The Old Man and the Sea: Question 7

        What techniques does the author use to engage the audience and make the story effective?  Give examples to support your analysis (mystery, humor, symbolism, suspense, etc.).  There are several techniques in The Old Man and the Sea. Ernest Hemingway uses these techniques to engage the audience. One effective technique he uses is repetition. He uses this to emphasize the importance of the part of the story being repeated. The line that Santiago repeats throughout the five days of him being stuck on the boat is wishing that the boy, Manolin, was there with him (Hemingway). This line being repeated shows the reader how much the old man loves Manolin like he was his own son. He repeats this line because he is struggling to survive the journey being beaten and using all of his strength and wished the boy was there to help him. He feels so much love for him, and Hemingway emphasizes this by using repetition (Hemingway). Another technique that Hemingway uses is suspense. He uses suspense in the events leading up to Santiago actually catching the fish. It seems as though the old man will never get the marlin, until it emerges out of the water, keeping the reader engaged. The he gradually sees him and feels him tiring. These events throughout the days at sea make the reader anxious for Santiago to actually catch the fish and bring it back. Suspense is also used as Santiago gets gradually puller farther and farther out to see. It does not seem as though he will return which keeps the reader interested also (Hemingway). When the old man finally catches him it is relieving, until the sharks come. This and many other examples are the way Hemingway uses suspense to keep the reader engaged and interested in the story as it develops. These also make the reader more likely to understand the point of the story that Hemingway was trying to get across.   

 Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.