August 2020 Classic of the Month: 'The Old Man and the Sea'
- Caroline Selby
- Aug 15, 2020
- 3 min read
How Ernest Hemingway's novella about an old Cuban fisherman will change your outlook on life.
The classic of the month for August 2020 is The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. This is the first book I read by Hemingway, and it was proof enough for me to read more of his work, again and again.
Santiago is an old Cuban fisherman who has gone 84 days without catching a fish. Despite his seemingly unending unlucky streak, Santiago is determined to not give up, and, on the morning of his 85th day, decides to sail out farther than usual into the Gulf Stream.
Once far enough out to sea, Santiago prepares his lines, drops them, and waits. As luck would have it, after waiting just a few hours, a marlin takes the old fisherman’s bait. Santiago attempts to pull the fish up to his boat, yet the marlin has plans of his own, dragging the boat further out to sea instead.
Unrelenting to give up his pursuit of the fish, Santiago lets his boat be pulled all day, night, and another day and night by the mighty marlin. Exhausted and in pain from being cut by his fishing line, Santiago is still insistent as ever to catch his prize, even feeling an admiration towards the big fish.
After three long days, the marlin grows weary, luckily enough for Santiago to finally pull up and kill his prize. Excited at his great feat, the fisherman raises his mast, setting sail for home.
Santiago’s unlucky streak has not entirely left him behind though, as the marlin leaves a trail of blood behind in the water, attracting a shiver of shovel-nosed sharks. Although Santiago loses his harpoon and rope, he manages to fight off and kill multiple sharks, yet by night time, his defense is useless. The remaining sharks greedily eat the marlin, leaving nothing but bones behind.
Arriving home during the night, Santiago is dejected at his defeat. Shocked fishermen stare at the remains of the great marlin the following morning, wondering and speculating about the battle Santiago had over the past few days.
Hemingway’s great novella ends with Santiago dreaming of lions playing on the beaches of Africa, a dream he has three times throughout the story.
Santiago’s battle with the great marlin is one that is noble in both its cause and outcome. The old fisherman’s outlook on life is one that everyone can learn from. Despite having an unlucky streak of over 80 days without catching a fish, Santiago refuses to give up.
Despite his struggle and even final defeat, Santiago remains an optimistic man, knowing even his defeat is not the end. Hemingway’s protagonist is wise and thoughtful, not just at the end, but throughout the entire story. Santiago finds joy in his battle with the marlin, and even his battle with the shovel-nosed sharks. He embraces and finds honor in struggle and defeat, in a way that surprises everyone around him.
Besides Hemingway’s excellent characterization and symbolism, the author also uses imagery to describe the sea and Santiago’s connection to it in a way that is absolutely breathtaking. Santiago is at one with the sea, with Hemingway writing, “Everything about him was old except his eyes, and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.”
The Old Man and the Sea is just one example of Ernest Hemingway’s masterful writing and style. Resonating with readers and teaching a lesson on every page, this book is an amazing novella that takes no time at all to read. In the words of Hemingway, “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”
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