The Human Condition and Existentialism in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea

The diploma thesis focuses on the main characteristics of existentialism as literary theory, which is based upon the philosophy introduced by Sartre and Camus. Ernest Hemingways two works The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea were brought to the front and I discussed the main existential characteristics in them. Consequently, a connection between the Hemingway hero and a typical existential protagonist was uncovered since they both share a similar fate of fighting against alienation and isolation in the absurd world. When juxtaposing Santiago and Jake, special emphasis was placed on differentiating the existential struggle of a young man alienated in the absurd world and the existential crisis of an elderly man in the marginal position of society.