The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
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The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
- DATo
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I'm glad you enjoyed this book which I consider my favorite Hemingway novel. Hemingway greatly admired human courage and it is evident in his books. At the time he wrote The Old Man and the Sea he was himself entering his autumn years and I suppose he could relate to Santiago's infirmities as he was plagued with physical pain resulting from a rough and tumble life of his own. Perhaps the point he was trying to make is that courage is not limited to young, burly men in physical contests but rather an attitude of mind. Sometimes courage is nothing more than the determination to see the job through, even when all hope is lost.
Something you might find interesting is that this story was based upon a true story. In his later years Hemingway lived for a time in Cuba where a Cuban man actually experienced what Santiago went through in the book, but he was not an old man, and for a price he would tell tourists about his adventure. When the movie came out starring Spencer Tracy he sued the production company for using his story (or was it Hemingway himself, I forget) but he didn't win the case.
If you haven't seen the movie I heartily encourage you to find it. It is an absolutely beautiful work of art. The footage in the movie of Santiago (Spencer Tracy) catching the fish is the actual, real-life footage of the world record catch of this species of fish (marlin).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlCPUFx5DUU
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*****SPOILERS*****falloutlunartic wrote:I agree that Hemingway's writing style is smooth and elegant, but the plot was so anticlimactic that it made me yawn. When Hemingway first catches the marlin, it reels you in (sorry for the pun), but it goes on for so long it seems sarcastic. Towards the end I really started to understand Santiago and I felt his pain of accepting that he can't do what he used to.
I may be wrong, and I don't mean to be contentious with regard to your opinion, but I think you may have missed the point of the story. As you may recall, during his trial with the fish Santiago has flashbacks of earlier times in his life when he was anything but a feeble old man. He recalls a time when he was a very capable and very virile specimen of a man. These flashbacks are an ingenious device on the part of the author to appraise the reader of Santiago's former prowess. Though he may now be incapable of doing the things he did when he was young he still has the courage and determination to not be beaten (recall the story of the arm wrestling contest). The length of his battle with the fish as well as his battle with the sharks is meant to illustrate that the measure of a man is not to be made solely on the basis of physical strength, but also, and perhaps more importantly on the basis of character. At the conclusion of the book one is faced with the fact that Santiago has lost the material battle, but the pity which the reader (at least this reader) holds for the old man is tempered with a savage admiration.
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- alissa339
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I'm glad you appreciated Heminway's style, as I feel he is one of the greatest writers we have ever seen. But I think in terms of the "anticlimactic plot" one would need to consider that there is more to a book than just its plot. The beauty of Hemingway's novel lies in its complex simplicity, the way it so perfectly depicts the paradoxes and struggles that pain the human experience, not its plot. I think perhaps you should give Hemingway another try and focus more on the themes and language than on the plot, as there is a lot of greatness in this book that deserves do be recognized.falloutlunartic wrote:I agree that Hemingway's writing style is smooth and elegant, but the plot was so anticlimactic that it made me yawn. When Hemingway first catches the marlin, it reels you in (sorry for the pun), but it goes on for so long it seems sarcastic. Towards the end I really started to understand Santiago and I felt his pain of accepting that he can't do what he used to.
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We travel the oceans with the Old Man – witnessing his hunger, pain and thirst on his journey to capture the giant Marlin. Some of the commentary of the Old Man talking to himself is interesting and brings the character to life as it provides us with a view of the Old Man’s fighting spirit and desire to beat the elements. I can feel the pain in his hands as he fights the Marlin, the thirst and the lightheadedness as he almost gives up.
One detail I appreciate was the relationship that the Old Man built with his enemy and friend, the great Marlin. How Hemingway describes the Old Man’s feelings toward the Marlin – a mix of sadness, happiness, feelings of brotherhood and being a close friend – was a wonderful touch to the story.
Without giving too much away I will note that the ending was surprising though the ultimate meaning of the story is one of going out to achieve something but in defeat you learn or gain something unique and wonderful in itself. The fact that the Old Man – even when he was defeated in a way I personally didn’t expect – was revered as courageous, skilful and talented gave a satisfying end to this tale.
The Drawbacks…
Some have interpreted Hemingway’s eventual Pulitzer more as a nod to his overall career than as an award for The Old Man and the Sea—generally considered a lesser work to For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Despite the quality of work on display with ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ there was only so many times I could read about the fishing line, the kiff and the painful hands before it got a little bit much. Had I been someone who was a boating or fishing enthusiast I may have felt a greater appreciation for the work on offer. However I am neither a master fisherman nor a pirating apprentice and as such I did not need to have so many detailed descriptions of the boat! I can understand that Hemingway had a limited amount of story to work with – it is an Old Man on a boat fighting a giant fish remember! – and so I can give some credit for making the short book last as long as he did.
Not a lot happened… that’s not to say that’ a problem but I prefer my novels to at least have some story of some king.
Final Thought… Hemingway displays an impressive understanding of the human vs nature dynamic and this is played out beautifully with The Old Man and the Sea. With that in mind this book would not be to everyone’s tastes though I am glad I gave it a shot.
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If you are interested in Hemingway, there is a fictional story by Paula McLain about his relationship with his first wife that you might like to read. Titled The Paris Wife, this book looks at his life experiences and how they influenced his writing. Although it is fiction the author uses information from his real life and details garned from conversations with his first wife to lend potential insight. It isn't a classic novel, but it a fun read about one of the great classic authors.
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The repetition to which you refer was intentional on Hemingway's part. Hemingway is trying to appraise the reader of the tremendous physical toll this is taking on Santiago and he achieves this through continual reminders till the reader can almost feel the rope burning into his own hands. The entire description of Santiago's battle on the sea is meant to convey what would be an enormous hardship even for a young man. The entire point of the story would have been lost had the long and painful struggle Santiago endured not been described in long and painful detail.michael_3165 wrote:
(Partially edited for brevity.)
The Drawbacks…
Some have interpreted Hemingway’s eventual Pulitzer more as a nod to his overall career than as an award for The Old Man and the Sea—generally considered a lesser work to For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Despite the quality of work on display with ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ there was only so many times I could read about the fishing line, the (s)kiff and the painful hands before it got a little bit much. Had I been someone who was a boating or fishing enthusiast I may have felt a greater appreciation for the work on offer. However I am neither a master fisherman nor a pirating apprentice and as such I did not need to have so many detailed descriptions of the boat! I can understand that Hemingway had a limited amount of story to work with – it is an Old Man on a boat fighting a giant fish remember! – and so I can give some credit for making the short book last as long as he did. Not a lot happened… that’s not to say that’ a problem but I prefer my novels to at least have some story of some kin(d).
Final Thought… Hemingway displays an impressive understanding of the human vs nature dynamic and this is played out beautifully with The Old Man and the Sea. With that in mind this book would not be to everyone’s tastes though I am glad I gave it a shot.
"Not a lot happened… that’s not to say that’s a problem but I prefer my novels to at least have some story of some kin(d)."
OMG! A story of some kind?! *LOL* There was ONE HELL of a story and a lot happened, but, (no offense) I am sorry to say that it sailed completely over your head.
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So I read this book over a period of many months, a few pages at a time. The reason this happened is because a dear friend had it in their bathroom and was apparently reading it as infrequently as I was, they weren't willing to lend it so I would steal a few pages every time I was over there and happened to be sitting on the looDATo wrote: The repetition to which you refer was intentional on Hemingway's part. Hemingway is trying to appraise the reader of the tremendous physical toll this is taking on Santiago and he achieves this through continual reminders till the reader can almost feel the rope burning into his own hands. The entire description of Santiago's battle on the sea is meant to convey what would be an enormous hardship even for a young man. The entire point of the story would have been lost had the long and painful struggle Santiago endured not been described in long and painful detail.
"The reader can almost feel the rope burning into his own hands" was spot on. The book was even more drawn out since I was reading it so sporadically, but I completely agree that Santiago's struggle deserved to be described how it was. It would be an immense disservice to the entire point of the book to make efforts to pare it down and shorten it, I'm certain it wouldn't have the same effect on the reader at all. Hemmingway has an interesting ability to take very simple language and create something so incredibly moving with it, at anyone else's hand it would have been a chore to slog through.
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