Description
The Old Man and the Sea is a masterpiece written by Ernest Miller Hemingway. This beautiful book led Hemingway to win The Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. As per the Nobel Prize committee, the motivation of the prize was “for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style”.
This short story narrated by Hemingway is just over 100 pages and guarantees an unforgettable experience for the reader.
The Old Man and the Sea is based on three simple characters- an old man, Santiago, a giant fish and a young boy. Santiago, the protagonist of the book is a fisherman and for all his life he has known nothing but fishing. He is the master of his craft. The young boy is fond of Santiago and starts accompanying him to the sea with the willingness to learn this skill from the old man.
For 84 days, the old man has woken up and gone to the sea for fishing only to return home empty handed. Considering old man’s boat as unlucky, the young boy’s father instructs him not to fish with the old man anymore and puts him on another boat. But the boy continues to worry about the old man and helps him with minor tasks as needed. On the 85th day of his unlucky trend, the old man decides to go deep in the sea into the Gulf stream alone where he can have a better chance at fishing.
“My big fish must be somewhere.”
That afternoon, a big fish gets close to eat the bait and the old man instantly hooks the fish. Although the fish feels heavy, the old man has no idea about the actual size of the fish. The old man is unable to pull the fish and soon realizes that the fish is pulling the boat instead. This fish is not an ordinary fish. It has strength, patience and above all knows how to save his life.
The old man struggles for every single minute of his fishing adventure. The weight and pressure at which he is holding the rope with the fish is making it difficult for the old main to maintain his strength. His life is at stake, health is deteriorating – his fingers are bleeding, hands and back are going into cramps. Three days pass by and the old man is patiently waiting for the giant fish to put up a fight or struggle for freedom so that he can work his way into killing the fish. The fish continues to pull the boat while trying to release himself from the hook.
As the old man is not prepared enough for being in the sea for more than a day, shortage of food is also a concern. Finding a solution, he catches couple of fish including a dolphin and eats them raw. He is feeling nauseated due to the raw fish, days on end without proper food, water and the sharp rays of the sun, but is unwilling to give up. His pride in himself and never give up attitude makes him to endure the pain and continue in the sea waiting for the giant fish to give up someday. Every day he wishes the boy was there to accompany him.
“No one should be alone in their old age, he thought.”
This is a book for the soul. There is a soothing touch throughout the story.
The star of the story is the old man’s struggle, perseverance and instant solutions at any given situation. The old man saw the giant fish as a fellow brother – both similar in so many ways. No one letting go easily. Both so patient, both continuing despite being in pain and above all both knowing that their last breath could be any minute.
“Fish,” he said, “I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends.”
Every page and every statement teach us valuable life lessons. Fearlessness, survival skills, staying strong while alone, self-motivating spirit, endurance, continuing through the pain relentlessly, the list is never ending.
Ernest Hemingway and his masterpiece ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ truly deserve all the acclaim they have received for exemplifying the unstoppable human spirit.
Does the giant fish give up or is it the old man? Who gets home alive out of the two or is it no one? What happens to the young boy?
Well, the book will tell.
“Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for.”
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