaten by sharks. It seems the old man has been defeated again. This impression is aggravated by the fact that the hero, having lost his prey, also had to endure suffering that would have broken a weaker person. Considering the philosophical nature of the story, the theme of victory and defeat takes on special importance. Subsequently, the notes of despair, fatigue, and defeat are invariably clearly contrasted with a victorious motive. What is established is not the balance of victory and defeat, but the triumph of a victorious, optimistic principle. Exhausted from the fight with the marlin, Santiago mentally addresses him: “You are ruining me, fish,” thought the old man. “This, of course, is your right. Never in my life have I seen a creature more enormous, beautiful, calm and noble than you. Well then, kill me. I don’t care anymore who kills who.” But there is a difference between what a person at the limit of his strength thinks and what he does. But the old man does not allow himself to despair even in his thoughts. He, like Robert Jordan once, controls the work of his consciousness all the time. “Your head is confused again, old man,” the quote just given continues directly, and on the same page it is said how Santiago, feeling that “life is freezing in him,” acts and wins, and not only the fish, but also his own weakness, fatigue and old age: “He gathered all his pain, and all the rest of his strength, and all his long-lost pride, and threw them into a duel with the torment” that the fish endured, and then it turned over on its side and quietly swam to side, almost reaching the skin of the boat with the sword; it almost swam past, long, wide, silver, intertwined with purple stripes, and it seemed that there would be no end to it.” The notes of despair sounded again when the sharks attacked the fish. that all the old man’s torment, all his perseverance and perseverance were in vain: “My affairs were going too well. This couldn't go on any longer. What appears to be a defeat in a concrete event plan, in a moral plan, in a philosophical generalization plan turns out to be a victory. The whole story turns into a demonstration of man’s invincibility even when external conditions are against him, when incredible difficulties and suffering befall him! Critics often compare The Old Man to The Undefeated. There, the person also does not give up until the end. But there is a fundamental difference between these two works. Manuel, for all his wonderful qualities, is the embodiment of that “code” that gives a loner the opportunity to withstand a hostile world. The courage of the matador is, as it were, turned towards himself. With an old man the situation is different. Here comes the time to turn to the question of what everything in the world is for, to the question of the meaning of life, that is, to one of the central problems of Hemingway’s philosophical story. This point is especially important, since in post-war foreign literature the problem of victory and defeat was repeatedly raised. Sartre, Camus and other writers representing different directions of existentialist philosophy doom their heroes to defeat and emphasize the futility of human efforts. In American criticism there are attempts to declare Hemingway an existentialist. In the last quoted paragraph, it is no coincidence that the old man’s thoughts merge with the author’s thoughts. The meaning of what is happening is to affirm the concept: life is a struggle. Only in such a continuous struggle, which requires extreme exertion of physical and moral strength, does a person fully feel like a human being and find happiness. A person's self-affirmation is in itself optimistic.
Tale "The Old Man and the Sea"(1951) - a story-parable, a story-symbol. Artist There's no problem in showing the internal human strength and his ability not only to realize the beauty and grandeur of his surroundings. the world, but also one’s place in it.
Day after day, exhausting big fish in the ocean, the old man does not think about how painful or hard it is for him from the strings cutting his arms and back. He was trying to save his strength for the decisive battle. He catches tuna and flying fish in the sea and eats them raw, even though he has no feeling of hunger. He's an outpost. yourself to sleep to gain strength. He used all available tools to fight the sharks that were trying to kill his fish. And he also talks, evaluates, remembers. Including fish – both living and dead.
Every time the old man became a Marine. inhabitants, he reveals himself to be a man who loves, pities and respects every creature of God. TO big fish the old man treats him with a feeling of deep respect. He recognizes her as a worthy opponent who can win the decisive battle.
The old man built his failures. with truly Christian humility. He doesn't complain, doesn't grumble, he silently does his job. Having lost his catch in an unequal battle with sharks, the old man felt... he defeats himself, but this feeling fills his soul with incredible lightness. Swimming up to his native village with the gnawed skeleton of his fish, the old man still refused to consider himself defeated: - Who defeated you, old man?- he asks himself and immediately gives the answer. – Nobody. I'm just too far out to sea.". This reasoning shows inflexibility. will and present worldly wisdom of a person, having learned. all the immensity of the world around us and our place in it.
Old man Santiago belonged. the world of nature, he is a part of it. Hemingway already wrote on the first pages. note. detail of the old man’s appearance: “Everything about him was old, except for his eyes, and his eyes were the color of the sea, cheerful the eyes of a man who doesn’t give up.” This is how the leitmotif of the story arises - a man who does not give up.
Santiago is surprisingly harmonious. oozing humility and pride. “He was too simple-minded to think about how and when humility came to him. But he knew that humility came without bringing with it either shame or loss of human dignity.” With age, all the vanity that once agitated his blood left his life, and he remained pure. and light. I remember.
Next to peace, he came. With age, pride also lives in an old man. He knows why he was born: “You were born to become a fisherman, just as a fish was born to be a fish.” There is authenticity in the old man. and natural heroism. He suffered a very difficult ordeal. He leads his titanic. fighting this unprecedented fish one on one, as befits a hero. And this duel with all its twists and turns, when victory leans first to one side or the other, begins to resemble more and more a myth. The old man knows his physicality. weakness, but he also knows something else - that he has the will to win. "I'll still beat her“, he said, “with all its size and with all its splendor.” Although this is unfair,” he added mentally, “but I will prove to her what a person is capable of and what he can endure.”
Throughout the duration of the fight, the old man’s thoughts will always be present. boy. The old man remembers him every now and then, because the boy is the embodiment. future in itself generation and the old man wants to be strengthened. in the boy his faith in himself, in the fact that he, an old man, can still catch fish. After all, he told the boy more than once that he was extraordinary. old man, and now he understands that the time has come to prove it. “He has proven this thousands of times already. So what? Now we have to prove it again. Every time the counting begins again: therefore, when he did something, he never remembered the past.”
Being alone at sea, the old man talks about loneliness. “It is impossible for a person to remain alone in old age,” he thought. “However, this is inevitable.” But then he refutes himself - already on the way back to the house, the old man thinks about his fellow countrymen: “... I live among good people.”
The main conclusion of the story: the old man is defeated, but in the highest sense he remains undefeated, his human dignity triumphs. And then he produced. words that express the entire pathos of the book: “Man was not created to suffer defeat. Man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated.”
This work is marked by high and humane mudras. writer. That humanist found his cry in her. the ideal that Hemingway spent a long time searching for. all his way, arguing that man cannot be defeated. This is how Hemingway lived his life. It was a bright and beautiful life, fulfilled. tireless and intense writing work, hog. against fascism, against injustice and oppression of man, for “Freedom and the Right to Happiness.”
Ernest Hemingway - the most truthful American writer 20th century. Having once seen the grief, pain and horror of war, the writer vowed to be “truer than the truth itself” for the rest of his life. In “The Old Man and the Sea,” the analysis is determined by the internal philosophical meaning of the work. Therefore, when studying Hemingway’s story “The Old Man and the Sea” in 9th grade in literature lessons, it is necessary to get acquainted with the biography of the author, his life and creative position. Our article includes all the necessary information on the analysis of the work, themes, issues and history of the creation of the story.
Brief Analysis
History of creation- created on the basis of a story that the author learned from fishermen in Cuba and described in an essay in the 30s.
Year of writing– the work was completed in February 1951.
Subject- a person’s dream and victory, a struggle with himself at the limit of human capabilities, a test of the spirit, a fight with nature itself.
Composition– a three-part composition with a ring frame.
Genre- a story-parable.
Direction– realism.
History of creation
The writer came up with the idea for the work in the 30s. In 1936, Esquire magazine published his essay “On Blue Water. Gulf Stream Letter." It describes the approximate plot of the legendary story: an elderly fisherman goes out to sea and for several days without sleep or food “fights” with a huge fish, but sharks eat the old man’s catch. Fishermen find him in a half-crazed state, and sharks are circling around the boat.
It was this story, once heard by the author from Cuban fishermen, that became the basis for the story “The Old Man and the Sea.” Many years later, in 1951, the writer finishes his large-scale work, realizing that this is the most main work in his life. The work was written in the Bahamas and published in 1952. This is Hemingway's last work published during his lifetime.
Since childhood, Hemingway, like his father, was fond of fishing; he is a professional in this field, he knew the whole life and life of fishermen until the very small parts, including signs, superstitions and legends. Such valuable material could not be reflected in the author’s work; it became a confession, a legend, a textbook of life philosophy common man who lives by the fruits of his labor.
In dialogues with criticism, the author avoided commenting on the idea of the work. His credo: to truthfully show “a real fisherman, a real boy, real fish and real sharks.” This is exactly what the author said in an interview, making it clear: his desire is realism, avoiding any other interpretation of the meaning of the text. In 1953, Hemingway received recognition in Once again, having received Nobel Prize for your work.
Subject
Theme of the work- test of endurance human strength will, character, faith, as well as the theme of dreams and spiritual victory. The topic of loneliness and human destiny is also touched upon by the author.
Main thought The work is to show a person in a struggle with nature itself, its creatures and elements, as well as a person’s struggle with his weaknesses. A huge layer of the author’s philosophy is drawn out clearly and clearly in the story: a person is born for something specific, and having mastered it, he will always be happy and calm. Everything in nature has a soul, and people should respect and appreciate this - the earth is eternal, they are not.
Hemingway is amazingly wise in showing a man's achievement of his dreams, and what follows. A huge marlin is the most important trophy in the life of old man Santiago; it is proof that this man won the battle with nature, with the creation of the sea elements. Only what is given with difficulty makes you pass ordeals, problems - brings happiness and satisfaction to the main character. The dream, achieved with sweat and blood, is the greatest reward for Santiago. Despite the fact that the sharks ate the marlin, no one can cancel the moral and physical victory over the circumstances. The personal triumph of the elderly fisherman and recognition in the society of “colleagues” is the best thing that could happen in his life.
Composition
Conventionally, the composition of the story can be divided into three parts: an old man and a boy, an old man at sea, the main character returning home.
All compositional elements are formed on the image of Santiago. Ring frame of the composition consists of the old man going to sea and returning. The peculiarity of the work is that it is saturated internal monologues the main character and even dialogues with himself.
Hidden biblical motifs can be traced in the old man's speeches, his life position, in the boy's name - Manolin (short for Emmanuel), in the image of the giant fish itself. She is the embodiment of the dream of an old man who humbly and patiently faces all trials, does not complain, does not swear, but only quietly prays. His life philosophy and the spiritual side of existence is a kind of personal religion, very reminiscent of Christianity.
Genre
In literary criticism, it is customary to designate the genre “The Old Man and the Sea” as story-parable. Exactly deep spiritual meaning makes the work exceptional, going beyond the traditional story. The author himself admitted that he could write a huge novel with many storylines, but preferred a more modest volume to create something unique.
In 1951, Hemingway completed the story “The Old Man and the Sea,” which became a masterpiece of world literature. “In The Old Man and the Sea,” Hemingway noted, “I tried to create a real old man, real boy, real sea, real fish and real sharks."
Main problem of this work, as well as the conflict, are associated with the main character - Santiago, who has not had a catch for a long time, and who has already been called a “loser”. What lengths is a person willing to go to achieve his goal, and what reserves open up thanks to dreams and inspiration?
So, Santiago sets off to the open sea to prove to everyone, and first of all to himself, that he is capable of doing the job to which he has devoted his entire life. The sea plays a specific role in the story; it is a metaphor for our world, in which a lonely person suffers and struggles, trying to fulfill his destiny. Also, the sea is a symbol of disaster; a person in it is between life and death.
At first the old man catches small fish, after a while he felt that something huge had pecked, pulling the boat forward. It was a huge swordfish that Santiago could not handle alone. For many hours the fisherman struggles with the fish: his hands are bloody, and the wayward catch pulls him further and further, and then he turns to God. Although until this moment Santiago did not consider himself a believer, he naively and sincerely prays to heaven for the death of the fish. But if he knew how much trouble this request would bring him. The old man kills a sea creature with a harpoon, and a trail of blood trails behind it, to which sharks swim. The old man is not ready to fight with such opponents and cannot do anything.
Ultimately, the old man returns to his native bay, exhausted, but not broken. He returned with the remains huge fish(spine and giant tail), and the next morning the fishermen will look at them in amazement.
This is not just a story, Hemingway wanted to create a philosophical story-parable, and, of course, there are no details in it that do not make sense. For example, a sail is a symbol of fortune, with the energy of air, indicating its inconstancy. The old man himself is a symbol of wisdom. By making Santiago an old man, Hemingway already obviously told us that all his actions in the story are righteous and correct. And the name Santiago (sant-saint), (yago-ego), is translated as “holy man.” In a dream, the old man dreams of Africa and lions. Lions symbolize happiness and strength. Santiago is happy and seasoned in the battle for existence, which has kept people in shape for centuries.
According to another interpretation, main character– personification strong spirit boy - true friend Santiago. They are always together, the young fisherman has learned a lot from his patron and does not want to give up on him, despite any persuasion from his elders, who have lost faith in the old man’s abilities. If we take into account that a person going to sea hardly eats, makes do with an ascetically small amount of goods and comforts, communicates with almost no one and speaks only with his partner, then you might think that he is completely immaterial. He - actor metaphors for life, fishing, which he went on alone, like any of us goes on life path one. A real fisherman of his age could not, with almost no food even on land, repeat such a voyage, but Santiago is a human spirit, he, according to Hemingway, is capable of anything. It is he who pushes the weak-willed body to the feat of activity. Most likely, the spiritual essence of a boy is depicted, in whom no one yet believes, since he has not caught any large fish. However, he shows willpower (in the form of Santiago) and embarks on a desperate adventure, sailing too far from the shore. As a result, the sharks gnawed even the skeleton of the rich catch, but the young miner gained respect in the village. Everyone around him appreciated his tenacity and determination.
Speaking about symbols, we cannot forget what Hemingway himself said about them: “Obviously, there are symbols, since critics do nothing but find them. Sorry, but I hate talking about them and don't like being asked about them. Writing books and stories is difficult enough without any explanation. In addition, this means taking bread from specialists... Read what I write, and do not look for anything other than your own pleasure. And if you need anything else, find it, it will be your contribution to what you read.”
Indeed, it would look ridiculous if Ernest himself began to decipher these symbols, or, even worse, if he wrote based on them. He wrote a story about real life, such a story can be transferred to any historical era, on any person who achieves what he wants. And since in life everything is often not simple, and as years pass, we find symbols in own life, then in work of art they exist even more so.
The image of the main character is simple. This is an old man living in a Cuban village near Havana. All his life he has been making money with his fishing skills. The main thing is that he is happy, he does not need wealth, the sea and his favorite business are enough for Santiago. This is probably what a “holy man” looks like in Hemingway’s eyes. Someone who has found himself and understands that it is not money that makes you happy, but self-realization.
The main feature of Hemingway's style is truthfulness. He himself spoke about it this way: “If a writer knows well what he is writing about, he can miss a lot of what he knows, and if he writes truthfully, the reader will feel everything missed as strongly as if the writer had said about it.” this. The greatness of the movement of the iceberg is that it rises only one-eighth above the surface of the water.” The technique that the author used in the story is known in literature as the “iceberg principle.” It is based on big role subtext and symbols. The language is demonstratively dry, restrained, and not replete with means artistic expression. The work is brief, with apparent simplicity and unpretentiousness of the plot. In dialogues about everyday trifles, the essence of the characters is revealed, but none of them says a word about it: the reader makes all discoveries at the level of intellectual intuition.
Thus, Hemingway's style is distinguished by precision and laconicism of language, cold calm in descriptions of tragic and extreme situations, extreme specificity artistic details and the all-important ability to omit the unnecessary. This style is also called “style through teeth”: the meaning goes into the details, there is a sense of understatement, the text is sparse and sometimes rude, the dialogues are extremely natural. Telegraphic writing, which Hemingway mastered while working as a reporter, is expressed in the deliberate repetition of words and peculiar punctuation (short sentences). The author skips reasoning, descriptions, and landscapes to make the speech clearer and more specific.
This story is an example for every person of any age, gender, physical condition, nationality, worldview. The old man did not bring a whole fish, and this suggests that a person’s victory should not be material, the main thing is victory over oneself, and everyone, having a goal, can accomplish a feat, like old man Santiago.
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