Inner Happiness in Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea Essay

Inner Happiness in Hemingways The Old opus and the ocean Hemingways view of human nature was that happiness was obsolescent and was found inside a man and not in his outside circumstances or surroundings. Hemingway illustrates this in three ways. First, he portrays the human nature of Santiago, the main character, as being one of humility and compassion, full of strength and pride. He is shown not as a gleefully happy man, but one who meets biography with a serene, quiet resilience. Second, Santiagos fellow villagers are shown as shallow and materialistic, with a narrow view of life compared to his. Their focus on appearances is in abrupt contrast to Santiagos focus on intrinsic values. Third, it will be shown that his rare brand of happiness comes from within. Poignant circumstances surrounded the composition of this novel, which transmit out many of the above points. It is widely recognized that Hemingway was possessed of a turbulent personality and suffered from emotional depression. This was despite the fact that he enjoyed ofttimes critical acclaim. The Old Man and the Sea was written after a ten-year hiatus of public and critical approval. This period saw much of his make up receive negative criticism in literary and journalistic circles. This bear on Hemingway adversely and very deeply (Carey 9). Therefore, Hemingways personal battle with seeming hardship in his lifes work and societys attendant criticism parallel Santiagos stoic go under in the face of his neighbors disdain. The authors struggles symbolically match those of Santiago and set the story for the writing of this novel. The acclaim generated by this book was due largely to the authors mazy knotting of spiritual and phys... ...Gardiner, Patrick. Schopenhauer. Middlesex, England Penguin , 1963. Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. freshly York Simon and Schuster, 1995. Hutchins, Robert Maynard, ed. Great Books of the Western World. 54 vols. boodle Encyclopaedia Br itannica, 1952. Vol. 1. Plato. The Dialogues of Plato. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. Great Books of the Western World. 54 vols. ChicagoEncyclopaedia Britannica 1952. Vol. 7. Schopenhauer, Arthur. Counsels and Maxims. Trans. T. Bailey Saunders. Amherst, New YorkPrometheus Books, 1995. - - -. On the Basis of Morality. Trans. E.F.J. Payne. Indianapolis Bobbs-Merrill. 1965. - - -. The Wisdom of Life. Trans. T. Bailey Saunders. Amherst, New York Prometheus Books, 1995. Waggonner, Eric. Inside the Current A Taoist Reading of The Old Man and the Sea Hemingway Review Spring 1998.