This document provides context about Ernest Hemingway's novel "The Old Man and the Sea" including its publication history, the time period in which it was written, socioeconomic changes of that era, themes in the novel like Santiago's struggles with age and loneliness, how it can be interpreted as an allegory, and Hemingway's stylistic writing choices including sparse language and repeated elements. It also notes there will be a 20 minute animation about the book.

1. The Old Man and the Sea
An Introduction

2. April 1936 – Esquire Magazine
On the Blue Water: A Gulf Stream Letter

3. Planning as early as 1939
Written in Havana in 1951

4. Historical Context
•The Cold War
•The Arms Race
•The Korean War
•Socio-economic change

5. Socio-economic Change
•Human Labour •Mechanised
•Connected to nature •Environmentally negligent
•Close community •Individualistic
•Code of honour •No code

6. Santiago – ‘everyman’
•Culturally a Spaniard
•A journeyer in Africa
•A Cuban
•An American
(Old & New world)

7. Santiago’s Struggle
•Age
•Poverty
•Loneliness
•Mortality
•Identity
•Luck & the battle with the fish

8. Allegory
•Allegory is an extended metaphor
•Its underlying meaning has moral,
social, religious, or political
significance.
•It therefore operates on 2 levels -
literal and symbolic.

9. Hemingway’s Style
•The sparse, simplistic language of the
reporter
•Repeated images allusions, actions &
themes
•Repeated sounds, rhythms & sentence
structures

15. Animation (20 mins)