The Old Man and Sea is an account of the simple life of a less successful fisherman. Santiago is shown to be pitted against the vagaries of nature since he has been unsuccessful at snaring a fish for 84 days. Even when he eventually succeeds, his efforts at showing off his spills are thwarted by sharks who strip the fish, leaving only the skeleton behind. The Old Man is the symbol of all mankind and the Sea is the force of nature that shows us how minuscule man really is the grand scheme of things. A Farewell to Arms, published in 1929, is believed to be a largely autobiographical account of war. Using short, punchy sentences, Hemingway has recreated the rhythm of war with the repeated and excessive use of the word ‘and’ in this book. The protagonist Henry’s pain of loving and losing is dealt with the matter-of-fact poignancy with which he describes war situations as well as the personal loss of his baby and wife in the story.
