Saying Less, Meaning More : Linguistic Simplicity and Subtext in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea

This thesis examines how emotional meaning in The Old Man and the Sea is created through restraint rather than explicit psychological explanation. Through close readings of two scenes from the novel’s opening, the study analyses how syntactic economy, rhythm, pauses, and limited focalization shape meaning without naming emotion directly. In a second step, these observations are tested through a literary experiment. A previously written prose passage is revised in two stages: one marked by extensive reduction, and one in which selected orienting elements are reintroduced. The comparison shows how different degrees of omission affect emotional clarity and reader orientation, with particular attention to contemporary youth prose. The study suggests that linguistic simplicity functions as a demanding formal practice rather than a shortcut, requiring a careful balance between reduction and structure.