The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Why I read it?

I didn’t have anything to do this sunday. So I decided to finish a book. It has been a while since I read a book. So, I went to my book shelf to see what to read. It caught my eye as it is only a hundred pages long. It would be an easy read. Other than that it has been in my reading list for about 4 years. My teacher had recommended it.

Summary

This book is one of Hemingway's famous works. It tells the story of an Old Fisherman's struggle against his greatest catch after returning from sea empty handed for eighty-four days. I was of the view that this book is full of symbolism and deep meanings.

My Views

I will put it in the genre of a thriller. During the whole story, I was excited to know what will happen next. I couldn’t predict what would happen next. And that made this book worth reading for me.

The main theme of the story is that of the resistance to defeat and hope as the Old Man is fighting against defeat in the whole story. It is evident from few of his quotes

“But man is not made for defeat,” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

This was also one of my favorite lines from the book. One of the things that I liked about the book was how the writer induced two conflicting emotions simultaneously of hope and hopelessness. There was old age and bad luck and then there was resistance and ambition.

The relationship between the Old Man and the boy can’t be ignored throughout the book. The way the boy takes care of the lonely Old Man and how Old Man keep remembering the boy in his difficult time.

I wish the boy was here.

I will have to say Hemingway wrote one hell of a book about "the human condition," about aging, about the importance of surviving whatever challenges we may face today, about hope and striving, as inspiration for the rest of us.

Rating

I would rate this book 4 out of 5. I think the book is a little over-rated. Over-all the story was very sold. I don’t think the writer intended to put that much symbolism in the story as many readers perceive. But then It is in the eyes of the beholder what he sees.

Would I recommend it

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking to read a solid short story.