HEMINGWAY’S STYLE

DICTION

• In this novel Hemingway uses words in a way that are easy to understand and are very concise throughout the novel.
• “What do you have to eat?” the boy asked. “No, I will eat at home; do you want me to make the fire?” “No, I will make it later on, or I may eat the rice cold.”

SYNTAX

• Throughout the novel Hemingway seems to always stick to these very concise sentences that are almost like a staccato note in music.
• “They sailed well and the old man soaked his hands in the salt water and tried to keep his head clear. There were high cumulus clouds and enough cirrus above them so that the old man knew that the breeze would last all night. The old man looked at the fish constantly to make sure it was true. It was an hour before the first shark hit him.”