Book Review

    When I was reading this book, I felt as if I were experiencing the life of fishing with the old man. I could see the beautiful phosphorescence in the sea, hear the sound of the trade wind and feel the hardship of the old fisherman’s life. All these elements are like the ones in our real world, which made me sense that Hemingway had abundant knowledge about biology, geography and fishing. He also had a friend who was a Cuban fisherman with a similar experience to the old man’s, which was the inspiration of the book. When we want to write something, we’d better base on true events and acquire enough knowledge on related fields.

    Plenty of psychological description makes the old man a rounder character. From his inner world, I found that he was optimistic, and always made positive self-suggestions. But sometimes, he didn’t have enough confidence, expecting the boy to accompany him. Besides, I can also sense that the old man was lonely, because he always talked to himself and different kinds of animals. But it also showed that he had respect and admiration for the animals, especially for the marlin, which was as determined as he was. After killing it, the old man felt sorry. In his point of view, the marlin was a symbol of an ideal thing and a goal to pursue, which gave him hope. In conclusion, the old man’s inner world makes him more realistic.

    From my perspective, the book is called The Old Man and the Sea instead of The Old Man and the Marlin is because of the symbolic meaning of the sea. The old man describes the sea as a female, who is gentle in appearance, but has infinite and powerful strength. What’s more, she is enormous enough to be the home of the huge and innocent marlin and the school of greedy sharks. She is so unfathomable, just like the old man, who is weak in appearance but has extraordinary perseverance and undefeated spirit.

    In the book, the old man dreamed about lions for many times. In my opinion, lions are a symbol of confidence and dignity, which enriches the old man's spiritual world. The old man went to sea again and again to prove himself, and the image of lions was also a psychological and spiritual preparation for the old man to go to sea again. Though he always failed to catch a big fish, he was unwilling to admit his failure. He believed that through his unremitting efforts, he could finally prove his value. Therefore, he always dreamed of the confident and powerful lions to give him enough hope to prove himself.

2022-10-29

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