"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.
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