Hemingway’s “iceberg” principle of writing in relation to The Old Man and the Sea (suggested essay topic, spark notes)

Hemingway believes in simplicity of style (strangely those who apes him always end up with puerile writing!) and to prove his point he provides us the “iceberg” principle. To quote from “An Interview with Earnest Hemingway”,

“There is seven-eighths of iceberg under water for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthen your iceberg.”

He may have written the novella that runs in to hundreds of pages by adding picturesque description of Cuban landscape (remember Hardy?) or creating countless characters (of course I’m alluding to the famous match maker of literary world Jane Austen). However, his sole aim is to showcase the readers a tip of an iceberg and he does it successful by creating a piece of art that revolves around Santiago, and his tragedy in success. You have to read it with telescope on your eyes to find other characters if they exist somewhere (Pedrico, Manolin’s father, or female tourist)! With his sheer ability as a writer, he makes us to see the part of the iceberg which is inside the water. The readers never feel that, the visibility of mere tip results in hollow, a perplexing gape. Rather the act of ignoring before mentioned parts elevates his writing. Hey dearies, do you want any other proof to engrave his name with the golden letter on the sky of American literature???

(It’s true that my focus on style instead of my own interpretation of the novella.)