Theme-Rheme Framework in Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea: A Systemic Functional Linguistics Perspective

Abstract

This paper explores the theoretical framework of Theme and Rheme within Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and its relevance to Ernest Hemingway’s novella The Old Man and the Sea. Drawing on Halliday and Matthiessen’s (2014) model, the study examines how thematic structures, including topical, textual, and interpersonal Themes, organize the flow of information and contribute to textual coherence. A literature review approach was employed, synthesizing three main strands: applications of Theme-Rheme in literary texts, its role in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing, and linguistic as well as literary analyses of Hemingway’s work. The findings revealed that Theme-Rheme analysis offers valuable insights into Hemingway’s minimalist style, paratactic sentence structures, and symbolic representations, while also highlighting the novella’s suitability for pedagogical use in ELT contexts. The study identifies gaps in previous research, noting limited integration of Theme-Rheme with Hemingway studies, and underscores the framework’s interdisciplinary potential. Overall, this paper lays the groundwork for future research applying Theme-Rheme analysis to literary texts, bridging linguistic theory, literary interpretation, and language pedagogy.