... write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. It is the part that doesn't show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story. The Old Man and the Sea ... the stories I know from the fishing village I leave out. But the knowledge is what makes the underwater part of the iceberg."" (Plimpton p 126) Certainly, there are moments when the reader feels the suggestion of vast meaning beneath Hemingway's few, spare words. Santiago's beautiful and elusive memory of the lions playing on the bea...

• Word Count: 2697
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School