The Old Man and the Sea
Rui
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.
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