The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
- Lexile
- 940L
- Grade range
- Grades 8–12
- Age range
- Ages 13–18
- Pages
- 128
- First published
- 1952
- Genre
- Novella
- ISBN-13
- 9780684801223
About this book
An aging Cuban fisherman, Santiago, struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Hemingway's Pulitzer Prize-winning novella — cited in his 1954 Nobel commendation — is a near-universal 8th-11th grade text for teaching Hemingway's iceberg style, symbolism, and the code hero.
Themes
- perseverance
- pride
- defeat
- nature
- aging
Content notes
- violence (animal)
- physical suffering
Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.
Where this book is assigned
No curriculum assignments on file yet.
Similar grade-level books
Common questions
- What grade level is The Old Man and the Sea?
- The Old Man and the Sea is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 8–12, with a Lexile measure of 940L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of The Old Man and the Sea?
- The Old Man and the Sea has a Lexile measure of 940L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- Is The Old Man and the Sea banned in schools?
- The Old Man and the Sea does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does The Old Man and the Sea explore?
- Central themes in The Old Man and the Sea include perseverance, pride, defeat, nature, aging. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.