By Keith FisherA man can be destroyed but not defeated. These words, Written by Ernest Hemmingway, symbolize the unconquerable spirit of Santiago, an old fisherman who has come to grips with life and refuses to give up.
After finding Hemingway’s books uninteresting, I decided to give him another chance. I read The Old and the Sea. It is considered to be the author’s best work, and many critics feel it departs from his other books. I h
ad to agree. I found a theme Hemingway seemed to have missed before.Ernest Hemingway, born in 1899, suffered from the prevalent myth of his time. Many young men believed they had to prove their manhood, and there was no better way than to fight in a war. The belief caused Theodore Roosevelt, and Rudyard Kipling to lose children in the Great War.
In large part, Hemingway wrote from a macho sense of honor, but in 1951, he wrote The Old Man and the Sea. It was published in 1952 and Hemingway won a Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1954. In the presentation speech, Anders Österling, said The Old Man and the Sea was an unforgettable story of an old Cuban fisherman's duel with a huge swordfish in the Atlantic. Within the frame of a sporting tale, a moving perspective of man's destiny is opened up; the sto
ry is a tribute to the fighting spirit, which does not give in even if the material gain is nil, a tribute to the moral victory in the midst of defeat. The drama is enacted before our eyes, hour by hour, allowing the robust details to accumulate and take on momentous significance.Perhaps in later life, Hemingway began to think differently because it showed in The Old Man and the Sea. I’ve talked with many people about this book. Some of them liked it. Some hated it. This book, for me, ranks up there with the movies, Second Hand Lions, and Space Cowboys. Dealing with mortality and past glories is something every man must do eventually.
Hemingway died in 1961. I don’t think he found what he looked for. Men like he was, need to go out in a blaze of glory. Unfortunately, there aren’t many blazes of glory available. Besides, it takes more courage to live through adversity and infirmity. If for no other reason, than because people love you.
As for, The Old Man and the Sea, it brings up questions that every man and woman must face. Those questions can bring you closer to God.
3 comments:
I'm not a Hemmingway fan but this review makes me wonder if I ought to give him another chance.
I had to read this in high school and being forced to read it I didn't like it. Long after school I decided to give Hemingway another chance and really like his stuff specifically, A Moveable Feast and The Fifth Column, but I still have not been able to bring myself to reread this one.
This is a story of an old man who hasn’t been able to catch a fish for last 84 days. People start calling him “Salao”, worst form of unluck and make fun of him. A young boy believes in him and goes to fishing with man as he believes there’s a lot to learn from old man. Although he has to go for fishing with some other guys at end because of his parent’s will but he’s unhappy about decision and wants to be with old man. On 85th day old man goes alone and he catches a fish (which turns out to be a giant fish). Story turns around then when man has to spend 3 days in water and fish is not giving up to be caught. Old man eats small fish this time and he gets bruises in his hands. He thinks he’s going crazy and asks to be clear in head. He has slept very less. He talks to fish and consider him brother. How old man saves himself and fish from sharks.
To me this is a story where author has tried to explain how we constantly keep on fighting and explaining our inner friend/enemy. Where we explain why we did this, especially wrong and how much it matters to our lives. This is not just about my happiness or your hurt but many others whom we are treating.
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