Old Man and the Sea, The

by Ernest Hemingway  |  Grades 9-12  |  Lexile 940

Hemingway's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal--a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss.

Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature. Ernest Hemingway did more to change the style of English prose than any other writer in the twentieth century, and for his efforts he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Hemingway wrote in short, declarative sentences and was known for his tough, terse prose. His classic novella The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953.

Available Teacher Guides, Novel Units, Lesson Plans, and Activities for The Old Man and the Sea: