Numbers in parentheses  are the page numbers for the online version.

Section 1- pages 9-27 (1-10).

Reading and responding. Answer all questions in full sentences. Use examples (and page references) whenever possible to support your answer.

1. Why are there no chapters in this story? What seem to be logical divisions for this story? Cite episodes and page numbers when explaining your answer.

2. Ernest Hemingway said the following in 1952 about the book The Old Man and the Sea:

There isn't any symbolism. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The sharks are sharks, no better, no worse. All the symbolism people say is s**t. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you know.

Supposing that Hemingway is wrong about his own work (not likely) or is misleading you (quite possible) what might the aforementioned things represent? Use specific examples from the book to support your answer.

3. Now suppose that Hemingway was both correct and truthful when he made the statement in question 2. What does he mean in the last sentence of the quote?

4. Look up information about Ernest Hemingway and his writing style on the internet. Write a paragraph summing up his approach to and patterns in, his novels. Reread the first sentence of the story. In what way is this opening consistent with your findings?

5. On page 10 (1) it states that "The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him." Did the boy love the old man for simply teaching him to fish or had the boy gained more from the relationship? Explain.

6. In what ways does the old man treat the boy as an equal even though he is clearly the master? Find examples of both the egalitarian and the student / master relationship.

7. How do we know the old man is poor? How can the old man be so respected despite his poverty?

8. Is Santiago diminished as the master by having Manolin take care of him?

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