soldiers thoughts about his medals (Adventures in American Literature 649) and in Santiago’s belief that a man can be destroyed, but not defeated; which is also major theme in many of Hemingway’s writings. However, the hero varies from story to story in their realism. In “In Another Country” the characters display a more human quality of emotion, where as Santiago seems to have a super-human restraint and is always stoic. Hemingway uses most every kind of literary device imaginable in his writing. One major item is the use of understatement (Shoemaker), the quote in the second paragraph is an excellent example as is; “It is very difficult,” he said “I am utterly unable to resign myself,” (Adventures in American Literature, 651.) This quote is from an injured soldier morning the loss of his recently wed bride. The technique of understatement helps to tie in the strong will associated with the ‘Hemingway Hero.’ Another of Hemingway’s techniques is the use of very specific action verbs, these specific words help to paint a vivid picture of the activity in the scene. Yet another technique is Hemingway’s extensive use of symbolism. In “The Old Man and the Sea” some of the major symbols are; Santiago, the marlin, the sea, the ‘Great DiMaggio’ and several others. Some of the symbols meanings are simple; the sea and the marlin represent life for the fishermen, the marlin also represents both an enemy and a kindred spirit to Santiago. The meaning of Santiago and DiMaggio are somewhat more difficult to understand. They are both ‘Hemingway Heros’ with DiMaggio being the model hero and Santiago looking up to him. Santiago could also be said to represent the old ways, loyalties to friends, and respect of nature. When you truly look at the character of Ernest Hemingway he was not quite as great a man as the world believes. He was likely ...
