The Old Man & The Sea

THE OLD MAN & THE SEA
by Ernest Hemingway

 Awards: Nobel Prize Winner 1953, Pulitzer Winner 1953

 Nomination: National Book Finalist 1953

 Dates Read: June 14, 2010 & April 6, 2019

 Many scholars with far better brains than mine have dissected this book ad nauseam, therefore, I can only offer my own impressions.

The Old Man And The Sea refers to Santiago, an unlucky fisherman who hasn't caught a fish in 84 days. Often by his side is a boy, Manolin, who is fiercely loyal to him and has an unspeakable connection, although he is not his son. As Santiago heads out to sea one day on his own, he manages to snare a giant marlin that takes him days to reel in. Although he is successful in capturing the marlin and lashing it to his boat, sharks devour it from tip to tail and he arrives back to town defeated but revered.

As I was re-reading this, I was struck by how timeless this novel is. The descriptions of Santiago fishing could have been written hundreds of years ago but you are dragged back to the 1950s by references to DiMaggio, motorboats and planes flying overhead.

Towards the end, as Santiago slowly makes his way back to land, he wrestles with the idea of sin and whether killing the marlin was a sin, which he ultimately decides is not. The only fault he can find with his actions is the pride he felt at finally killing it. I believe his actions are more positively aligned with perseverance, self-reliance and the innate wisdom that comes with living a life on the sea.

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