The Old Man and the Sea

Author: (American) Hemingway / Wu Lao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: Half a century of rich history, the noble honor of two awards. A song of heroism, deeply moving, a classical tragic novel with profound meaning, a common choice among different readers. The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, an old fisherman from Cuba, who, after eighty-four days without catching a fish, finally hooks a giant marlin alone. But the fish is so big that it drags his small boat out to sea for three days before being exhausted and killed. He ties the marlin to the side of his boat and, during his return journey, faces repeated attacks from sharks. By the time he finally returns to port, only the fish's tail and a backbone remain. Although it is a simple story with a short length, it is rich in meaning. Hemingway said, "I tried to portray a real old man, a real child, a real sea, a real fish, and many real sharks. But if I could write it vividly enough, they could also represent many other things." Critics say, "This simple story is filled with unintentional symbolism. As a clean and concise 'declarative' prose, it is unparalleled in Hemingway's entire works. Every word serves a purpose, and no word is superfluous. This novel expresses a philosophy of life that, even when facing the unconquerable forces of nature, a person can still achieve spiritual victory. Perhaps the outcome is a failure, but in the process of striving, we can see how a person becomes a man of great courage."
The setting of the story in The Old Man and the Sea is Cuba in the mid-20th century. The protagonist is an old fisherman named Santiago, and the supporting character is a boy named Manolin. This aging fisherman has not caught a single fish for eighty-four days and is nearly starving. Yet, he refuses to give up and remains filled with a spirit of perseverance. On the eighty-fifth day, he finally hooks a marlin that is eighteen feet long and weighs fifteen hundred pounds. The big fish drags the boat out to sea, but the old man holds on tenaciously, even without water, food, weapons, or assistance, and despite having a cramp in his left hand. After two days and two nights, he finally kills the marlin and ties it to the side of the boat. However, many small sharks immediately come to steal his prize. He kills them one by one, and by the end, he is left with only a broken oar shaft as his weapon. In the end, the marlin still succumbs to being eaten, and the old man returns to port, exhausted, dragging nothing but a skeleton. Back home, he lies in bed and can only seek refuge in memories of better times to forget the harsh reality. The old fisherman, though old, unlucky, and defeated, still perseveres and wins victory through his dignity in failure. This novel expresses a philosophy of life that, even when facing the unconquerable forces of nature, a person can still achieve spiritual victory. Perhaps the outcome is a failure, but in the process of striving, we can see how a person becomes a man of great courage.