hemingway code hero essay

Hemingway’s Code Hero in The Old Man and the Sea. Traits & Definition

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Introduction: What Is a Code Hero?

Santiago as s code hero, code hero, hemingway, and grace under pressure, how is santiago a hero in the old man and the sea, conclusion: santiago as a hemingway code hero, works cited.

Ernest Hemingway, a modernist,the author of The Old Man and the Sea , The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell To Arms, etc presents unique characters in each of his literature compositions. Referred to as the Hemingway code heroes, these characters portray stringently enforced laws of behavior, which allow them to live up to the richness of their lives. Hemingway sets a good illustration of code heroes. These are not people bearing occult powers or people campaigning for truth or justice.

To solve the misconception, Hemingway sets in with his The Old Man and the Sea, featuring Santiago, an aged angler and an epitome of code heroes. Santiago displays many code hero qualities, including the three essential code qualities of honor and integrity, grace under pressure, and determination to succeed.

Santiago lives his life with honor and integrity. With this quality, he passes for a code hero, as the author illustrates. He is a man who knows well that respect is two-way traffic, and for him to be respected, he ought to respect others in return. However, according to him, it matters less whether he will gain respect by the end of the day.

All he knows is that he bears the obligation to respect people as well as their decisions. Though aged, he enjoys the company of the young boy, Manolin. On one fishing occasion, Manolin tells Santiago, “And the best fisherman is you…No I know others better” (23). This drives home the point that Santiago is a man of honor, not necessarily in the field of fishing, but in life in general.

He deserves credit as the boy puts it. In his struggle with the fish, Santiago, as Hemingway’s code hero in The Old Man and the Sea , utters words that point out his level of integrity. He respects and loves, not only people but also animals. ”Fish, I love you and respect you very much…But I will kill you dead before this day ends” (Hemingway 54).

In addition, he uplifts the dignity of all people, despite their differences. He symbolically says that all of them can fish to show how he respects their varied capabilities. Building on these deductions, it is inferable that honor and integrity form part of Santiago’s life as one of the main values.

Santiago displays grace under pressure when he tries to catch the marlin and get it back home. It costs him his time, energy, and a good deal of patience to make the catch. Although he finally makes a catch, it proves hard for him to draw it into the boat. However, he does not give up. His eyes are set only to his goal, a token of grace. In fact, as his hands and fingers ache because of his struggle to pull the marlin, “He rubbed the cramped hand against his trousers and tried to gentle the fingers” (Hemingway 60).

The gentling of the fingers is the sign of grace during the pressing situation of his hands. In another case, Santiago symbolically graces himself with the words, “But I must have the confidence, and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel” (Hemingway 68).

He strives to imagine a day when he will be as great as DiMaggio, who is a famous baseball champion. He is his model, and therefore, even if pressed by life’s circumstances, as his fishing, he knows that he can pass for a great person. Thus, the author qualifies in developing the character of grace under pressure as possessed by code heroes like Santiago.

According to Hemingway’s code hero definition, this is a person who possesses courage the determination to succeed, Although Santiago has not caught a fish for a very long time, he sails to the sea every day and is determined to succeed in the catching. Even after sailing far in the sea without making any catch, he never gives up. “Everything about him was old except his eyes, and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated” (Hemingway 49). His wide-open and cheerful eyes in his old age show how he is determined to live and not to die.

When he catches the huge marlin fish, it pulls him for three consecutive days and nights, but Santiago does not let go of it. In addition, the blood that the fish smears on the seawaters attracts other predators that fight to take the fish from the hands of Santiago. In response, he fights them back, killing as many of them as possible.

In the process, he says, “I’ll fight them until I die” (Hemingway 115), words that reveal his determination to succeed in taking the fish off the sea. In his claim, “…a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (Hemingway 103), which is no more than a sign of his determination. Therefore, Santiago bears the code hero characteristic feature of being determined to succeed.

Santiago has the important code hero traits of honor and integrity, grace under pressure, and determination to succeed. Hemingway qualifies in defining a code hero.

Technically, he drives away the prevailing misconception about code heroes. The aged angler carries the day through the way he stands as an illustration of code heroes. Though aged, he stands out as a man of honor and integrity. He owes respect and love to all, whether young or old.

Moreover, as an angler and considering the struggles he encounters, he pictures grace in every pressing situation that comes his way. He manifests his determination to succeed when he decides never to let go of the marlin despite the other fish, which try to pull it out of his hands. To sum up, He exemplifies a Hemingway code hero.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea . New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2005. Print.

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Hemingway Code Hero

Hemingway’s code hero is defined by a static set of characteristics. These characteristics remain essentially the same throughout all of his novels, though each of these code heroes is expressed differently. This code hero is someone who after facing too many problems is able to withstand all trials. He is free-willed, self-disciplined, typically an individualist and lives up to the richness of life. He knows that in the end, he will lose because we are all mortal, but he believes that the true measure is how a person faces death.

According to Hemingway, the Code Hero as a-

man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful.

We find this particular set of characteristic in Santiago (The Old Man and the Sea) , Frederic Henry ( A Farewell to Arms) and Jake Barnes ( The Sun Also Rises) .

Table of Content:

• Santiago: Hemingway’s Code Hero in The Old Man and The Sea
• Frederic Henry: Hemingway’s Code Hero in A Farewell to Arms
• Jake Barnes: Hemingway’s Code Hero in The Sun Also Rises

Santiago: code hero in The Old Man and The Sea

The Old Man and the Sea as the title implies, tells about an elderly man named Santiago, a fisherman. His greatest adventure took place in the sea. He has this small boat and he goes out in the sea together with a boy. He’s old but still looks cheerful and unconquered. He lived in this shack all by himself. Thanks to the boy who has been his companion.

Santiago, our lead character , had been in the ocean for 84 days but was unsuccessful in catching fish. Because of this, the boy’s parents stopped him from staying with Santiago. The boy had his own boat and later on, the boy became more successful than Santiago. But he still cares for Santiago. Every now and then they meet and share their good times together. Baseball is one of the topics they enjoyed talking about.

On his 85th day in the ocean, Santiago never gave up. He never lost hope considering the length of time in his pursuit for a really big catch. Then he decided to go much farther in the sea in search of this fish. Time came when the bait of his harpoon seemed to have trapped something in it.

It seemed difficult to pull. And Santiago was right. He caught a fish 18- foot long. Something more than what he was expecting. But there was a problem: How to load this fish on his boat? The fish was strong that he couldn’t do anything but let himself be pulled by this fish. He was determined not to let this opportunity go. So he endured everything just to hold on the fish line so as not to let the fish go away. How he really wish that the boy was right there by his side seeing this great adventure.

When finally he can pull the fish back home, unfortunately, along the way, sharks were following him. He wrestled among these sharks. He defeated the sharks but still lose the battle when he found out that the 18- foot long fish had been almost eaten up by the sharks.

Is Santiago an example of a code hero ? Santiago had endured many problems in the story. Even from the beginning up to the end of the story, problems never left Santiago. He was patient in facing each problem because he has this strong sense of faith that somehow all these things happening to him shall come to pass.

It looks impossible but the author makes it seems possible for many things to happen. Santiago wanted to prove that although he was well advanced in years, he was still a good fisherman.

He battled the elements of nature. He doesn’t look in his weaknesses but focus on his strengths. He believed that he could catch many fish. Though Santiago had faced several misfortunes in his life, he was hoping for something good to happen. He experienced being ridiculed, but he just kept going. He was willing to risk his life. He battled with sharks out of his determination to bring home the prize of his labor, in complete pieces.

In spite of the many misfortunes, Santiago was an appreciative person. He admired the strength of the 18- foot long fish. He believed that every man is born to succeed in life, not to experience defeat. Applying what he believed, Santiago was very sorry for the fish because it too, should not experience defeat. This also showed that Santiago had a soft heart. He was concerned not only for his life but for others’ life, too.

With these characteristics could we consider Santiago a code hero ? A big yes for that! With everything that happened, with the attitude he showcased, Santiago was a qualified Hemmingway’s code hero . Santiago’s attitude towards life was the key to his success.

The story can be compared to a child animated story of a heroic adventure that captures our imagination. It is a story on courage and endurance in times of troubles. Hemmingway used simple characters yet with outstanding characteristics; a simple setting yet with a great story to tell.

The author gives life to his code hero on a man like Santiago. The mood of the story is a bit serious but a good sense of humor can also be observed. The story will surely make us explore the possibilities of our imagination. With Santiago’s character , we can say that everything is possible to achieve if, like Santiago, we have the guts, determination, skills, and correct attitude in facing the world’s challenges.

Frederic Henry: code hero in A Farewell to Arms

Ernest Hemingway‘s 1914-1918 autobiographical novel, A Farewell to Arms, takes place on the Italian front during World War I. Frederic Henry, the main character , is a young American ambulance driver for the Italian army during the war. He is extremely disciplined and courageous, but feels detached from life. Rinaldi, a surgeon and friend of Frederic’s, introduces him to an English nurse named Catherine Barkley. Once introduced, Frederic discovers a capacity for love that he never knew he held.

They begin seeing each other frequently, but keep it secret for fear of the army getting involved. While they were dating Henry was hurt in the war and sent to another hospital away from Catherine. Throughout the novel Frederic changes from an innocent, young soldier to a Hemingway code hero . Critics gave the term code hero to Hemingway’s novels because of the exact characteristics of writing each has. A code hero is one who is a brave man of action, knowledge, stoical, and a strong survivor. Frederic’s change into the code hero is displayed through his change in the way he looks at life and war.

His experiences show that life is a trap and there is no hope for happiness. In the beginning Frederic exhibit’s few characteristics of becoming the code hero . His views on life and the war are extremely naive, innocent, and idealistic. Early in the book he is more of a spectator to the war because he only notices his surrounding’s, but misses the effects of the situation he is in. When talking about the war and the epidemic of cholera that has come through, he says, “? Only seven thousand have died. quot; This illustrates his innocent perception of the war because he doesn’t acknowledge how many people have actually died. Without understanding the reality of his surroundings he forgets that he too can die from the war. When the Italian army decides they must attack, Frederic must then leave for the battle site so he will be capable of getting anyone who is injured or killed. On his way he begins to notice the elegance of the countryside. This shows that his views of war are still idealistic through the fact that he still takes time to admire the beauty of the area around him.

He still doesn’t see the destruction of the war that is happening right before his eyes. At the front, while setting waiting for the attack, he begins a conversation with another ambulance driver named Passini. Frederic makes patriotic comments to Passini by defending the fighting and commenting that defeat is worse than war. Frederic gets hungry and goes after a piece of cheese. He insists on eating with the other soldiers in an attempt to bring fairness and equality to the army. This is impossible because of the rank status of officers compared to soldiers.

He sits down on after getting the cheese and at that moment a shell goes off sending a bright light in front of him. At first Frederic thought he was dead because of the pain, but the blast had sent shrapnel heavily into his leg. After being taken to hospital and looked at Frederic has surgery done to his knee. He is then put on leave for the summer to let it heal. The bomb that had injured Frederic killed the other ambulance driver, Passini. This reality marked the beginning his of conversion into the code hero . This conversion however, is not brought by just one event.

Later on, once Frederic has returned to the war, one of his men, Aymo, got an ambulance stuck in the mud. At this point Frederic had taken on two engineering sergeants. He orders them to help cut brush to free the car but they both refuse. They begin to walk away and Frederic fires three shots and takes one of them down. Bonello, another member of his crew, goes and finishes off the wounded sergeant. This shows how he slowly begins to convert into the code hero because it represents his courageous character in the fact that he takes any challenging matter into his own hands.

Also, once back on their way to rejoin the rest of their people, they must cross a bridge into what has already been claimed German territory. On their way across shots are fired in their direction and Aymo is hit. They move to see where he was shot and Frederic says, “His head ought to be uphill. ” They then notice that he has been shot in the back of the neck and the bullet pierced through under the right eye. Once Aymo is dead they turn around only to find that the Germans did not fire the shots, but that it was the Italian’s. Frederic is now beginning to see the destruction f the war. His idealistic views are converting to those of the code hero . People play a part in the transformation of Frederic into the code hero as well. His friend at the base, Rinaldi, has a very cynical outlook on life. This outlook has the idea that life is a trap and there is no hope for happiness. Rinaldi begins to lead Frederic into a perspective much like his own. One example is when he and Rinaldi are talking about the war and what has happened since Frederic has been on leave. Rinaldi says, ;But now, baby, it’s all over.

I don’t operate now and I feel like hell. This is a terrible war baby. You believe me when I say it?. ; Rinaldi’s view of life is being exposed to Frederic. Frederic is understanding that life really is a trap and that nothing will bring happiness. The only thing that keeps him from becoming the code hero is his love for Catherine. But she too is teaching him cynicism. She shows him the importance of courage in life and gives him the idea that you must be strong to fight through life. When Frederic is introduced to her views, they teach him to believe in them.

Another example of Frederic’s conversion is when he plays a game of billiards with a man named Count Greffi. Count Greffi teaches him the importance of surviving. He tells Frederic that you must value life and what it gives you. Frederic understands this concept and that pushes him even more toward becoming the ccesarean ode hero . Frederic’s conversion into the code hero is finalized in the end of the novel. Catherine begins to go into labor and they must go to the hospital. They find out from the doctor that her pelvic bone is too small to have the baby.

Therefore they must do a cesarean section. A baby boy was delivered, but never had a heartbeat. He was choked to death by the umbilical cord. Once Frederic finds out he begins to talk to himself about the child and says, “But they killed you in the end. ” Frederic is referring “they” as life and the hopelessness it holds. Also, during the same part, he starts talking about his life and says, “I wished the hell I’d been choked like that. No I didn’t. ” This shows the characteristic of being a survivor. He knows life is inevitable and that he must survive.

He then finds out that Catherine is hemorrhaging and that she is going to die. He goes in to see her, but her speech was limited. While he is there she says, “I’m not a bit afraid of it. It’s just a dirty trick. ” Her cynic outlook on life proves that life is no more than a trick. During her last moments, Frederic is very unemotional. He has acquired the knowledge that life is an uphill struggle, which must be experienced alone and is inescapable to man. This proves his cynic outlook on life, and finalizes him as the code hero .

Jake Barnes: code hero in The Sun Also Rises

Jake Barnes in T he Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is an American veteran of World War I who lives and works in Paris as a newsman. Jake Barnes is the typical Hemingway Code Hero in this novel, but he does fail to meet certain aspects of the code. First, he is not a man in the traditional sense of the word. Due to a wound in WWI, he is essentially sexless. The Hemingway code hero indulges in all aspects of the word pleasure, mainly those of alcohol and women. Second, he breaks the Hemingway code by violating the trust of another man, especially when he violates it for a woman.

He introduces Brett Ashley to Pedro Romero, the famous bullfighter, against the wishes of his friend and fellow bullfighting afficionado, Montoya. However, in many ways, Jake Barnes does meet the standards of a code hero . He handles his liquor well, and he loves hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. He has faced death, and is not afraid of it. Jake is also disillusioned with life after surviving WWI, like many young adults after the First World War. Behind the traditional concept of the code hero lies the disillusionment of the ‘lost generation’ of younger people, resulting from WWI.

The code hero has to create a new set of values and concepts, because the traditional ones embedded in Christianity had not saved man from catastrophe . The Code hero had to find a place, then, that was not dominated by these precepts. Many members of the lost generation found this refuge in Paris, as did Jake Barnes. The spiritual values of code heros were not Christian; they essentially believed that there was no afterlife after death, so life must be experienced to the fullest.

If facing total oblivion after death, the response of the Code hero is to enjoy all kinds of physical pleasures: to drink excessively, to have frequent affairs, to eat fine food, to indulge himself in any and all available sensuous pleasures. A code hero may drink, but he may never lose control of himself. Jake, even when drunk, is lucid and in control.. A sloppy drunk shows a lack of discipline, an essential characteristic of all code heroes. The Hemingway man enjoyed outdoor sports, such as hunting, fishing, bullfighting. Jake enjoys all of these.

After declining Robert Cohn’s invitation to South America, he mentions big game hunting in Africa. While vacationing in Spain, he and his friend Bill Gorton relax and fish along the Irati River in Basque before attending the bullfighting festival in Pamplona. During their time in Basque, they live close to the earth, fishing and hiking through the hills. This “roughing it” concept is also a characteristic of the code hero . But one of the most defining aspects of the code hero , and Jake, is how he deals with death and dying. He must avoid death at all costs, because it means the end of life, but must not fear it.

The test of a Hemingway hero is how he performs under pressure, or in deadly situations. Jake enlisted in the army, was shipped overseas and injured accidentally. He wasn’t hurt during a romantic battle against a ruthless foe, but during an accident. Jake sees this as a flaw, and it is one to the Hemingway design. According to the code, men must face death in extraordinary situations and overcome it. Jake is not entirely a man, thus not making him entirely a true code hero . He is sexless, therefore not meeting the classical definintion of what it means to be manly..

He must find other ways to define himself by using moral pose, and to behave honorably and well. He fails to do this during the novel, betraying the trust of his friend Montoya, who asked Jake to keep the bullfighter Pedro Romano away from alcohol, women, and Americans. In order to give Brett what he believes is the perfect surrogate to himself he introduces two and leaves, feeling the shame of his actions as Montoya watched him. The innkeeper avoided him for the rest of the festival, signifying that their friendship was over.

This failure makes Jake human, and gives him a chance at redemption. In conclusion, the classic Hemingway code hero is defined by his views of death and how he reacts when facing it, and how he lives his life in response to his conception of death and the afterlife. Jake fits the mold the Hemingway code hero because he is of the lost generation and lives the Hemingway lifestyle : expressing yourself in actions, not words, writing, enjoying the outdoors, living life richly, but he diverges in certain aspects of loyalty to male companions and in the fact that he is not truly a man.

Hemingway Code Hero Essay

Table of Contents

Introduction

Almost omnipresent in each of Hemingway’s works, the central characters of the story possess an all enduring human, preferably a man, who strives to correctly, who follows the ideals of honor and courage, perseverance and endurance in a world that is extremely disorganized, most stressful, and plainly morbid and painful.

What is Hemingway’s Code Hero in Literature?

To understand more about the concept of Hemingway’s Code Hero, we have to understand the time and context of his writing, i.e. a historical interpretation of his novels.

The Impact of World War 1 on Hemingway’s Writings

When people of the world and especially American modern state were in a state of disillusionment with brought about by the war, Hemingway created the concept of a hero who has abandoned the old traditional values of Christianity while forming new values for himself which are although similar to Christianity yet still very far from employing the word – Christian ideals , for the old values and Christian ethical systems didn’t stop men from barbarous monstrosity inflicting upon fellow human beings.

So, Hemingway pondered over some principles which were based upon a sense of order and discipline which would endure in all circumstances. 

What are the Rules of the Code Hero?

Hemingway’s hero has an evolved idea of the world and its functions. The action of key heroes is based on the concept of Death. The idea of death doesn’t scare the characters as Christian values do.

They believe in living – a life whilst savoring all the joy and sorrows without the idea of a hereafter, such as the character Santiago lives in his magnum opus, The Old Man and The Sea .

Hemingway’s Code Hero in Old Man and the Sea

Critics have termed Santiago including other characters from other novels as a Code Hero because although he is living a difficult life, his faith remains unshaken; his patience intact; his hope soaring higher than ever.

He is not shown as a Christian person yet he is brimming up with the Hemingway-ian principles of order and discipline. He lives in abject poverty but has always some food and shelling to spare for his young mate who helps him in fishing.

He is a compassionate old man yet with invincible faith of catching a fish even after going without a catch for 84 consecutive days. And yet he doesn’t cry when the large fish which he fought so hard while catching gets eaten away by other fishes when bringing it ashore.

And that’s exactly what the contemporary general readers liked about Hemingway’s characters. His way of living in the present. Not letting his past days to affect his spirit. 

Hemingway Code Hero Characteristics

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The Concept of ‘Code Hero’ From Ernest Hemingway

Intently associated to the idea of stoicism is the “Code Hero,” a phrase used to explain the main character in a lot of Hemingway’s novels. The characters of the code hero within the early stage are mainly aimless, pessimistic and inert whereas within the second stage, the code hero exhibits a form of unconquerable spirit that allows a person to behave like a man, to claim his dignity in face of adversity.

On this phrase, “code” means a set of rules or guidelines for conduct. In Hemingway’s code, the principal beliefs are honor, courage, and endurance in a life of stress, misfortune, and pain. Usually in Hemingway’s stories, the hero’s world is violent and disorderly; the violence and dysfunction appear to win.

The “code” dictates that the hero act honorably amid what might be a shedding battle. In doing so, he finds achievement: he becomes a person or proves his maturity and his value. The phrase “grace under pressure” is commonly used to explain the conduct of the code hero.

Hemingway’s definition of code hero is:

“A man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that’s sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful.”

He measures himself by how nicely he handles the troublesome conditions that life throws at him. In the long run, the Code Hero will lose because we’re all mortal, however the accurate measure is how an individual faces death. He believes in “Nada,” a Spanish phrase which means nothing. Together with this, there isn’t any afterlife.

Usually , they’ve an analogous living atmosphere, personality, life expertise and the good potential hidden of their inside heart. Whether or not they’re soldiers, bullfighters, hunters or fishers, aside from loneliness, all of them should fight with adversity, violence, failure, and death. Their physical and non-secular potential is stimulated within the most dangerous confrontation. And this potential evokes substantial power from them. Nevertheless, this power might be destroyed by the a lot stronger social and pure forces.

Read About: The Concept of Authentic Existence in Existentialism

The code hero or heroine (like Catherine Barkley) should carry out his or her work nicely to create a form of personal meaning amidst the higher meaninglessness. Nonetheless, life is crammed with misfortunes, and a code hero is understood by how he endures these misfortunes. Finally, the code hero will lose in his battle with life because he’ll die. However all that matters is how one faces death.

If a person faces death bravely, then he becomes a man, however he should repeat the method, continuously proving himself, till the ultimate defeat.

The Hemingway man was a man’s man. He was a person concerned in a substantial amount of drinking. He was a person who moved from one love affair to a different, who participated in wild game hunting, who loved bullfights, who was concerned in all of the so-called manly actions which the standard American male didn’t participate in.

All through a lot of Hemingway’s novels, the code hero acts in a way which allowed the critic to plan a specific code.

• He doesn’t discuss what he believes in. 
• He’s a man of action rather than a person of theory.

Behind the formulation of this idea of the hero lies the fundamental disillusionment caused by the First World War. The delicate man realized that the old ideas and the old values embedded in Christianity and different moral systems of the western world had not saved humanity from the disaster inherent within the World War.

A foundation for all of the actions of all Hemingway code heroes is the idea of death. The concept of death lies behind all of the character’s actions in Hemingway novels.

Traits of Code Hero

• Despairing braveness.

The code hero is often clearly aware of the inevitable difficulties that life throws to him. Probably the most useful spirit is the exhibiting of braveness when dealing with despair.

• Strong Willpower

When confronted with danger and death, heroes endure excessive pain and loneliness with the strong willpower, exhibiting grace and dignity.

Almost each Hemingway’s work has a failed ending. Barns, Captain Henry, Santiago all lose every little thing. The actual meaning of those characters is their sustaining of honor regardless of the doomed failure.

• Admitting the concept of nada

Implies that no exterior source outside of oneself can present meaning or goal. This existential consciousness additionally entails dealing with death without hope of an afterlife.

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The Concept of Authentic Existence in Existentialism

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Hemingway’s Code Hero in The Old Man and the Sea. Traits & Definition

1. introduction.

In Hemingway's writings, he often uses the unconventional hero who is placed in an inhospitable and harsh environment. The Old Man and the Sea is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway. It adopts the third person point of view. This novel has been received enthusiastically by the critics and held in high esteem among the world's literary works. The hero of the novel is an old and skilled fisherman named Santiago who has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish. According to the plot of the novel, Santiago spends all his time in the sea and he does not have a family to be responsible for. He has an apprentice named Manolin who respects him and helps him in his life. Santiago has a strong faith and he believes in the principles of Christianity. He has the pride to be someone of code and the determination not to give in although the circumstances are at the worst. When he goes fishing for the eighty-fifth day, Santiago finally catches a very big fish, "I am a strange old man," he said. "But are not you of so great a kind of a strange old man and aren't you worried with your worth's." This not only makes him feel victory but also regains his pride and confidence. Throughout the novel, it is clear to see that Santiago possesses many of the Code Hero's characteristics. For example, he shows a way of "grace under pressure" in the most difficult situation. He not only maintains his resolve and determination in his action of trying to catch the fish, but also fights the natural forces like the sharks. Also, in a scene when his hand was cut, Santiago concerns more about the way his action could affect the fish and he responds to his painful cut in a quietly suffering manner. He always shows courage and bravery because "No one should be alone in their own" which means everyone needs to fight their own battle and not fear the obstacles even when the situation is so terrible. Hemingway's Code Hero covers the principal ideals of life: honor, courage, and endurance in a misfortunate life with hope and fear. Although Santiago is living in a brutal and difficult era, the traits of his "personal code" and respect for "the dignity of a man" help him find the meaning of life and make life valuable even in the worst times of his lifetime. The hero features in a rich and diverse culture. The authors use different situations and settings of his hero to explore the main ideas and ideologies of a particular society. Hemingway is a "code hero" because he follows a specific type of "manhood" code that consists of grace under pressure, strong and disciplined, dignity no matter the circumstances, honor without verbalizing, persistence to achieve a goal, loyalty, and the avoidance of life with "self-consciousness." Hemingway's knowledge and personal experiences in his life and the way he describes the hero's opinions and moral values through his hero's actions in the novel, also by the combination with the accurate description and the interpretation of the true meanings of a Code hero forms a novel that is full of the enlightenments of society and the reflection of the life of a real human being.

1.1 Background of Hemingway's Code Hero

The Code Hero was a set of characteristics that Hemingway created and followed in his works. The Code Hero was the framework to the ideal Hemingway hero, and it was these qualities that helped the hero to keep a stiff upper lip when facing a misfortune. The concept of the Code Hero is a set of characteristics that include honor, courage, and endurance in a life of stress, misfortune, and pain, and the principle upon which the life of the Code Hero is to be constructed is a life of the endeavor to face the vicissitudes of life with fortitude and dignity. The idea of the Code Hero was born in the "Hemingway hero"; in 1934 Ernest Hemingway defined the Code Hero as "a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful." Hemingway's heroes particularly embraced this principle of the Code Hero; they constructed life based on their honor and dignity helped by their courage and endurance. Such behavior must come from instinctive faith and not from intellectual conviction. The person who could demonstrate and is capable to live with the Code Hero spirit would act as a man; for example, the man would never leave the wounded on the battlefield. Rather, he was taking the greatest risk in his life to live the purpose of the Code Hero, yet helped the wounded and demonstrated his dignity.

1.2 Definition of Hemingway's Code Hero

The definition of Hemingway's code hero is a recurring theme in Hemingway's novels. In "The Old Man and the Sea," Santiago, the old man, is the quintessential Hemingway code hero. The concept of the code hero is a long-standing principle in Hemingway's writing and in "The Old Man and the Sea," Santiago's behavior and actions around others, the sea, and his long-held and now invincible marlin embody Hemingway's definition and attitude of the code hero. A way of life is identified, which has a pattern of conduct that is common to all Hemingway's code heroes. This pattern of conduct is divided into four different ideals: grace under pressure, honor, courage, and endurance. Santiago is a worthy hero with his ability to bridge the gap between younger and older generations, his love and respect for the sea and its creatures, and his revered maintenance of an ordered life and an understanding of his place in the world around him. He also shows Hemingway's code hero in a way that represents a very tribal gesture: by symbolizing the people he loves through his struggle. His struggle not only develops size and strength but also leaves people guessing his fate as well and brings people to cheer. He does the same thing by trying to end his struggle in unison with the fish's death. When he kills the fish, it is a sign of unison between the two ages and casts, which is another demonstration of him rounding his struggle into a representation of his beliefs and values. In "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway shows Santiago's honor, resilience, hope, and much faith in his life. It emphasizes Santiago's strong faith and hope in life: he is old but still powerful and not weak at all. He teaches that no matter how old a man is, he can still be powerful. Hemingway calls this "hero lifetime." Also, Hemingway shows that a hero does not need to be special, strong, or beautiful. He can be someone like Santiago, who is old with his weak body, but with strong and special inner qualities, such as honor, courage, and faith. And this can bring immortal reputation and glory to one's whole life. Through the way Hemingway gives Santiago's struggle, the way he ends his struggle, the reasons why he calls the struggle "not disgrace," and the way he demonstrates the relationship between Santiago and the fish, readers learn that Santiago is a Hemingway code hero who has his own beliefs and values. The value that he lives and shows in the struggle gives readers of different ages a good sense by seeing Santiago as Santiago and getting to see the real him. Because he is the stranger, older, and different at the beginning and the fact that he shows up in the struggle provides a good example of his beliefs and values, which give readers an overall image for a Hemingway code hero, too. By showing the code hero in Santiago, Hemingway tries to give readers some messages through his story. He conveys that, though the code hero might be an outsider in his surroundings, his beliefs and values can make the connection between him and others. He also wants to tell that the code hero is the foundation of human's life and the code hero despises the modern life which does not have principles and personal integrity. Last but not least, he wants to describe one of the intangibles of life which is struggles. Through the story, Santiago's struggle not only shows his qualities as a Hemingway code hero but also reflects the struggles that everyone has to face in their life; though it might not be as big and tremendous as his, it's still required same qualities and has the similar importance to every individual.

2. Traits of Hemingway's Code Hero

Hemingway's code hero is a person who lives correctly by demonstrating honor, courage, and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful. Santiago, the main character in The Old Man and the Sea, is a classic novel written by Ernest Hemingway. Santiago symbolizes the code hero through many of his actions. Hemingway himself defined the code hero as "a man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful." He measures himself not by his victories over the marlin and the sharks, but by the way that he endures his pain and overcomes it. Santiago's independence and self-reliance are in a class of their own. The story tells us that even as a weak old man, he still sails out into the sea and fights for a living. In the first 48 hours since Santiago first got on board to fish, he alone is capable of capturing the giant marlin, kill it and sail the boat back to the shore. Hemingway wants to tell us that a code hero doesn't need others to help him; he has to carry through his endeavors by himself. The reason why Santiago's marlin is extremely tough and challenging lies in the fact that not everyone has the independent nature and the amount of courage as Santiago does. Santiago is portrayed as a man who has outstanding control over his feelings when faced with physical pain or danger, evident through Hemingway's description of his struggle on the boat and his battle with the sharks. Hemingway uses the moment when Santiago shouts "Ay". The word "an" is omitted and the sentence ends suddenly with an exclamation mark, implying that Santiago manages to hold himself back as the cry is neither expressed impulsively nor allowed to disrupt his focus.

2.1 Independence and Self-Reliance

Finally, Hemingway's code hero shows traits of independence and self-reliance. The code hero is often a loner, someone who does not need the company or camaraderie of others. He is self-sufficient and capable of handling the problems and challenges that life presents. Santiago chooses to live in isolation. Even though he helps and is helped by other fishermen, he refuses to give up his independence. After his epic struggle with the fish, Santiago even takes it a step further and refuses to accept any easy money by working for the tourists that come to fish in the waters where he has his epic battle; instead, he chooses to keep his old friend and go out on the ocean again in the hopes of catching more fish. This sense of self-reliance and living for the day perhaps underlines Santiago's attitude and approach to life, showing the reader that he is not someone who lives for tomorrow or yesterday. He is independent and self-sufficient and has the courage of his own heart and convictions. His hope and determination in the face of crushing forces represent the steadfast conquest of life; this is the hope that steels Santiago as he struggles with the marlin and the sharks. It is the knowledge that he alone controls his destiny, free from the influence or the concern of others, which allows Santiago to embrace the struggles and challenges of the world with direct and honest conviction. And it is this pure, unencumbered living which positions Santiago as the perfect Hemingway code hero. Every move that Santiago makes denotes an incredible self-reliance that few other Hemingway characters truly possess. As such, it is undeniable that Santiago is indeed the epitome of what Hemingway would call a code hero. Every aspect of his character is based around one profound concept: independence, and throughout the novel "The Old Man and the Sea", each struggle that Santiago is faced with acts to reinforce this fundamental characteristic. He lives his life in a way that would disgrace nothing. He maintains his sense of self throughout the novel, right to the very conclusion when he is in that internal tragedy in the boat after the sharks have destroyed his fish and he is engaging in that epic battle. He lives with pride; this is the epitome of Hemingway code hero independence. He is what every man should be. He does not live his life according to other people and he is not driven by fame or money. Every action that he takes is his decision and his alone and this kind of purism in his character, a lack of corruption or of other opinions tainting his mind, is what makes him such a definitive code hero character. Every choice he makes is his own. Every move he decides is right today, not necessarily for tomorrow. And most important, he does not let the outside world, represented symbolically by the tourist industry that threatens to consume his identity as a fisherman, influence the manner in which he lives his life. Santiago stands as the ultimate definition of Hemingway's code hero and it is via his unfaltering struggle against the malign forces of nature and his trophies won with a gracious hand that it is evident such a meaning is obtained.

2.2 Stoicism and Grace under Pressure

Moreover, the stoic nature of the Code Hero enables the development of two other key Hemingway ideas: grace under pressure and the concept of the hero. The phrase 'grace under pressure' denotes the ability to control one's feelings and to maintain composure in the face of difficulty. This was a phrase oft-repeated by Hemingway, and a concept that he used to embody his ideal of heroism. Grace under pressure is a uniquely human quality; one which Santiago embodies in his battle against the marlin. It is this that makes him a 'real' hero, in the Hemingway sense of the word. The idea of the 'Hemingway hero' began in his first classic, "The Sun Also Rises", and continued through it is a prototype that follows the writer later on. Critics seem to agree that Santiago is the ideal Hemingway hero: free of any constraints outside of his own behaviour and ethics, and able to perform to his full potential even under his self-imposed habitual suffering and given that the novel unfolds over such a short period of time, he matches the qualities of a typical Hemingway hero. He is never far from what he can control and he is always performing to his best. And even at the very end, when acknowledging that he had garnered "greater love for the fish", we remain in awe of the fortitude and control he has in his limited environment. In other words, "The Old Man and the Sea" depicts Santiago's struggle and suffering through the perfect example of the Code Hero. His thoughts and behaviour serve as an 'instructional manual' for the ideals of honour, bravery and endurance, a constant and typical mainstay of the Code. The development and successful portrayal of the Code Hero in "The Old Man and the Sea" help to create a deeper and more meaningful novel. In the novel, Santiago behaves with the highest tenets of the Code: of independence, and stoic endurance, and certainly seems to act – at the very last moment – with what could only be described as a 'grace proper'. Hemingway even extends these behaviours across Santiago's physical and mental life, so that Santiago becomes a canvas by which the stereotypical and thematic Code Hero is drawn.

2.3 Honor and Integrity

Additionally, in living up to the Hemingway’s code hero idea, the code hero has respect for himself. His self-esteem is dependent upon his belief in the lives. It is his philosophy, his way of life that causes Santiago to maintain his self-esteem. He refuses to steal as he has too much self-respect and he does not wish to become a pity to empathy of others, even from the boy. This explains his refusal of the boy’s charity of getting some sardines from the tourists, as proven in the lines, "Thank you... But a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated." His honor can be described as the way of asking for pride and attention. Santiago has the pride and this was shown by the old man’s 84 days without fish, and this concept of honor was socially accepted in the novel’s community. The novel ends with the greatest heroic act in life as Santiago perseveres in catching the big marlin without giving up. The marlin and fish of the same kind were referred to as the sharks' friends. The battle continues until the end, and now Santiago does not only battle for his pride, but also for the freedom, the freedom of an individual as a man. That is why at the end Santiago does not only take pride in catching the biggest fish he ever seen in his life, but also gained freedom and respect from the society.

2.4 Resilience and Perseverance

Similar to the other Code Hero traits, Santiago's resilience and perseverance are shown comprehensively throughout "The Old Man and The Sea". For instance, when he is fishing, Santiago perseveres through numerous days of not catching fish. Instead of passing his time by doing something else, he decides to be patient and wait for the day a fish will eventually come to his bait. He also shows resilience when he admits that the fish is cleverer than him and therefore needs to do something cunning in order to catch it. This shows that Santiago is able to face defeat and still continue with his endeavors. However, Santiago's most clear demonstration of resilience is his never-ending battle with the sharks. Even though Santiago knows the sharks are going to attack his prize marlin, he continues to fight them off until the very end. Santiago's comments while fighting off the sharks include, "You tried to kill him many times... you do not have to be cruel. I am not a cruel man" and "He is holding something in his mouth and I cannot pull it out. The hook is too far inside" (Hemingway, 92), shows that Santiago is being fierce while at the same time being caring, a really hard task to do. By the time Santiago returns to the shore, his hands are covered with dried blood and "there were two heavy sacks of something that the man carried behind his boat" (Hemingway, 127). These demonstrate that Santiago has shown a really remarkable example of perseverance in a really hopeless environment, never giving up on how to overcome difficulties. This further supports Hemingway's ideal man; not only that a Code Hero has to show bravery and skill in facing a crisis, he also cannot lose hope and confidence towards his life goal. From Hemingway's point of view, these ideals serve as a direction for the people who are not so sure about themselves or have some kind of confusion in their minds. Through the character of Santiago, Hemingway is arguing that human will is a very powerful thing. And when a man is able to endure physical and emotional sufferings with his head held high and still be hopeful, he implies a sort of hero that can set a goal without uncertainty in his mind and keep striving. And that is a true man would be. These illustrate that Santiago has once again fulfilled the traits of Hemingway's Code Hero.

3. The Old Man and the Sea: Analysis of the Code Hero

Santiago, the protagonist of Hemingway's novella The Old Man and the Sea, is almost universally considered to be a code hero. Indeed, the novel revolves around Santiago's quest to show that he is still a capable and worthwhile person despite his age, and not only does it show that he defines himself by these characteristics, but it shows he views them as requirements for any worthy person. In other words, Hemingway uses Santiago's travails as a sort of metonym for the human condition and human ideals. The novel itself is written in a characteristically spare and journalistic prose. Yet the very first chronological description of Santiago, which we get essentially in the beginning of the text, is almost decadent in the rich exuberance it takes in describing Santiago's person and the potential for him as a fisherman. Such evident love and admiration from both the author and the young boy, Manolin, who practically worships Santiago, set the old man apart as someone deeply superior to all else around him. Santiago's philosophy and thought on life and death are also clearly made available throughout the novel. A major hallmark of the code hero is moral integrity; Santiago certainly possesses this trait. The very fact that Santiago will either force the marlin to tow the skiff or he must hold it up with his two hands at all times is proof enough of both Santiago's honor and integrity. However, perhaps a more telling example of the integrity under maximum adversity possessed by Santiago is shown during his battle with the sharks, first menacing his great fish and then actually ripping it off the line, piece by piece. Santiago feels real concern over the fish, mentioning several times how he is sorry for it and its pain. Despite all his pain and suffering and ultimate loss, Santiago's thoughts are unswervingly with the fish, not himself. Finally, from Santiago's thoughts and life, we can piece together a definition of a code hero provided by Hemingway in one of his letters: "Under duress a human is magnified like a face under a lens, and the code hero, too, is magnified. The code hero takes nothing for granted and leaves nothing unexamined. He will take pain, the shame of defeat, and hatred, because one does not get the great and the beautiful without also getting the small and the mean." This is Santiago, blown up to the proportions of a god in this final passage, showing that he is very much a code hero. He has become, in this difficult experience, something better and more powerful than he had been before because he had endured it and, ultimately, overcome it.

3.1 Santiago as a Code Hero

Santiago, the protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea, has been considered by many to be a perfect example of the Hemingway Code Hero. Created by American novelist Ernest Hemingway, the Code Hero is a masculine ideal that embraces tough, macho qualities, self-control under extreme pain, and relaxed individualism in life. As the creator of this unique code hero, Hemingway himself is considered also to follow this way of life. The term "Hemingway code hero" is also due to the way the main character in many of Hemingway's novels best illustrates the qualities of bravery in the face of stress and the eventual "grace under pressure". In The Old Man and the Sea, it is pretty interesting that Santiago has been considered to be the perfect example for 'code hero'. Santiago lived, like Hemingway's code hero, with 'grace under pressure'. He also defeated the sharks as well as the big fish. It seems that Hemingway does suggest in his book that humankind can have some encouragement under this 'nada' world – through the creation of such a "code hero". Hemingway himself, in a letter to Bernard Berenson, a scholar friend, once mentioned that "I was trying to write then and I found the greatest difficulty, aside from knowing truly what you really felt, rather than what you were supposed to feel, and had been taught to feel, was to put down what really happened in action; what the actual things which produced the emotion that you experienced". Santiago, in living out the last 48 hours of his encounter with the giant fish in such unbearable condition, demonstrates one of the Hemingway code hero's principal - 'grace under pressure'. There are a few scenes in the novel that show Santiago had to face numerous agonies - yet, he had the ability to remain calm and retain his control over his mind, even he himself knew that there was no way to defeat these torments. The main theme and the core connection between Santiago and Hemingway's code hero is that both of them have their own beliefs and ways of facing their tough lives, yet never give up in their hearts. In 'real life', pressures are just like the sharks: no matter how much blood they have smelt, it is always "not that they are going to eat him, but to test. They will eat" someday. Santiago cannot defeat the sharks, so as Hemingway. However, the creation of the Hemingway code hero suggests to us that – never lose heart, no matter how much difficulties and despair have been brought up on us. Grace under pressure will help to develop encouragement yet 'nada' world will never be vanished from our lives. It is really just like the way Santiago has to face the 'nada'. Creator fierceness, harsh like findings yet it can be disregarded; and strive for the delight found in a satisfactory life.

3.2 Examples of Santiago's Code Hero Traits

Santiago's humility and humbleness are expressed through his simple life and the guiding principles he follows. In old age, Santiago is religious and worries about the things in the physical world. He wishes to fulfill others and keep away from sin. He feels equally answerable to God and society for his movements and behaviors. With religious humility, Santiago endures in limits of growing old and deteriorating frame and postpone miracle of a first-rate catch. He always displays admire and sympathy for the fish he catches. His compassion in the direction of marine creatures suggests that he acts less out of self hobby and extra out of actual difficulty for those beings. Between him and the fish, there is a deep belief and mutual recognize which is ringed with the aid of using information and friendship. It is Santiago's fantastic internal electricity and backbone to play against the struggles that make him fulfillment to turn out to be a heroic parent in the novel. He accepts suffering and crisis without being broken and constantly we could freshness of sea breeze heal deep wounds in frame and soul. His stoic employer withinside the whole novel suggests the reader approximately how to recognize existential plight. Aesthetic life continues anew no matter damage and misfortune. Many critics argue inside the novel Santiago is an idealized model and manifesto for Hemingway's personal views that actual decoration is living with dignity and honor in an global full of necessary butchery and harshness and courage. Santiago's behavior and moves can be visible out of a code of conduct. He has inner regulation, tried and tested approach of behavior that gives a sense of purpose complying with a normal or norm which has to maintain and represent. He treats fishing as a job and lives with dignity, having a willingness to show courage and adorn in ridiculousness. As he gave Joe DiMaggio the entirety he had bodily and mentally and nonetheless chose to clutch for the excellence, Santiago encouraged himself closer to the triumphing of unbeatable human spirit. Also, Santiago encourages the relationships with the environment and the alternative creatures. He obeys the sea, catches without over exploitation and well-known the herbal limits of life. The marlin is his nice friend. He loves the marlin as a brother that he deserves to combat face-to-face. As a baseball fan, he appreciates Joe DiMaggio's class and talent. At the equal time, Santiago takes the pain as personal. He triggers the procedure for their complex friendship; from time to time he's the grasp of nature, successful and merciless. Some different times, he's humble and treat the sea and the fish with kindly and mutual respect. By showing grace under pressure, harmony between man and nature may be established. Last but now no longer least, the ones topics of Santiago's moves shows the everlasting impact on Hemingway's philosophy and literature. Hemingway has loved the beliefs of stoicism in his writings and perhaps taken it into his personal existence. Stubborn kins with courage and self-discipline, grace under strain and code hero's living are principal theories in his philosophy. Therefore, through Santiago, the novel affords a take a look at of man's internal hardship and potential to serve as his personal determinant of his worthwhile or unworthy existence. He offers the reader a deeper insight into the human condition and "encourages to combat the ones personal internal battles.

3.3 Significance of the Code Hero in the Novel

The significance of the code hero in Hemingway's novels is the subject of many critical essays. The Old Man and the Sea is no exception. In fact, some of the critical essays are more interested in the philosophical and religious ideas of the novel. However, two principal themes remain in this work, and this makes a great impact on our understanding of the code hero. These themes are the relationship between suffering and the code hero and the interaction between the code hero and nature. Among all the people in the novel who suffer, Santiago becomes the most reliable example of the code hero in this perspective. His story and the image of a noble and suffering human soul struggling against the unbeatable forces of the world are used by Hemingway as a concrete example of that philosophy. He represents the ideal of the code hero, as Ernest Hemingway himself defined it. In the climactic fight between a man and a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream, Santiago shows a combination of courage, patience, and determination that are the mark of a great person and, indeed, a hero. The marlin also signifies the interaction between the code hero and nature. When Santiago finally gives the fatal harpoon, he apologizes to the fish because he observes it as his brother who is suffering from the same hand of fate. In other words, Santiago shares the same painful and meaningless conclusion of the struggle of life. He expresses his empathy to the marlin, even if he has to drive a harpoon through its heart. The marlin also shows the awe-inspiring force of the natural world. In this moment, Santiago's era, a small boat sailing in the immense water and people's acts of greed, pride, and individual struggle are being diminished and belittled by the great nature. By aligning his work with the natural world, Santiago becomes a hero in dealing with the agony and threat of his existence. Hemingway creates a world where the code hero makes a philosophical way of reaching solutions to life, identifying the importance of literature and effecting it. In the end, this novel offers a deep and wide variety of topics which are studied in the class of literature and, no doubt, nearly all of the readers will have a unique and systemic understanding of the definition and life pattern of the code hero in the novel.

4. Conclusion

Throughout the novel, Santiago continues to exhibit the code hero's traits. His solitude, his robust determination, the way he endures the physical suffering and his mental suffering, the manner in which he carries on his arranged plan with the colossal marlin, his fortitude to confront the sharks passing on no disgrace, what he does with the stick is consistent with the qualities of the code hero. The sharks have won in the worldly sense Santiago has lost the incredible marlin yet the hero has driven off the sharks then he gives an offering to the hungry ones that is an attention to others that makes him outwardly a human loving person. This is the thing that makes Hemingway immortal as an author. He takes the ageless topics – agony, love, death, fellowship, and so forth and epitomizes them in the regular exercises of a solitary individual: a whiz fisher who battles a monster fight against a massive marlin. At that point, Santiago turns into Hemingway's artist. Old Santiago resembles a flawless saint; he faces such a large number of powers. He fears the devastate yet he likewise adores and comprehends them. Such aspects said above approved the proposition expressed here. The affirmation is made through the investigation of Santiago's discourse, contemplations and activities. His life has neither contended nor satisfied; rather it is for satisfaction in what he does and battling in the continuance of bearing which gives Santiago magnificence and never yields. One who exists in such way is free in soul – man's soul is the attribute of God's soul as per Hemingway. Such perspectives are included from the particular impacts of Ernest Hemingway and his composition. Indeed, even the genuine variables have little impacts on his work. It is singular decision or vocation gaps, condition of craftsmanship and great taste all appear to have little to do with the genuine Hemingway in essence. This lastly demonstrates the producer's own particular therapeutic technique. God makes the faculties, creative energy and reason however diversions the shrewdness. Such is the result of Santiago's hard however empty life.

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Santiago as Code Hero in Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea

The phrase "Code Hero," is used to describe the main character in many of Hemingway's novels. In this phrase, "code" means a set of rules or guidelines for conduct.Hemingway himself defined the Code Hero who "offers up and exemplifies certain principles of honor, courage, and endurance which in a life of tension and pain make a man a man." So, the Hemingway Code are a set of characteristics for the characters in his works. ............ Most of the critics regard Santiago as the finest, most developed example of these code heroes. The qualities of courage, humility, and dignity in the face of defeat define a Hemingway hero. ............

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Research Paper

SMART M O V E S J O U R N A L IJELLH

Abstract Ernest Miller Hemingway is acknowledged as the most significant writer of the 20th century American literature. The passion of his life was to write absolutely truly with no faking or cheating of any kind. The causes of alienation are enumerated by extracting the influencing factors like anxiety, despair, loneliness etc. The term alienation has been used over the ages with varied and sometimes contradictory meanings. In The Old Man and the Sea “The old man is a character isolated from people – and in fact from the world of humans entirely – in his time on the sea. This isolation defines who he is, and emphasizes the unique nature of his character. Hemingway always puts his heroes in difficult and dangerous situations where they have to face death and destruction. They have to struggle hard and bear pains that display their courage, bravery and the power of endurance. In this novel Hemingway further explored the themes of man meeting challenges and struggling alone, showing extreme determination and courage in face of the defeats, and living with “grace under pressure”. Key words: Alienation, isolation, nature, death, destruction

Hemingway Review 32.2

Gregory Stephens , Janice Cools

Along with "Feeding Tiger, Finding God: Science, Religion, & 'the Better Story' in Life of Pi," this was written soon after departing Jamaica, and initiates a body of work re-visioning human-animal relations. Readings of The Old Man and the Sea include ecocriticism, religious readings based on Christian iconography, or Afro-Cuban religion and Taoism, and interpretations revolving around baseball. Revising the view that Hemingway used "Old Man" to revise his code of “grace under pressure,” we consider how men manifest this grace when facing defeat or old age. Drawing on post-humanist scholarship and rhetorical criticism, we argue that Hemingway articulated an ethic of heroic humility. We explore this in three registers: 1) Santiago’s dependence on the boy Manolin; 2) Feminizing the sea and a respectful engagement with a feminine presence; 3) Interspecies kinship—brotherhood between man and animals, as well as with nature.

TJPRC Publication

The Humanities play a significant role in shaping students into better human beings. But the shift towards technical skills has reduced the importance of Humanities subjects. In this globalised world of science and technology, Humanities subjects can still hold their premise as they bear a humanist value. What is required is a slight readjustment of the praxis. Students inclined to pursue science and technology courses still require the study of the Humanities as part of their job requirement skills. The skills also include critical thinking skills and life skills that can be acquired through Humanities. These skills contribute to an effective management of the self in a highly competitive world. The other areas of development are creativity, articulateness, leadership, innovation, team work and so on.

ĐẶNG THUÝ ANH

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Marwa Almas

Abstract Ernest Miller Hemingway is acknowledged as the most significant writer of the 20th century American literature. No other American writer has ever equaled the popular success and worldwide reputation off Ernest Hemingway. His prose style is universally recognized as one of the innovative of 20th century literature. Hemingway writes of what he knows of his own experience. His writings are honest, direct and clear. The aim of the present study is to make a comprehensive analysis of alienation in the selected novels of Ernest Hemingway. The causes of alienation are enumerated by extracting the influencing factors like anxiety, despair, loneliness etc. The consequences of alienation are studied. This study will focus on the four of Hemingway works: The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. These fictions will be examined with two purposes in mind: first, to view the alienation and its consequences of the characters and second, to observe the mental status of Hemingway. Key Words:Alienation, loneliness, influencing factors

Faiz Sathi Abdullah , Shahzad Ahmad

The Old Man and the Sea (henceforth, TOMS) represents Hemingway’s Sisyphean struggle of a lone man that is characterized by “a peculiar simplicity and lucidity that stem from a drama stripped of its essentials,” in which the protagonist is “engaged in an isolated, repetitive struggle that must end in defeat” (Eddins, 2001, p. 70). In as much as the term “Sisyphean” refers to almost endless and largely ineffectual efforts against insurmountable odds, “as a reductio ad absurdum deep in the scheme of things, that Camus’s Sisyphus battles in pushing his boulder up the hill” (p. 70), TOMS may appear so to the idealistically inclined eye. However, it is argued in this paper that the somewhat dystopian worldview briefly outlined above may not be what Hemingway intended as his real message, as it were, in TOMS.

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Code Hero In Farewell To Arms

A Farewell to Arms is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway. The novel tells the story of Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver serving in Italy during World War I, and his love affair with Catherine Barkley. A Farewell to Arms is considered one of Hemingway’s finest novels and is often cited as one of the greatest war novels of all time.

The novel is based on Hemingway’s own experiences as an ambulance driver in World War I. Like Frederic Henry, Hemingway was stationed in Italy and was involved in the fighting on the Italian front. The character of Catherine Barkley was based on Agnes von Kurowsky, a nurse who cared for Hemingway while he was recovering from his injuries.

One of the most distinctive features of A Farewell to Arms is its spare, unemotional prose. Hemingway wrote the novel in a terse, minimalist style that was heavily influenced by his experience as a journalist. The novel’s spare style creates a sense of detachment and emptiness that reflects the bleakness of the war.

A Farewell to Arms is also notable for its exploration of the code hero archetype. The code hero is a figure who embodies the ideals of masculinity and heroism. Frederic Henry is a classic example of a code hero; he is strong, brave, and self-reliant. He is also willing to risk his life for his beliefs and values. Hemingway’s depiction of the code hero is one of the earliest and most influential examples in American literature.

A Farewell to Arms is a classic novel that explores the nature of war and masculinity. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Hemingway or in World War I history.

The novel progresses through the hardships of war. Frederic and his fellow soldiers are stranded in a forest on the front lines for weeks, living in harsh conditions with very little food or water. Eventually, they are able to make their way back to the Italian lines. However, Frederic is injured in an ambush and is brought back to a field hospital. Catherine travels to be with him, but he eventually learns that she has been killed by the Spanish flu. A Farewell to Arms is ultimately about Frederics journey from detachment and despair to finding love and connection in the midst of death and destruction.

Hemingway’s code hero is a character who embodies many of the characteristics that Hemingway himself prized: bravery, discipline, strength, and courage. The code hero is also often quite detached from his emotions and the rest of the world, living by a strict moral code that allows him to maintain a sense of control in difficult situations. Hemingway’s code heroes are often tragic figures, who find themselves in impossible situations and must make difficult choices.

They represent Hemingway’s ideal of the man who lives by his own rules and accepts the consequences of his actions. A Farewell to Arms is a perfect example of a novel featuring a code hero. Frederic Henry embodies all of the qualities that Hemingway prized, and he must overcome many obstacles in order to find love and redemption.

The Code Hero, according to Hemingway, is “a guy who lives virtuously, according to the ideals of honor, valor, and endurance in a world that is frequently chaotic, stressful, and painful.” He benchmarks himself against how well he does in the tough circumstances that life throws at him.

The Code Hero is stoic and unemotional, never asking for help or sympathy. A Farewell to Arms showcases the strengths and weaknesses of the Code Hero.

The novel follows Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver serving in Italy during World War I. When Frederic is wounded and sent to a hospital in Milan, he meets Catherine Barkley, a nurse who falls in love with him. However, their happiness is short-lived; Catherine soon discovers she is pregnant, and Frederic is shipped back to the front lines. They continue to exchange letters during his absence, but eventually Catherine dies during childbirth.

Despite the tragic ending, A Farewell to Arms is ultimately a story of hope and survival. Frederic manages to escape the horrors of war and build a new life with Catherine’s child. The novel demonstrates Hemingway’s belief in the strength of the human spirit and the ability to overcome even the most difficult circumstances.

The Code Hero is ultimately a tragic figure, doomed to suffer and lose everything he loves. However, his stoicism and determination offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dark world. A Farewell to Arms is a classic example of Hemingway’s writing style and his exploration of the Code Hero.

While they were dating, Henry was wounded in combat and was transferred to a different hospital away from Catherine. Frederic evolves from a naive, young soldier to a Hemingway code hero throughout the novel. Critics coined the phrase “code hero” for Hemingway’s novels because of the similar traits exhibited in their writing. A code hero is one who is courageous, knowledgeable, stoical, and resilient. Frederic’s metamorphosis into a code hero is shown through his evolution in how he views life and war. His experiences demonstrate that life is a trap with no chance of pleasure.

A Farewell to Arms is not only a story about the love between Catherine and Frederic, but its also a story about Frederics growth into a code hero.

One quality that Hemingway code heroes share is their bravery. A Farewell to Arms displays this through Frederics actions in war. He is constantly fighting and trying to survive despite the dangers around him. For example, after Frederic returns from his first leave he discovers that most of his friends from school have died in the war: This made me very sad and I couldnt cry (Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms 15). It is clear that Frederics exposure to death at such a young age has hardened him and made him less emotional.

The horrors he experiences in the war also numbed him to the point where he is no longer able to feel love or happiness. This is displayed when Catherine tells Frederic that she is pregnant and he does not react with joy like most men would: Youre making me very happy, but I dont feel happy. I feel terrible (Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms 222). Frederics lack of emotion could be due to the fact that he has seen so much death and destruction that he no longer feels any positive emotions.

Despite the emotional numbness that comes with being a code hero, they are still able to have deep connections with others. For example, Frederic and Catherine have a very close relationship despite the fact that Frederic is not able to show his emotions. Catherine is the only person that Frederic can open up to and talk about his feelings with.

He trusts her completely and she is the only person who knows about his true thoughts on the war: You know I never talk about anything serious, but I want to tell you this. Dont ever make me go through another offensive like that (Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms 259). This shows that even though Frederic is a code hero, he still needs someone to connect with emotionally.

Another quality of Hemingway code heroes is their knowledge. A Farewell to Arms displays this through Frederics understanding of the war. He is able to see the bigger picture and understand why things are happening.

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Home > Theses & Honors Papers > 359

Theses & Honors Papers

The evolution of the hemingway code hero.

Anita C. Crutchfield , Longwood University

Date of Award

Degree type, degree name.

Master of Arts

First Advisor

William L. Frank, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Ellery Sedgewick, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Massie C. Stinson, Ph.D.

Recommended Citation

Crutchfield, Anita C., "The Evolution of the Hemingway Code Hero" (1983). Theses & Honors Papers . 359. https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/etd/359

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Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway

The hemingway code in the novel the snows of kilimanjaro alexander potako college.

The Hemingway Code is the set of characteristics that comprise the male characters in the writer`s works. In fact, the personages, created by Ernest Hemingway, perceive the world in terms of the hyper-masculine moral code that determines the manner of their behavior. However, the strong beliefs that characterize them as the full-fledged men can be described as a sort of the psychological wound, which inevitably results in the negative consequences, such as moral suffering and intentions to prove their manhood. In the scope of the current essay we are going to analyze the utilization of the concept of the Hemingway Code in the novel The Snows of Kilimanjaro , focusing on the character traits of the main hero, his manner of life, and the psychological state.

First of all, it is important to highlight that the Hemingway Code Hero is a symbol of the exceptional masculinity rather than a real individual. In general, the personage of such type possesses the number of the typical male character traits, which underline his masculine nature. For instance, the Code Hero is a person, who is popular among women and has numerous love affairs. Harry, the central character of the novel The Snows of Kilimanjaro , who recollected the major events...

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Santiago: A Code Hero

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Hemingway’s Code Hero: Survival in the Existential World

Introduction

            The idea that heroes exist has long been present in literature. The famous works of Grecian and Roman writers, poets and lyricists which contained majestic adventures of heroes who had to battle it out with foreign enemies or legions of monsters have been stamped in the minds of the people and even have influenced other literary works. For example, who could forget the famous Trojan horse and the bravery of Achilles who played a major part in defeating the Trojans? In more modern works, who could forget the courage and tenacity of Harry Potter who had to face different enemies each time and eventually coming face to face with Lord Voldermort himself? Heroes and their quests have been emulated, copied, acted, re-enacted and even turned into action figures and video games. This is most probably because heroes are living a “larger than life” life, one that is so different from reality that children and adults cannot help but be magnetized into their own world, adventure and magical weapons.

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However, there are also protagonists who appear to be un-heroic but who are really heroes. These type of heroes appear in the more somber and serious literary works like in the case of Ernest Hemingway whose heroes are rather tragic, emotional and very unconventional. In this research essay, the idea or concept of Hemingway’s hero and the certain principles or conduct that the hero lives by will be portrayed and discussed—with the belief that the hero’s code in Hemingway’s works focuses on the dignity that the hero portrays while living in the harsh realities of the real world.

The Concept of the Hero

            When the famous Russian folklorist by the name of Vladimir Propp first studied the concept of hero, none could have prepared for what his theory would mean. Because of Propp’s study on the attributes of fairytales and eventually what makes the hero a hero, the world soon realized that there are things which are common among myths, legends, folklores and epics throughout the world when it concerns the characteristic of the hero as what Wilfred Guerin et al. discusses in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. Ranging from the Homeric epics to the more modern sci-fi, it was quite evident that heroes had certain norms when it concerns their adventures, characteristics and even their fates. But what stands out among these characteristics is the notion that the hero has a sense of honor or dignity when faced with adversity, whether it was facing dragons to save the damsel in distress or to continue a fight with an opponent’s back not unturned, it was obvious that hero, under all circumstances must have his code of honor. Like the Japanese warrior or samurai who has the bushido way of thinking, all heroes, whether tragic ones or epic ones, would rather die with their honor intact rather than lose that honor and emerge victorious.

Hemingway’s Life and His Concept of Hero

            The heroes portrayed in Ernest Hemingway’s works are of no exemption to this concept. Through the many different themes, settings and characters that Hemingway has imagined and written in his literary works, it was quite evident that his hero’s only code is that of dignity. Many other literary works portrayed the heroes as being larger than life with many positive attributes and characteristics that would make it so obvious that the hero is only imagined and could never exist in real life; Hemingway believes otherwise. Hemingway believes that a person can only become a hero when he has survived in the real world. Like Hemingway, his characters have to show tenacity amidst adversity and above all, they must show dignity.

            Ernest Hemingway’s life was full of turmoil and strife. Among his works, it is A Farewell to Arms which showcases the life he had once as an ambulance driver on the front during the First World War as what Bryant Mangum writes in Ernest Hemingway:

In 1918 he joined an American ambulance unit in Italy, where he was wounded.  In a Milan hospital he met Agnes von Kurowsky, who became the prototype for Catherine Barkley in A Farewell to Arms. (n.p.)

This novel which centers on the driver’s blooming relationship with a British nurse is bittersweet as the two are pushed and pulled together and apart as the war happens around them. The end is tragic as Lieutenant Henry loses both his wife, Catherine Barkley and their child. It not only A Farewell to Arms which is patterned after Hemingway’s life, his other novels like For Whom the Bell Tolls and even The Sun Also Rises are derived from his personal experiences during the World War I. This could explain why Hemingway’s heroes are surrounded by many adversities and yet, they always manage to emerge victorious in the end in the most unconventional ways. Unlike the usual hero portrayals found in literature where he manages to acquire great wealth or kingdoms, marry the beautiful damsel in distress who turns out to be a princess or even have the whole world celebrate his greatness and bravery, Hemingway’s heroes end up in melancholic tragedy that they not only lose the heroine in the end, they manage to lose everything except their dignity as a man. Thus, it can only be deduced that above all worldly possessions or wealth, it is dignity which Hemingway esteems above all—and the different heroes in his literary works and their code of honor proves it.

The Portrayal of the Hero in Hemingway’s Works

            Ernest Hemingway has written many novels, plays, essays and short stories which have become renowned in the literary world, even to those people who have no interest with literature. This just means that Hemingway is one of those prized literary figures which have created masterpieces that developed the literariness of literature. Among those works, it is the short story A Clean and Well-Lighted Place, the novel The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, and the novella The Old Man and the Sea which hold great weight and relevance to the essay’s thesis. First, it is important to characterize Hemingway’s heroes based on their attitude and attributes and with A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises which both exemplify the hero of Hemingway.

A Farewell to Arms

            The novel A Farewell to Arms is set against the Fist World War and which features the ambulance driver, Lieutenant Frederic Henry as a the hero and the heroine as Catherine Barkley as the British nurse. It is Henry who is narrating the story and it is also his perspective who is uses in the novel. Thus, the judgment passed to everything and everyone can only be through his own opinions. In the beginning of the novel, readers catch a glimpse of how Henry is before he met Catherine. Henry is very passive and unassuming even a little boring. He was very self centered who put his own conditions, frustrations and desires first before asking or inquiring about the things that his comrades need. It can be concluded therefore that Henry was a person who can even be ignored and not thought of compared to other characters. Rinaldi seemed even more passionate and exciting than Henry and even the young priest that Henry meets is more hero material due to his wit, intelligence and moral principles. And yet Hemingway chooses Henry was the lead and as the hero and he might have a reason for this. Aside from the fact that Hemingway sees himself as Henry (they were both ambulance drivers who served in the front during the world war), Hemingway wanted his characters to be so unassuming and normal they would not even be given a second thought. More like Clark Kent who manages to be unassuming, Hemingway’s hero has to be so boring that he seems so un-heroic. His characterization of the hero does not resemble the larger than life, the epic and the magnificent. His heroes do not even seem like the normal human beings that one would meet in their everyday lives. Hemingway’s heroes have to be the most boring and weird individuals who would want nothing more in their life than just one thing: Henry wants Catherine, the old man (in A Clean and Well-Lighted Place) want a glass of brandy, etc. Their desires and wants are so simple that they would be incorruptible and would be unable to harness any intentions of doing evil. This is just one characteristics of the Hemingway hero. There is another more interesting and unique feature which Hemingway instills in his heroes as it is portrayed in The Sun Also Rises.

The Sun Also Rises

            In the novel The Sun Also Rises the background of all the characters are the same—they have in some way or form, have been part of the World War I and they are on the verge of picking up their lives and restoring order. Hemingway opens up the plot with the friendship of war veteran Robert Cohn and expatriate, Jake Barnes. The most notorious character in the group is Lady Brett Ashley who is well-admired by men, even Cohn and Barnes are smitten with her. The engaged Lady Ashley has a past with Barnes while the awed Cohn chooses to pursue her waits for her beck and call. The engagement of Lady Ashley to Mike Campbell does not hinder her from sleeping around and this sets the tone for the entire novel as being wild and callous.

In the later part of the play when Barnes and Cohn decide to take a break from France and visit Spain for a fiesta, Lady Ashley and her fiancée also decide to go with them. The Lady Ashley adds another admirer to her roster as she gains the affections of Romero, a famous and young bullfighter that the group watched while attending the fiesta in Spain. Lady Ashley and Romero ends up leaving and living together making Campbell and Cohn the ones who need to accept defeat in the face of love. With all that is happening over Lady Ashley and his men, Barnes is consistently the mediator and the moral figure in the entire book. He manages to tame the temper and control the wild antics of all the characters while managing his own troubles. Towards the book’s end, Lady Ashley decides that she cannot be with anyone and “sends away” Romero with the belief that what he is doing is for his own sake and betterment. She then calls on Barnes to come fetch her and the book closes in a sweet sad moment for the two as they are together but are so separately alone.

            Like A Farewell to Arms, the characters in The Sun Also Rises have been part of the First World War with the exemption that all have lived to be wild and carefree. Though the main characters, Robert Cohn, Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley have turned out to be rather wild and passion-filled protagonists. This attitude that the characters have can only be explained by their tendency to force out the experiences and memories they had under the war. Thus, their carefree attitude, especially that of Lady Ashley, can be seen as a means to escape from the horrors of reality. This can be compared to Lieutenant Henry’s inability to focus on his duties and responsibilities as an ambulance driver in the Italian front in A Farewell to Arms. This common trait in Hemingway’s characters can be deduced as their imperfection as protagonists. Thus, this makes their existence believable and real compared to other heroes who does not seem to have any flaws and faults. In fact, Hemingway’s heroes seem to be full of faults and flaws with absolutely no redeeming characteristics: Lieutenant Henry who is a coward and passive ambulance driver; Barnes who is as passive as Lieutenant Henry but who is wild; the old man who is a drunkard in A Clean and Well-Lighted Place and there is even that young father in Hills like White Elephants who wants his own unborn son to be aborted from the womb of its mother. Hemingway wanted to portray his heroes as being so un-heroic that the readers would be compelled to be disgusted or mortified with their characteristics. However, what happens is the exact opposite as readers find themselves sympathetic to the plight of the heroes. This is the classic case of the Cinderella syndrome wherein the pitiful and the poor are portrayed to win the hearts of the audience. Unlike the typical Cinderella characters though, the hero in Hemingway’s works does not have that one redeeming attribute which would negate all their other flaws. For example, Cinderella was very kind and courteous while the heroes of Hemingway were not only pitiful, they were also rude or would be characterized with not commendable attributes. In Hemingway’s mind and world though, there is just but one thing which is of importance to the hero being regarded as the hero and this can be well portrayed in his short story, A Clean and Well-Lighted Place.

A Clean and Well-Lighted Place

            In all of Hemingway’s works, it is in A Clean and Well-Lighted Place which obviously points out the hero code found in the heroes of Hemingway. In an excerpt, the value of dignity is identified as the old man who has nothing and everything walks out of the bar with his dignity intact. Though the old man was deaf and drunk and without an immediate family to love him and take care of him, he still manages to be an inspiration to the young bartenders:

The old man stood up, slowly counted the saucers, took a leather coin purse from his pocket and paid for the drinks, leaving half a peseta tip. The waiter watched him go down the street, a very old man walking unsteadily but with dignity. (Hemingway 290)

Again, this points out to the undeniable fact that Hemingway uses such imperfect characters like drunkards and cowards but they still have their hero code about them—their dignity. As what Melvin Miles in Basic Overview of Ernest Hemingway writes, “The concept of “dignity” is both the basis and the goal of the code.  For Hemingway, dignity is the expression of true moral integrity, and it is the highest possible attainment of character” (n.p.). Like Lieutenant Henry who manages to be irresponsible over his duties and obligations as a member of the American troops (even if it was just as an ambulance driver), he does not feel dishonoured in anyway and even justifies his actions as that of logical and understandable. Since Lieutenant Henry manages to be justify his running away from his duties, he thinks that what he is doing is not wrong and even perceives it with all the dignity he can muster, as being right:

You were out of it now. You had no more obligation. Anger washed away in the river along with any obligation. I had taken off the stars…It was no point of honor. I was not against them. I was through. I wished them all the luck…it was not my show anymore. (Hemingway, “Farewell to Arms” 232).

Thus, dignity is the only thing which is important to the (past) ambulance driver. He did not even look back and considered that his running away from his comrades can be seen as a betrayal to them and can also be seen as a person who turns his back to his own country. But as what was explained earlier, Hemingway characterizes his character in a unique and unconventional way that they would seem so imperfect and even full of flaws. Again, as what Miles has written, it is only dignity which is important to Hemingway; thus, it is but natural that his heroes may be full of flaws but they need to have that one characteristic within them. The problem likes however with the question of what is it they should be dignified about. If the old man loses his drink and the bar closes down, why does he walk away with dignity when he has nothing to be proud of? If Henry loses his men, his wife and his child, what is it he needs to feel happy and dignified about? This can be explained by the concept of “nada” or nothing and the novella The Old Man and the Sea.

The Idea of “Nada”

            In A Clean and Well-Lighted Place, the waiter goes on a monologue featuring the word “nada” which means nothing: “What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread, It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is with thee” (Hemingway, “The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway” 291).  This excerpt illustrates why the Hemingway heroes are all dignified, it is because they fear nothing because there is the concept of nothingness. For the Hemingway heroes, life does not exist, death does not exist, even God and the so-called destiny of many does not exist. Nothing exists for him and his life. The abstract is unfathomable and it is only his present life and that one thing which he focuses on as being the reason to live the present life which is logical. This is where the existentialist part of analyzing the Hemingway heroes comes in. In existentialism, the individual delights in freedom and it is quite obvious that if everything else exists (laws, rules, a god) then the freedom becomes limited. Thus, if everything is nada or nothing, then there is nothing to fear as what the waiter questions and then later on declares. This concept of nada or nothingness is relevant to the hero’s dignity because this ability to fear nothing and delight in freedom becomes his basis of dignity. For example, if he should lose his face in society, then it should not really matter since society is nothing; he can, therefore, keep his dignity intact even if on the outside, his reputation and honor are already in shambles. Dignity for the Hemingway hero becomes something very personal and something which can only be created and pulled out from the individual himself. Miles once again explains why this is the case:

Though a man may be victimized and, finally, destroyed, he may yet remain “undefeated” by refusing to yield in the face of his victimization, and by confronting his sense of destruction and death with honor, on his own terms.  In this sense, as Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea says, “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (n.p.)

Thus, though the Hemingway hero meets such tragic fate and ending by the time the book or story comes to an end, he still has his dignity to fall back on as he can never be defeated nor destroyed. Bryant Mangum also presents the same argument in Ernest Hemingway. Mangum goes on to explain that Hemingway’s stories may follow the same pattern as that of the myths and epics which ends up in tragic death. This is one recurring pattern in such literary works because the lives of the heroes can only come to a full circle with their deaths. The Hemingway hero is of no exemption as the hero meets death but a dignified death. Using Mangum own words, the hero’s death becomes triumphant because there “is the knowledge that it can be faced gracefully and with courage” (n.p.).

            In conclusion, the Hemingway hero is the unconventional type of hero who manages to be very different from the usual depictions of the masculine and magnificent hero. However, like all the other heroes, the Hemingway heroes consist of that one great trait which negates his other flaws and faults. The Hemingway hero survives reality because for him, reality is nothing and he is answerable to no one, not even a divine force. Ultimately, what should be remembered though is that the Hemingway hero also finds a reason to live and exist for no matter how trivial; be it a hot meal, a glass of brandy or a woman and this is what makes the Hemingway hero a true hero—he is able to be honest to himself and fully accept that there is something he needs amidst the belief that there is nothing he should need.

Works Cited

Guerin, Wilfred et al. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.

Hemingway, Ernest. “A Clean and Well-lighted Place”. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. 288-291. Web. 24 July 2010.

Hemingway, Ernest. Farewell to Arms. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986. Print.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Scribner, 1995. Print.

Miles, Melvin C. Basic Overview of Ernest Hemingway. Web. 23 July 2010.

Mangum, Bryant. “Ernest Hemingway”. Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Ed. Frank Magill.  Salem Press, 1982.  pp. 1621-28. Web. 23 July 2010.

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The Old Man and the Sea

Hemingway’s Code Hero in The Old Man and the Sea. Traits & Definition

Introduction.

Ernest Hemingway, a modernist,the author of The Old Man and the Sea , The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell To Arms, etc presents unique characters in each of his literature compositions. Referred to as the Hemingway code heroes, these characters portray stringently enforced laws of behavior, which allow them to live up to the richness of their lives. Hemingway sets a good illustration of code heroes. These are not people bearing occult powers or people campaigning for truth or justice.

To solve the misconception, Hemingway sets in with his The Old Man and the Sea, featuring Santiago, an aged angler and an epitome of code heroes. Santiago displays many code hero qualities, including the three essential code qualities of honor and integrity, grace under pressure, and determination to succeed.

Honor and Integrity

Santiago lives his life with honor and integrity. With this quality, he passes for a code hero, as the author illustrates. He is a man who knows well that respect is two-way traffic, and for him to be respected, he ought to respect others in return. However, according to him, it matters less whether he will gain respect by the end of the day.

All he knows is that he bears the obligation to respect people as well as their decisions. Though aged, he enjoys the company of the young boy, Manolin. On one fishing occasion, Manolin tells Santiago, “And the best fisherman is you…No I know others better” (23). This drives home the point that Santiago is a man of honor, not necessarily in the field of fishing, but in life in general.

He deserves credit as the boy puts it. In his struggle with the fish, Santiago, as Hemingway’s code hero in The Old Man and the Sea, utters words that point out his level of integrity. He respects and loves, not only people but also animals. ”Fish, I love you and respect you very much…But I will kill you dead before this day ends” (Hemingway 54).

In addition, he uplifts the dignity of all people, despite their differences. He symbolically says that all of them can fish to show how he respects their varied capabilities. Building on these deductions, it is inferable that honor and integrity form part of Santiago’s life as one of the main values.

Grace Under Pressure

Santiago displays grace under pressure when he tries to catch the marlin and get it back home. It costs him his time, energy, and a good deal of patience to make the catch. Although he finally makes a catch, it proves hard for him to draw it into the boat. However, he does not give up. His eyes are set only to his goal, a token of grace. In fact, as his hands and fingers ache because of his struggle to pull the marlin, “He rubbed the cramped hand against his trousers and tried to gentle the fingers” (Hemingway 60).

The gentling of the fingers is the sign of grace during the pressing situation of his hands. In another case, Santiago symbolically graces himself with the words, “But I must have the confidence, and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel” (Hemingway 68).

He strives to imagine a day when he will be as great as DiMaggio, who is a famous baseball champion. He is his model, and therefore, even if pressed by life’s circumstances, as his fishing, he knows that he can pass for a great person. Thus, the author qualifies in developing the character of grace under pressure as possessed by code heroes like Santiago.

Determination to Succeed

According to Hemingway’s code hero definition, this is a person who possesses courage the determination to succeed, Although Santiago has not caught a fish for a very long time, he sails to the sea every day and is determined to succeed in the catching. Even after sailing far in the sea without making any catch, he never gives up. “Everything about him was old except his eyes, and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated” (Hemingway 49). His wide-open and cheerful eyes in his old age show how he is determined to live and not to die.

When he catches the huge marlin fish, it pulls him for three consecutive days and nights, but Santiago does not let go of it. In addition, the blood that the fish smears on the seawaters attracts other predators that fight to take the fish from the hands of Santiago. In response, he fights them back, killing as many of them as possible.

In the process, he says, “I’ll fight them until I die” (Hemingway 115), words that reveal his determination to succeed in taking the fish off the sea. In his claim, “…a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (Hemingway 103), which is no more than a sign of his determination. Therefore, Santiago bears the code hero characteristic feature of being determined to succeed.

Santiago has the important code hero traits of honor and integrity, grace under pressure, and determination to succeed. Hemingway qualifies in defining a code hero.

Technically, he drives away the prevailing misconception about code heroes. The aged angler carries the day through the way he stands as an illustration of code heroes. Though aged, he stands out as a man of honor and integrity. He owes respect and love to all, whether young or old.

Moreover, as an angler and considering the struggles he encounters, he pictures grace in every pressing situation that comes his way. He manifests his determination to succeed when he decides never to let go of the marlin despite the other fish, which try to pull it out of his hands. To sum up, He exemplifies a Hemingway code hero.

Works Cited

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2005. Print.

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Jotted Lines

A Collection Of Essays

Hemingway’s ‘Hero Code’ in ‘Hills Like White Elephants’ and ‘A Clean Well-lighted Place’

Ernest Hemingway, alongside Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner and John Steinbeck, is a shining beacon of the American literary scene.  He mastered both the novel as well as the short story forms.  The scope of this essay is two of his short stories – Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean Well-Lighted Place.  The two stories are analyzed from the angle of the concept of “Hero Code”, which is a recurrent theme in Hemingway’s works.

The “Hero Code”, is a set of features that typify the hero in Hemingway stories.  A character shown to exhibit this code need not be the lead character in the story, but nevertheless, his presence is quite important.  This hero will have a lot of machismo about him, not in terms of brute force, but in the general attitude he shows.  The Code Hero will be a man of action and will seldom get into philosophical discussions.  He seeks sensual gratification including drinking, eating and women.  He is fiercely loyal to a select group of people whom he strongly identifies with.  This hero is generally disillusioned about construed meanings of life and has come to recognize them for what they are.  In this world view, there is no God and there is no sanctity to life (human or otherwise); existence is constantly threatened by death and hence induces a state of anxiety and restlessness.

In the story A Clean Well-Lighted Place, we can identify the old man, who visits the café regularly as the Code Hero.  He does not have a wife and is taken care of by his niece.  He is frail due to old age, but nonetheless still derives pleasure from the ambience and brandy provided in the café.  While he stays up late in the night and drinks in excess, he is also disciplined in his own way.  For example, when he is prompted to leave the café because it is closing time, without showing any displeasure he systematically counts the glasses he drank and pays for them with a tip included.  Further, while he drinks more than is healthy for his age, he maintains his gait while walking, thereby not losing his dignity.  These are expressions of discipline too, as Hemingway implies.  And the old man certainly exhibits them.  Further, his habit of going home very late in the night is actually a sign of vivacity and life rather than a sign of dejection.  Although the old man is said to have attempted suicide a few days ago, his reprieve from death has helped heighten his sensual appetite, which is why he is back visiting his favorite café and the last one to leave it.  This facet to the old man’s personality, namely his tendency to live life to the fullest, is again, another quality of the Code Hero.

As is typical of Hemingway plots, there is always another character that aspires to live life like the Code Hero.  In the case of A Clean Well Lighted Place, it is the elder waiter who plays that role.  Being middle aged and being able to see the viewpoints of both young and old, his sympathy and admiration for the old customer is quite high. In a poignant ending to the story, he soliloquies as follows, capturing the essence of his philosophy of life (here ‘nada’ stands for ‘nothing’, ‘void’, ‘vapidity’ and a sense of disillusionment with the world)

“What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread, It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. It was only that and light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y naday pues nada. Our nada who art in nada, nada be thy name thy kingdom nada thy will be nada in nada as it is in nada. Give us this nada our daily nada and nada us our nada as we nada our nadas and nada us not into nada but deliver us from nada; pues nada. Hail nothing full of nothing, nothing is    with thee. He smiled and stood before a bar with a shining steam pressure coffee machine.” (Hemingway, A Clean Well-Lighted Place)

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