The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea written by Ernst Hemingway is a short, moving novel that tells the story of an old, hardworking fisherman, Santiago, and his biggest dream of catching a big fish. In Cube Havana, he has set out to sea but every time returned with nothing in eight-four days. On the morning of the 85th day, Santiago rows over the deep well where he has been trying to catch fish for the past week and decides to try his luck farther out. At this time, Santiago is lucky enough since a giant marlin has caught his hook. However, Santiago is too weak to pull this fish in and the sharks suddenly attack the boat, tearing the flesh from the marlin. Finally, when Santiago pulls into the harbor, he struggles to carry his mast back to his shack, leaving the marlin’s skeleton still tied to his boat in the harbor. As we all know, Hemingway has a unique writing style that is always clear and concise. He is fond of using short and concise sentences instead of long and complex sentences. What’s more, he insists on a factual approach to the events and he just wants to say in the simplest way. For example, in describing the shack Hemingway writes: “The shack was made of the tough bud-shields of the royal palm which are called guano and in it, there was a bed, a table, a chair, and a place on the dirt floor to cook with charcoal.” There are a large number of themes that can be found in The Old Man and the Sea, such as hardship, resistance to defeat, friendship, perseverance, man, and nature. And I want to talk about hardship, man, and nature. Hardship is one of the most important themes in this book. The majority of the novel is about the hardship Santiago meets in his life. Not only does Santiago suffer from his poverty, but also he suffers from his health. His small shack, the furniture in his house, the clothes he wore, the food he ate…… Once he set out to the sea his suffering only increases. Continually, when the big marine caught his hook, he tried his best to pull the fish in. However, the fish is too heavy for an old man and the line cuts into his hands and his back. Suffering, at least in the snapshot the reader gets of the old man’s life, seems central. Most importantly, I want to talk about man and nature since the Old Man and the Sea is the story of a man’s struggle against a marlin. According to the plot, we can easily know that Santiago always explores how to build a relationship with nature. The sea is dangerous, with its sharks and potentially treacherous weather, but it also sustains him by providing food in the form of dolphins and shrimp. Similarly, he is so confident that he thinks he can fight against nature. “But man is not made for defeat,” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” Santiago faces his adversary, his battle with a giant marlin and he has the incredible strength to fight! All in all, Santiago is a real fisherman, and the Old Man and the Sea is a refreshing, unforgettable, and wonderful classic.