The Old Man and the Sea--A Classic Translation

Author: (American) Hemingway, translated by Wu Lao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: This novel portrays a philosophy of life that emphasizes struggle. Even when facing the unconquerable forces of nature, one can still achieve spiritual victory. Although the outcome may be failure, the process of striving allows us to witness how a person becomes a true hero. The story of The Old Man and the Sea is set in mid-20th-century Cuba. The protagonist is an old fisherman named Santiago, and the supporting character is a boy named Manolin. This aging fisherman has gone eighty-four days without catching a single fish, nearly starving to death. Yet he refuses to give up, remaining filled with the spirit of perseverance. On the eighty-fifth day, he finally catches a marlin eighteen feet long and weighing fifteen hundred pounds. The great fish drags the boat out to sea, but the old man holds on tenaciously, despite having no water, no food, no weapons, no help, and even suffering 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 sharks immediately come to steal his prize. He kills them one by one until, in the end, he is left with only a broken oar shaft as his weapon. In the end, the great fish still meets a fate of being devoured, and the old man returns exhausted, dragging nothing but a skeleton. Back home, lying in bed, he can only seek solace in dreams to recapture the days of his youth and forget the harsh reality. The old fisherman, though old, unlucky, and defeated, still persists in his efforts and wins victory through the dignity of his failure. This novel embodies a philosophy of life that emphasizes struggle. Even when facing the unconquerable forces of nature, one can still achieve spiritual victory. Although the outcome may be failure, the process of striving allows us to witness how a person becomes a true hero.