Early on, Ernest Hemingway built his literary reputation by weaving tales of stoic protagonists that take part in American historical events. Whether it be The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, or For Whom the Bell Tolls, most of his novels were popular with public and admired by the critics due to their connection with the American culture of the time. In his later novel, The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway steps away from his past patterns and spins a tale of a struggling Cuban fisherman that battles a gargantuan fish. Initially popular with the public and critics, the book later felt the brunt of mixed reviews due to Hemingway’s new fictional style. It could be assumed that the overwhelming popularity of The Old Man and the Sea and the fact that it won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction makes it a shoe-in for the title of “Classic,” and thus deserves to be part of the American cannon. Hemingway himself once said, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain; Huckleberry Finn.” Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a canonized model for the future writers of America, and what is about? The journey of two boys, one white and one a slave, escaping to freedom up the Mississippi River, and it could not be more of an American story. To be involved in the canon, a book must have an innovative idea, have a conflict that the American people can relate to, be written brilliantly, and withstand the test of time. In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway fulfills all of these guidelines and thus creates an integral part of the canon.
The Old Man and the Sea has an interesting protagonist in Santiago, an elderly Cuban fisherman that has run into 84 straight days of bad fortune. On the 85th day, Santiago sails into the Caribbean searching for his lucky break. Immediately after casting his line, he feels a pull and consequently enters a three-day battle with a noble marlin. This incredible battle would eventually become a final struggle for the old...