Life and Death Battle: A mythological Archetypal study of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea

Abstract

This research explores the theme of Life and Death Battle in Ernest Miller Hemingway’s novella The Old Man and the Sea, which was published by Life Magazine in 1952 in Cuba. The study attempts to interpret archetypal symbolism through the analytical mythological approach, utilizing the lens of Carl Jung’s psychoanalytic theories, especially his notion of archetypes. This literary work is a thought-provoking text rather than a simple story. The thematic concept is clear in the fisherman’s character, who confronts a life-and-death battle, willing to achieve his goal during his journey. This paper seeks to study the archetypal symbols by connecting them to more universal patterns that go beyond literature itself in general and the desires and anxieties of humankind in particular