Struggle with fate

In this semester, I used my spare time to finish reading "The Old Man and the Sea". This book is a novella written by the American writer Hemingway. This book is not very long and its content is not complicated. It tells the story of an old fisherman named Santiago. He didn't catch fish for 84 days, so he decided to go to deeper unknown waters to fish. He found an 18-foot marlin. After two days and two nights of fighting, the old man won. But on the homebound voyage, he met a lot of sharks. He fought with sharks with sticks, oars, and even rudders, until the things he wanted to protect lost their value, and until the fight had become meaningless. At last, there was only a huge fish skeleton left for the old man.

How do people treat this struggle? Some people say that Santiago is a failed hero. Hard as he was, he failed. What is failure? It may be said that failure is when a person fails to achieve the expected goal in doing something. But in my opinion, the word "failure" has another meaning. It means that people lose the confidence to continue the struggle and put down their weapons. Human beings yield to the limit, which is the real failure. Victory is the last moment of the fight. The old man always walks to the unpredictable sea with great courage, and his confidence is invincible. So the old man never fails.

Even though the old man in Hemingway's works is tragic, I was moved by the strong character of the characters he described in the book. I like some words in this book, such as: Life doesn’t require that we be the best, only that we try our best; A man is not made for defeat, a man can be destroyed but not defeated. These words let me feel that human beings do not bow to the fate, the spirit of never conceding defeat and positive and optimistic attitude.

Then I admire the friendship between the little boy and the old man in the book. Even if the old man did not catch fish for 84 days, the little boy never loathed the old man and always kept close to the old man. The little boy always believed that the old man was the best fisherman and encouraged the old man. The old man is also very fond of the little boy. In the process of fighting with the marlin, he not only had to endure physical pain, but also the spiritual challenges. Loneliness is always with him. Only by talking to himself can he resolve loneliness. He said to himself many times, "If only the boy were here.". I was moved by the sincere friendship between him and the little boy.

After reading this book, I learned that we should not be defeated by difficulties, and we should try our best to fight against the hardships in life. Life is long and hard. A real strong person can only be destroyed, not defeated. In general, this book is worth reading. The power it contains is huge. It can help us strengthen our faith and face difficulties more firmly.

2022-11-28

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