Book Review: The Old Man and The Sea

"I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends"

Ernest Hemingway presents an intriguing tale of a determined and aged fisherman in his classic The Old Man and The Sea. Hemingway builds a narrative which uses a few words to express many themes, running from the beauty of the sea to the doings of the human Ego. Therein lies the hook of The Old Man and The Sea, it engages your mind long after you have completed reading it.

Hemingway explores the musings of the human mind through Santiago, the aged fisherman who is determined to catch a large fish even if he has to stay at sea for days, and sacrifice other, if smaller fish. His thoughts during the hunt explore the determinedness and the foolishness of men. He overcomes his fears and physical pain through thorough thought and ingenuity. Even in the midst of all this, he mulls the morality of going after such a big fish. Hemingway subtly engages the reader in the battle of practicality and morality, almost to remind us that for all of our nobility we are composed of some savagery as well.

In another masterful use of opposites, Hemingway sets the tussle between Man and Beast against the backdrop of the beautiful and mostly serene sea. The imagery of playful porpoises, phosphorescence, golden dolphins and the Marlin who stayed with its companion until the end, almost makes the reader forget that this is also the setting of a hunt. Even in the midst of this brutality the sea continues to calm the reader, by holding both, suffering and joy at the same time.

The Old Man and The Sea, is a poignant tale that uniquely captures the human state in the midst of nature. It is a book that will leave you with an appreciation of nature, an admiration for the human spirit and a thought or two about the co-existence of opposites.

Book Review: Galápagos

Kurt Vonnegut’s post apocalyptic novel Galápagos provides a sombre commentary on the human state under the guise of dry-wit. Vonnegut, narrating the story as a ghost who died during the construction of the ship claims that our big brains led to the fall of humankind as we know it. The only survivors were a motley bunch which landed on the Galapagos islands in the aforementioned. Correcting its erroneous ways, natural selection dictated that the survival of the human race was best continued with smaller, less problematic brains.

From a literary standpoint, the book exhibits Vonnegut’s excellence and confidence. His narrative threads between the future (which is a million years hence) and the present-day. Curiously, Vonnegut does not feel the need to keep the reader in suspense. He is forthright about the imminent deaths of various characters, to the point of being nonchalant. The subtle commentary about the interconnected ness of human society, the futility of war and the dangers of a mind left unchallenged is more effective than unexpected plot twists at keeping the reader hooked.

Galápagos is one of those books which can be read again and again. Each time being a different experience depending on what the reader chooses to focus on - the dry wit, the price that humans pay for their big brains or the possibility of evolution replacing our arms with flippers. The books promises a worthwhile and different story for every time that it is read. Therein lies its greatest strength.

Book Review: An Anthropologist on Mars

Oliver Sacks documents seven interesting cases that he came across during his career as a neurologist in An Anthropologist on Mars. The book provides an insight into the workings of the human mind. For someone without a degree in the medical field, the book proves to be an engaging introduction into the workings of the human mind. Sacks’ writing does not stop there though, he delves deeper into the perceptions and perspectives of the mind.

As he chronicles the lives of a savant, a surgeon with Tourettes syndrome and a blind painter (among others), he highlights the productive side of the brain impairment story. His accounts show how the human brain adapts in situations where there is a deviation from the norm, much like nature. How lacking in one, the brain can become very enriched in another aspect.

His detailed recollections serve to soften the narrative of a mind which is not perceived as normal. Reading through the book evokes feelings of compassion, understanding and belonging. It highlights how complex our brains can be and how much more can be learnt about it. As a sum, reading the book makes one aware of the subjectivity of normalcy, as the human brain dictates it.