Solitude and its Language Manifestation in Ernest Hemingways the Old Man and the Sea: A Psycholinguistic Inspection

Abstract

Santiago, the old man in Earnest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea fishes alone in a small boat in the Gulf Stream and for almost three months he fails to catch a single fish, which entices him to embrace the challenge to go out too far not to be back until and unless he succeeds in catching a big fish. Solo he goes far out leaving the smell of the land behind and baits his hooks deep in the sea. His solitary waiting begins thereby and he watches birds as well as flying fishes. But the thing most needed to accompany him is his language, of which he makes a successful display through his unattended thoughts, expressions and utterances. He talks to himself, to the birds, to his hands, and to the fish he ultimately succeeds in hooking. The linguistic presentation that the old man demonstrates in his solitary days and nights while he struggles with Marlin, the fish he catches expresses a great deal regarding the conjunction between solitude and language. This article regards that the psychological standing the old man holds during his utter loneliness deep in the desolate sea has much to do with the kind of thoughts and language exposures he produces. Accordingly the researcher gives critical perusal to the novella and intends to delineate the prevalent inter-connection between solitude and language in the light of psycholinguistics.