The Old Man and the Sea

Reaction to The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Back cover reads: "The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal--a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly comtemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defreat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature." Wow. that says absolutely JACK about the plotline. oh well. onward. My Rxn: I was able to polish this off in about 4 hours. it's only about 127 pages.... able to be read with much alacrity. It's a really simple story.... but there's a ton of ssssssymbolism. This book goes well with the whole pirate kick that i've been on lately. i like how hemingway writes... it's really descriptive and reflective. Even though the protagonist is a 65 year old Cuban male... I can relate to him. We get inside his head and see his fierce determination to catch this fish.... and it's also that determination that proves to hinder his success. I was fully expecting the protagonist to die... but he doesn't... which was... wierd. There was enough foreshadowing for it. I love how we learn the old man's name at the beginning of the story, but hemingway doesn't use it to name the character at all. He's referred to as "the old man." That's what makes this story believeable... It could be any random old man or someone like your grandfather. This is a classic, and I can see why. It's a great read. simple. short. Worthy of the Word Nerd Seal of Approval. Quotes: "He always thought of the sea as la mar which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her. Sometimes those who love her say bad things of her but they are always said as though she were a woman. Some of the younger fishermen, those who used buoys as floats for their lines and had motorboats, bought when the shark livers had brought much money, spoke of her as el mar which is masculine. They spoke of her as a contestant or a place or even an enemy. But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favours, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought" (29-30). "A turtle's heart will beat for hours after he has been cut up and butchered" (37). Wonder if that's true. i'll have to do some research. "Fish, he said softly, aloud, I'll stay with you until I am dead" (52). "He did not like to look at the fish anymore since he had been mutilated. When the fish had been hit it was as though he himself were hit" (103).