Comparative analysis of the influence of Ernest Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea' on Abdul Rahman Munif's 'The Unfinished Bridge

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature, Ilam University, Ilam city, Iran.

2 Master's student of Arabic language and literature, Ilam University

Abstract

Comparative literature is a branch of literary criticism that focuses on exploring literary relationships, influences, and receptivity, as well as examining aspects of correspondence and contrast between the literatures of two or more nations. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is considered a masterpiece of contemporary world literature, earning him the Nobel Prize in Literature and solidifying his position as an influential source of inspiration. The similarities between the novel The Unfinished Bridge by Saudi writer Abdul Rahman Munif and The Old Man and the Sea are so striking that they cannot easily be overlooked, prompting the assumption that Munif was influenced by Hemingway. The findings of this study suggest that Munif has been influenced by both the structural and thematic aspects of old age and the sea. At the content level, themes such as hunting, defeat, belief in luck, and various structural elements—including character development, setting description, irony, dialogue, and others—are shared closely between the two novels. These similarities become particularly non-coincidental when the author directly borrows many words and sentences from The Old Man and the Sea. The present study aims to elucidate and demonstrate the influence of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea on Abdul Rahman Munif’s The Unfinished Bridge, using a comparative French literature approach and employing a descriptive-analytical method.

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Research in Contemporary World Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 July 2025

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