Discussion Question 7- The Old Man and the Sea

The author uses many techniques to keep the reader engaged in the story. He fits a lot of information into a 122 page book. One of the main techniques he uses is appealing to the readers emotions. I think that the author in a way wants the reader to feel bad for Santiago. When the author says things such as “They sat on the Terrace and many of the fisherman made fun of the old man,” the reader feels bad for him because that is when the old man is down on his luck, and the other fishermen surrounding him are not making him feel any better (Hemingway 11). When the old man says that he is alone at sea, the reader also feels bad for him because he would not be alone at sea if the boy’s parents would let him fish with Santiago. The boy could have been there to help the old man when he needed it (Hemingway 56). Another technique the author used to keep the reader engaged was suspense. When the old man was out at sea, the reader was constantly wondering when the fish would appear, and ultimately when the fish would die. Although Santiago became attached to the fish, he wanted to fish to die very much. The reader also wondered if the old man was going to survive out at sea. Since he was very old, the reader can only assume that he is not very strong, and not in the best of health. Constantly I wondered if the old man was going to have enough food and water to last him and keep him strong. When the old man hurt his arms, and his back, and shoulders, the reader is consistently questioning whether or not the old man is going to give up and return home. Even when the old man came in contact with all the sharks, the reader wonders if the shark is going to eat all of the fish and if the shark would end up attacking the man and the boat. The techniques used were very good considering I always wanted to know what happened next!

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. Cuba. Scribner’s Publishing. 1952