In the novel the Old Man and The Sea, can external conflict be a literary device? My central idea is that failure is subjective. Would internal...

In The Old Man and the Sea, external conflict can be a literary device for your central idea. The external conflict is between Santiago and the giant marlin. You could argue the subjectivity of the result of this conflict. Does Santiago win, because he manages to overpower the marlin and bring it in, or does he lose, because by the time he returns to town, there is almost nothing left of his catch? Does...

In The Old Man and the Sea, external conflict can be a literary device for your central idea. The external conflict is between Santiago and the giant marlin. You could argue the subjectivity of the result of this conflict. Does Santiago win, because he manages to overpower the marlin and bring it in, or does he lose, because by the time he returns to town, there is almost nothing left of his catch? Does he win because he broke his 84-day fishless streak by catching the biggest fish the town has ever seen? Or does he lose because he is unable to stop the sharks from eating his fish?

However, internal monologue will probably give you more topics for discussion. Santiago's internal monologue includes his internal conflict. The writing is very simple but contains layers of meaning. Additionally, the monologue style is indicative of Hemingway's style and the modernist movement in the early 20th century. Santiago's internal monologue also covers some of the other themes of the novel: religious beliefs, superstitions, and baseball, for example.

It also provides the bulk of the symbolism the story is noted for. For example, Santiago's fight is with a fish, but symbolically, it represents the fight of the downtrodden against their hurdles in reaching their goals. We don't realize it in our modern, western lives, but in countries like Cuba, many people have to fight or struggle every day just to be able to provide nourishment for themselves and their families. This is what Santiago's fish represents: the nourishment, the basic need, that many in our world have to struggle against great odds to get on a daily basis. For example, on page 76, "How simple it would be if I could make the line fast, he thought. But with one small lurch he could break it. I must cushion the pull of the line with my body and at all times be ready to give line with both hands." As in the entire novella, these sentences are very simple, but they are filled with hidden symbolism. The fishing line represents the struggle to achieve one's daily goals. People often wish their jobs were simple, or that there was a fast, easy way to get what they need. But Santiago knows he must use his body and all his energy to succeed. Cushioning the pull with his body and giving line with both hands represents putting in a hard day's labor, or physically working hard towards an end goal.

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