Emma by Jane Austen
# College Name : maharani shree nandkunvarba arts and. commerce college.
# Name : sarvaiya priyal. # Subject: major 12
❇️ CLASS ASSIGNMENT ❇️
EMMA
First published in December 1815, Emma explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England while creating a lively 'comedy of manners' among its characters.
Before beginning the novel, Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like." She introduces the title character as "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich." However, Emma is also rather spoiled, overestimates her matchmaking abilities, and is often mistaken about others' actions.
✴️Plot summary:
1)Emma's Matchmaking
Emma Woodhouse, a precocious twenty-year-old, believes herself gifted at matchmaking after pairing her governess with Mr. Weston. She takes on Harriet Smith as a project, convincing her to reject farmer Robert Martin in favor of Mr. Elton, the village vicar.
2)Misunderstandings
Emma's plans go awry when Elton reveals his affection is for Emma, not Harriet. Meanwhile, Frank Churchill arrives in Highbury, and Jane Fairfax returns to stay with her aunt. A web of flirtations, suspicions, and misunderstandings develops.
3)Revelations
After Frank's aunt dies, it's revealed that Frank and Jane have been secretly engaged. Emma realizes she loves Mr. Knightley when Harriet confesses her own feelings for him. Fortunately, Knightley loves Emma, and Harriet accepts a second proposal from Robert Martin.
✴️Analysis and interpretation:
Jane Austen
Marriage and social status are the two foci of Emma. Most of the drama in Austen’s novel revolves around who loves whom and what that means, given their social station. Social status in 19th-century England was determined by a confluence of factors, including, but not limited to, family name, sex, birthright, reputation, and wealth, and it dictated much about the course of a person’s life. Members of the higher social classes were not expected to intermarry, let alone interact, with members of a lower class. In fact, in some cases, such marriages were considered inappropriate.
Through Emma, Austen subtly satirizes her society’s obsession with social distinctions. At the beginning of the novel, Austen’s heroine is confident she knows who “the chosen and the best” are in Highbury and who constitutes the “second set.” Keeping with her social code, Emma discourages Harriet from pursuing a relationship with Robert. As Emma explains, Robert is not a “gentleman.” He is therefore destined to become “a completely gross, vulgar farmer, totally inattentive to appearances, and thinking of nothing but profit and loss.” Emma is similarly appalled when Mrs. Elton presumes to call Mr. Elton and Mr. Knightley “Mr. E” and “Knightley.”
Mr. Knightley challenges Emma’s notions of class distinction, pushing her to contemplate whether such distinctions truly matter. When Emma criticizes Robert for his ungentlemanly demeanour, Mr. Knightley impassionedly defends Robert, claiming that he “has more true gentility than Harriet Smith could ever understand.” After all her attempts to make suitable matches fail, Emma finally begins to realize that social distinction does not equate to a constitutional difference in character. By the end of the novel, Emma has learned her lesson, and she decides that “[i]t would be a great pleasure to know Robert Martin.”
In terms of its subject matter, Emma was by no means revolutionary: Austen herself described the novel’s subject (“Three or four families in a country village”) as an ideal subject for any novel. However, Emma was revolutionary in terms of its form and style. Before Austen, novelists generally used either first- or third-person narration to tell their stories. Austen combined the two styles, first in Sense and Sensibility (1811) and then again in Emma. From the outset, Austen characterizes Emma as a self-deluded young woman.
✴️Principal Characters
1)Emma Woodhouse
The protagonist, a beautiful, high-spirited, intelligent, and 'slightly' spoiled young woman of 21. Her mother died when she was very young, and she has been mistress of the house ever since. Emma makes serious mistakes due to her conviction that she is always right and her lack of real world experience.
2)George Knightley
About 37, he is a close friend of Emma and her only critic, though he cares deeply for her. Mr. Knightley is the owner of the neighboring estate of Donwell Abbey. He is very annoyed with Emma for persuading Harriet to turn down Mr. Martin and is suspicious of Frank Churchill.
✴️More Key Characters
1)Frank Churchill
Mr. Weston's son by his previous marriage, an amiable young man raised by his wealthy aunt and uncle. He enjoys dancing, music, and living life to the fullest. Mr. Knightley considers him immature, partially due to jealousy of Frank's supposed pursuit of Emma.
2)Jane Fairfax
An orphan whose only family consists of an aunt, Miss Bates, and a grandmother, Mrs. Bates. She is regarded as very beautiful, clever, and elegant, with the best of manners. Emma envies her talents but dislikes her reserve. With little fortune, Jane seems destined to become a governess.
3)Harriet Smith
A young friend of Emma's, a very pretty but unsophisticated girl who is too easily led by others. The illegitimate daughter of initially unknown parents, she becomes the subject of Emma's misguided matchmaking attempts. She ultimately marries farmer Robert Martin.
✴️ Principal character:
1)Emma Woodhouse
The protagonist, a beautiful, high-spirited, intelligent, and 'slightly' spoiled young woman of 21. Her mother died when she was very young, and she has been mistress of the house ever since. Emma makes serious mistakes due to her conviction that she is always right and her lack of real world experience.
George Knightley
About 37, he is a close friend of Emma and her only critic, though he cares deeply for her. Mr. Knightley is the owner of the neighboring estate of Donwell Abbey. He is very annoyed with Emma for persuading Harriet to turn down Mr. Martin and is suspicious of Frank Churchill.
More Key Characters.
2)Frank Churchill
Mr. Weston's son by his previous marriage, an amiable young man raised by his wealthy aunt and uncle. He enjoys dancing, music, and living life to the fullest. Mr. Knightley considers him immature, partially due to jealousy of Frank's supposed pursuit of Emma.
3)Jane Fairfax
An orphan whose only family consists of an aunt, Miss Bates, and a grandmother, Mrs. Bates. She is regarded as very beautiful, clever, and elegant, with the best of manners. Emma envies her talents but dislikes her reserve. With little fortune, Jane seems destined to become a governess.
4)Harriet Smith
A young friend of Emma's, a very pretty but unsophisticated girl who is too easily led by others. The illegitimate daughter of initially unknown parents, she becomes the subject of Emma's misguided matchmaking attempts. She ultimately marries farmer Robert Martin.
✴️Supporting Character:
1)Philip Elton
A good-looking, well-mannered and ambitious young vicar. Emma wants him to marry Harriet; he wants to marry Emma. After Emma's rejection, he quickly marries another woman of means, displaying his mercenary nature.
2)Augusta Elton
Mr. Elton's moneyed but obnoxious wife. She is a boasting, domineering, pretentious woman who likes to be the center of attention and is generally disliked by Emma and her circle.
3)Mrs. Anne Weston
Formerly Miss Taylor, Emma's governess for sixteen years and closest friend. She acts as a surrogate mother to Emma and occasionally as a voice of moderation and reason.
4)Henry Woodhouse
Emma's father, always concerned for his own health and comfort. He assumes many things are hazardous and is generally difficult to handle because he fusses about trifling things.
✴️Themes in Emma
1)Financial Independence
Emma is the first Austen heroine with no financial concerns, which she declares is the reason she has no inducement to marry. This contrasts with Jane Fairfax's bleak prospects and other Austen novels where the quest for marriage and financial security are important themes.
2)Immunity to Romance
Unlike other Austen heroines, Emma seems immune to romantic attraction. She is genuinely surprised when Mr. Elton declares his love, and her fancy for Frank Churchill represents more a longing for drama than romantic love.
3)Limited Scope of Women's Lives
Despite her intelligence, Emma has too little to do and no ability to change her location or routine. Her matchmaking may represent a muted protest against the narrow scope of a wealthy single woman's life.
✴️Critical Reception
"There was no story in it, except that Miss Emma found that the man whom she designed for Harriet's lover was an admirer of her own – & he was affronted at being refused by Emma & Harriet wore the willow – and smooth, thin water-gruel is according to Emma's father's opinion a very good thing & it is very difficult to make a cook understand what you mean by smooth, thin water-gruel!!"
— Maria Edgeworth, author of Belinda
Early reviews of Emma were generally favorable, but there were some criticisms about the lack of story. John Murray remarked that it lacked "incident and Romance." Despite these early critiques, Emma has come to be regarded as one of Austen's masterpieces, with its complex characterization and subtle social commentary.
✴️Emma in Popular Culture
1)Literary Adaptations
Joan Aiken wrote a companion novel, Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma
Reginald Hill wrote a 1987 short story "Poor Emma"
The Importance of Being Emma, a modern version by Juliet Archer
Emma and the Werewolves, a mashup novel by Adam Rann
2)Media References
The novel is featured in the film Naked (1993) by Mike Leigh
Andrew Trees' novel "Academy X" utilizes Emma throughout the plot
Emma was the subject of a question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the UK in January 1999.
✴️Legacy of Emma
"I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like."
Despite Jane Austen's concerns, Emma Woodhouse has become one of literature's most enduring and beloved heroines. Her flaws make her human, her growth throughout the novel makes her relatable, and her eventual self-awareness makes her admirable.
More than 200 years after its publication, Emma continues to captivate readers and inspire adaptations across various media. Its exploration of social class, the limitations placed on women, and the journey toward self-knowledge remain as relevant today as they were in Austen's time.
The novel's enduring popularity is a testament to Austen's skill in creating complex characters and her keen observations of human nature and society.
Reference:- https://gamma.app/docs/Jane-Austens-Emma-A-Novel-of-Misconstrued-Romance-8dviq30alqdagmc.
❇️HOME ASSIGNMENT ❇️
UNIT : 1 & 2
Sense and Sensibility
-JaneAusten
✴️ About Jane Austen:
Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist knows primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century.
➡️Born : 16 December 1775
Steventon, Hampshire, England
➡️Died : 18 July 1817 (aged 41)
Winchester, Hampshire, England
✴️Summary:
Henry Dashwood lived at Norland Park in Sussex, England, a property owned by his wealthy uncle. Henry had three daughters by his current wife and one son from a prior marriage. When his uncle died, Norland was left to Henry’s son John and John’s own son. This left Henry’s three daughters without much of a fortune, and when he died, he asked John to look after his half-sisters. John, in response, plans
to give his sisters 3000 pounds each, but his wife Fanny quickly persuades him not to do this, so that their own son will have that money. Henry’s widow, Mrs. Dashwood, and her three daughters (the rational and self-controlled Elinor, the sensitive Marianne, and the young Margaret) stay at Norland for several months
after Henry’s death. Mrs. Dashwood despises Fanny, but Elinor becomes close with Fanny’s brother, Edward Ferrars. Mrs. Dashwood and Marianne think he and Elinor will marry. A relative of Mrs. Dashwood, Sir John Middleton, writes to her and offers
her a place to live on his property, Barton Park. Mrs. Dashwood accepts the offer, and moves to a cottage on Sir John’s property with her daughters. The Dashwoods meet Sir John and his wife, Lady Middleton, often attending dinners and balls at their
home. They also meet Lady Middleton’s mother, a kind but gossipy old woman named Mrs. Jennings, who enjoys predicting and encouraging budding romances.
Another frequent guest at the Middletons’ home is Colonel Brandon, a friend of Sir John and a 35 year-old bachelor. It quickly becomes apparent that Brandon loves Marianne, but Marianne thinks the idea of marrying a man so old and as lacking in
taste as she thinks Brandon to be is ridiculous. One day, The Dashwood sisters go out for a walk in the country. When it begins to
rain suddenly, they run back toward their cottage, but Marianne trips and falls. A gentleman who happens to be passing by picked her up and gallantly carries her home. He introduces himself as Willoughby. Soon after, the Dashwoods see Willoughby again at dinner at Barton Park. Sir John tells Marianne that Willoughby is “very well worth catching,” and she begins to grow fond of him. Willoughby often
visits the Dashwood cottage and spends much time with Marianne. They share many of the same opinions and tastes in art, music, and literature. Mrs. Dashwood guesses that they might become engaged. Marianne and Willoughby grow closer
and closer, as the Dashwoods continue to attend numerous social events at Barton Park. Margaret sees Marianne give Willoughby a lock of her hair, and assumes that they are engaged. One evening at Barton Park, Mrs. Jennings asks Elinor if she had
any man whom she was fond of, and Margaret lets slip that Elinor is taken by someone whose name began with an F. The next day, a large group assembles at Barton Park to make an expedition to Colonel Brandon’s brother-in-law’s property.
However, Brandon receives a letter and suddenly has to leave for London, cancelling the planned trip. Everyone decides to pass the day by driving around the country, and Willoughby and Marianne go off in one carriage to his aunt’s property, Allenham,
which he is likely to inherit, and they survey it together. Over the next few days, Willoughby continues to behave as though he is in love with Marianne.
However, one day Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor, and Margaret return from Barton Park to find Willoughby’s carriage outside their cottage. When they go inside, Marianne is in
tears and greatly upset. Willoughby informs them that he has to leave for London indefinitely on business. Elinor is slightly suspicious of Willoughby, as no one knows for sure whether he and Marianne are actually engaged. After Willoughby’s departure, Marianne falls into extreme sadness. One day, she and Elinor go for a walk outside. They see a gentleman approaching and Marianne is sure it’s Willoughby. When the man gets closer, though, they see that it’s Edward Ferrars. Oddly, though, Edward seems ill at ease and unhappy, rather than overjoyed to see
Elinor. Marianne notices a ring on his hand with a lock of hair in it. Edward says it is Fanny’s hair, though Elinor and Marianne both think it looks like Elinor’s. Elinor imagines that he had secretly gotten it from her somehow. After about a week, Edward leaves, without proposing. Soon after, the Middletons host Lady Middleton’s
sister, Charlotte Palmer at Barton Park and introduce her and her husband to the Dashwoods. The Palmers know Willoughby and seem to think that Marianne and he are engaged, though Elinor is not so sure. After the Palmers depart, the Middletons have more guests: Anne and Lucy Steele, two young sisters and relatives of Mrs.
Jennings. Elinor and Marianne do not particularly like the Steele sisters, who talk of nothing but their prospective boyfriends and romantic conquests. At one point, Sir John mentions that Elinor is in love with Edward Ferrars, and Anne responds that
they know Edward well, though Lucy corrects her and says that they don’t know him that well. As Lucy and Elinor are walking outside one day, Lucy asks if Elinor knows Edward’s mother, Mrs. Ferrars. She explains that she is secretly engaged to Edward, and has been for four years. Because Lucy has no real fortune, they feared that Mrs.
Ferrars, Edward’s mother, would disapprove of the marriage. Lucy shows Elinor a letter from Edward and mentions that she had given him a lock of hair, which he keeps in a ring.
Elinor is shocked, but can’t doubt the truth of Lucy’s story. She wonders whether Edward had intentionally deceived her in encouraging her affections for him. Soon after this, Elinor takes the opportunity to ask Lucy more about her engagement after a party at Barton Park. Lucy says that she and Edward are in love, but likely will have to wait until Mrs. Ferrars died to marry. As January comes around, Mrs. Jennings invites Elinor and Marianne to stay with her in London. Elinor doesn’t want
to go, as she knows that Edward is going to be in London in February, but Marianne desperately wants to go so that she can perhaps see Willoughby. The two sisters leave Margaret and their mother behind at Barton to go stay in London for some time. As soon as they get to London, Marianne writes to Willoughby, but doesn’t hear
back from him. Instead, Colonel Brandon often pays visits to the Dashwood sisters. Marianne is anxious about not hearing from Willoughby, and unable to enjoy the
social events they attend in the city. Elinor writes to her mother, begging her to ask Marianne clearly whether she is engaged to Willoughby or not. Finally, when Elinor and Marianne go to a party with Lady Middleton, they see Willoughby there.Willoughby is cold to Marianne and mostly ignores her. Marianne has to leave the party immediately, in despair. The next morning, a letter arrives from Willoughby, and after reading it Marianne is “almost choked by grief.” In the letter Willoughby disavows any romantic attachment to her and tells her that he is engaged to someone else. Elinor and Marianne are both deeply shocked at Willoughby’s sudden change of behavior, and Elinor tries to comfort her sister. She urges Marianne to restrain her emotions, but Marianne responds that she can’t pretend to be all right when she’s miserable.
News of Willoughby’s engagement to a wealthy Miss Grey spreads. Elinor learns that Marianne and Willoughby were never formally engaged, and that Willoughby only ever implied his love for her. Mrs. Jennings tries to cheer Marianne up, predicting that she will now marry Colonel Brandon. Having heard about the unfortunate news with Willoughby, Colonel Brandon pays a visit to Elinor one day,
and passes along some news that he thinks might help Marianne. In order to explain, he has to tell Marianne about a woman named Eliza, whom he had been in love with a long time ago. Eliza and Brandon were deeply in love, but she was married against
her will to Brandon’s brother. Brandon and Eliza tried to elope, but were caught. Brandon then left the country to serve in the military, and during that time Eliza was seduced by numerous men and ended up divorcing Brandon’s brother. When Colonel Brandon returned to the country, he found her confined to a house because of debt, dying of consumption. She had an illegitimate daughter, also named Eliza, whom he promised to take care of. Colonel Brandon had looked after this daughter as she grew up, but this past year she had disappeared after a trip with friends to Bath. While Brandon was at Barton Park, he received a letter that informed him that Eliza had been seduced by Willoughby, who had gotten her pregnant and then
abandoned her. This was why Brandon had left Barton so suddenly. Elinor is shocked to learn this about Willoughby, but is grateful for Brandon’s honesty. She tells Marianne the news, but it doesn’t make her feel any better. Having formerly believed Willoughby to be an upstanding gentleman, she now mourns “the loss of Willoughby’s character.” Meanwhile, Colonel Brandon and Elinor talk often, and Elinor begins to value him as a friend. Mrs. Jennings concludes that Colonel Brandon will soon propose to Elinor. Elinor finally persuades Marianne to leave the house, and they go with Mrs. Jennings to a jeweler, where they meet an obnoxious gentleman ordering a toothpick case.
While at the store, Elinor also runs into her brother John, who has just arrived in town. The next day, he visits Elinor and Marianne, meeting Mrs. Jennings, Colonel Brandon, and the Middletons. He tells Elinor that he is sure Brandon is interested in her, and congratulates her. He also mentions that Mrs. Ferrars has arranged for Edward to marry a wealthy woman named Miss Morton. After John and Fanny get to
know the Middletons, the Steeles, and Mrs. Jennings, they invite all them (as well as the Dashwood sisters) to a dinner, along with Mrs. Ferrars. Elinor is interested to finally meet Mrs. Ferrars, and Lucy is particularly anxious to see her possible future
mother-in-law. At the dinner, Mrs. Ferrars is rude to Elinor, whom she evidently disliked, but—much to Lucy’s delight—seems very fond of Lucy. Soon after this, Marianne and Elinor go to a party with Fanny and John. There, Elinor sees the gentleman from the jewelry store, and learns that he was Edward’s brother, Robert
Ferrars. About two weeks later, Mrs. Jennings tells Elinor that Lucy and Edward’s secret engagement has become known. Fanny became hysterical when she learned of it,
and kicked Lucy out of her home, where both the Steele sisters had been staying. The next day, John visits and reveals that when Mrs. Ferrars found out about Edward’s secret engagement she disinherited and essentially disowned Edward.
Nonetheless, Edward refused to break off the engagement. A few days later, Elinor encounters Lucy’s sister Anne in Kensington Gardens. Anne says that Edward offered Lucy the chance to leave him, since he no longer has a substantial fortune, but she refused, so they were going ahead with the engagement. The next morning,
Elinor receives a letter from Lucy saying that she and Edward are happy together in spite of everything and that he is going to become a priest and that, once they had an established living somewhere, they would marry.
After spending over two months in London, Marianne and Elinor finally make plans to go back to Barton Cottage, first stopping for a visit with the Palmers at their home, Cleveland. Before they leave, Colonel Brandon pays a visit and Mrs. Jennings
overheard part of the conversation and thinks that Brandon is proposing to Elinor. In reality, he is telling her that he is going to offer Edward a living on his estate, Delaford. As this would allow Edward and Lucy to marry, Elinor is greatly distressed (which she hid from Brandon). Soon after Brandon leaves, Edward arrives, and
Elinor tells him the news. He is immensely grateful, and leaves to thank Brandon. Mrs. Jennings returns and finally realizes that Brandon had not proposed to Elinor. Before leaving London, Elinor meets with John and Fanny, and learns that Robert
Ferrars is now going to marry Miss Morton instead of Edward. Robert has received all the inheritance that was formerly going to go to Edward.
At the Palmer’s home at Cleveland, Marianne comes down with a terrible cold. She is so sick that Mrs. Jennings thinks she was going to die, and Elinor sends Colonel Brandon to Barton to get Mrs. Dashwood. Marianne finally begins to recover. As Elinor sits by her sleeping sister, she hears a carriage outside. But it turns out to be
Willoughby, not Barton. Elinor tells him to leave, but he insists on speaking to her. He begs to be allowed to explain his behavior. He says that when he first met the Dashwoods, he had no intentions of finding a wife, but simply enjoyed spending time with Marianne. He was “careless of her happiness,” and didn’t have any intention of
“returning her affection.” Yet he did fall in love with her. He had been expecting to inherit some wealth from his aunt Mrs. Smith, but after she learned about his affair
with Eliza, she disinherited him. Now Willoughby was desperate for wealth, and a marriage with Marianne was entirely out of the question. So, he married Miss Grey for her money, even though he didn’t really love her. It pained him to ignore Marianne
in London, and when he received letters from her, Miss Grey became suspicious and read them. She was upset and dictated a letter for Willoughby to send back. (So, the
hurtful letter from Willoughby to Marianne was actually composed by Miss Grey.)
Willoughby calls himself a fool and a scoundrel and apologizes profusely. Elinor largely forgives Willoughby and pities his situation. He leaves, and soon after Mrs. Dashwood and Colonel Brandon arrive. Mrs. Dashwood delightedly tells Elinor that Brandon had told her on the journey to
Cleveland that he is in love with Marianne, and that she approves of their marriage. Marianne recovers fully, and the Dashwoods return to Barton Cottage. On a long walk outside, Marianne tells Elinor that her illness has made her think back on her
life, and she regrets her improper behavior with Willoughby, as well as her rudecontempt for Mrs. Jennings, Fanny, John, the Steeles, and the Middletons. She resolves to dedicate her life from now on to her family and to keep her emotions in check. She says that she has gotten over Willoughby, and only wishes that she could know that he hadn’t always been lying to her. Elinor takes this chance to tell her what Willoughby had recently revealed. Marianne receives this news relatively calmly, and tells Elinor to tell their mother. Soon after this, Elinor learns from a servant that Lucy and “Mr. Ferrars” have married. Elinor and Marianne are both greatly upset by this news.
Colonel Brandon is due to soon visit soon, and Elinor looks forward to his arrival.
Just when she is expecting him, though, someone else arrives: Edward. He tells her that he hasn’t married Lucy; his brother Robert has! Elinor cries tears of joy. Edward
explains that he had foolishly become engaged to Lucy when he was too young and dle. They didn’t really love each other, and she had left him for his wealthier brother. He now proposes to Elinor, who accepts, to the delight of her sisters and mother.
Mrs. Ferrars eventually forgives Edward, returns some of his inheritance to him, and reluctantly approves of his marriage to Elinor. Elinor and Edward settle at Delaford,
where Elinor’s sisters and mother often visit. Elinor, Edward, and Mrs. Dashwood all wish that Marianne would marry Colonel Brandon and indeed she gradually grows
more and more fond of him. She changes her stubborn opinions about love and allows herself to learn to love Brandon. After they marry, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters maintain close ties and a “strong family affection.” Elinor and Marianne
enjoy happy marriages as well as a close relationship with each other.
✳️ ESSAY ✳️
Unit : 3 & 4
The old man and the sea
by Ernest Hemingway
✴️About Ernest Hemingway:
Ernest Miller Hemingway (/ˈhɛmɪŋweɪ/ HEM-ing-way; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was anAmerican novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated
style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized for his adventurous
lifestyle and outspoken, blunt public image. Some of his seven novels, six short-storycollections and two non-fiction works have become classics of American literature, and he
was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Born : July 21, 1899
Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Died : July 2, 1961 (aged 61)
Ketchum, Idaho, U.S.
Notable awards : Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1953)
Nobel Prize in Literature (1954)
✴️Themes:
1) Pride and determination :
Here is the theme of pride and determination. In these themes Santiago's pride becomes his
tragic flaw and after the shark destroys the marlin then he apologizes to his brother.
However pride motivates his to overcome the 84 days of misfortune. The theme of pride and
determination are the source of greatness.
2)Perseverance:
The theme of perseverance in the old man and sea since 1952 bringing man and fishtogether. The old man's battle of strength, but battle of wills. Endurance becomes a way we
connect the old age with incredible endurance.
3)Suffering :
In The Old Man and the Sea this theme is mentioned a lots. Because when he catching a big
fish that time he suffered a lot and other people tells him unlucky by their arguments he suffering from that. He suffered also from physical pain.But for Santiago suffering is necessary because step in his battle with the fish. When he battles with fish in the sea at that time he stuggles a lot but he fails in his battle that time he suffered a lot. In this the old man
is feels pain in the end. We can say him that he is a good fisherman.
4)Strength and the skill :
The theme of Strength and skill are interesting themes in the old man and the sea. Because
in this novel physical strength is as important as skill and experience. The old man may not be as strong as in his youth, he is old here, but he makes up for it and we see that he has
knowledge of sea and his fishing Prowess. Skill and strength are required for fishing. In the old has these both themes and he also proved it in the novel.
5) Memory and the past :
This theme is a dominant theme in this novel because we know that memory is overlaid with correct action. In the past something happened badly it is used to comment on the present.
Here we talked about the memory of Santiago. His memory of the lions is a constant motif. This is significant point that they are from his past.
6) Defeat :
In end this theme is mentioned. In the novel this is persistent question by the end the story. We can say that old man is defeated with his situation. In the end this question is raised in
our mind that was the Old man defeated? The old man identifies something is broken in his
chest. But defeat implies the breaking of one's spirit. It is spiritual act.
7) Isolation :
The theme of isolation is more we can see in life of Santiago. He lives alone and he feels loneliness very much. He lives isolated from most people. In the novel we see during his time on the sea. The isolation theme defines that that he was in his life. It is emphasizes theunique nature of his character. In the novel old man suffers from loneliness. But it is necessary to his battle with the fish on the Sea.
8) Man and the natural world :
In this novel old man is unique and better in his relationship to and understanding for the natural world. He sees birds as friends and the shark as personal enemies. Santiago
examines the relationship between turtles and jellyfish between his fish and birds. We see in the lions function, in this discusses about the national order of things.
9) Hunger :
The theme of hunger is the hunger of fish. In the novel the old man is described as almost
super human in eating pattern. His eating is very little and not at all. He does not refer to
hunger as pain but he talks about hunger of fish not his own.
