review

It`s a short but thought-provoking story. It is about a fisher in San Diego, struggling for three days, eventually caught a salmon which weighed over 1500 pounds after being empty-handed for eighty-four days. However, he encountered sharks when returned, only to find little fish left when he arrived at the harbor.

It`s a tragedy about failure, courage and perseverance. As Hemingway said,” I attempt to describe a real old person, a real boy, real sea, a real fish, with many real sharks. However, if I can write lifelike enough, they can also represent many other things.” The old is a really an unlucky man, assessed as a failure. But all the misfortune beds for his battle next. Encountering such a big and strong fish, he didn`t give up, he just made every endeavor to defeat it and finally success. But an unpredictable shark made all his efforts almost in vain. It seems his efforts and insistence didn`t paid off.

Why Hemingway put the old man in such a position where he can`t success? It is obvious that his success is bound to reflect the greatness of a hero. But as a matter of fact, his struggle symbolizes not only the relation between human and nature but also the spirit of fighting. There no denying the fact that he was defeated in reality, but he won in spirit, showing human`s perseverance and courage. There is no doubt that everyone is sure to undergo failure, but what we should do next is to take a positive attitude and regather our strengths to fight with it. If you try once more, maybe you will find success awaiting you. The old man once said,” A man can be destroyed but can`t be defeated.” His words exactly reveal the implied meaning of the story, that is, everyone ought to constantly challenge our limits and be a better one.   

2017-11-16

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