The Old Man and the Sea
Santiago is an old man, and many are starting to think that he can no longer fish. He has gone for many months without landing any kind of fish to speak of and his apprentice, a young man named Manolin, has gone to work for a more prosperous boat. The fisherman sets out into the open sea and goes a little further out than he normally would in his desperation to catch a fish. At noon, a big Marlin takes hold of one of the lines, but the fish is far too big for him to handle.
Hemingway pays great attention to the skill and dexterity that Santiago uses in coping with the fish. Santiago lets the fish have enough line, so that it won't break his pole; but he and his boat are dragged out to sea for three days.
Finally, the fish--an enormous and worthy opponent--grows tired; and Santiago kills it. Even this final victory does not end the Santiago's journey; he is a still far, far out to sea. To make matters worse, Santiago drags the Marlin behind the boat. Santiago does his best to beat the sharks away, but his efforts are not enough. The sharks eat the flesh off the Marlin, and Santiago is left with only the bones. Santiago gets back to shore--weary and tired--with nothing to show for his pains but the skeletal remains of a large Marlin. Even with just the bare remains of the fish, the experience has changed him, and altered the perception others have of him. Manolin wakes him the morning after his return and suggests that they once more fish together.
The Old Man and the Sea Far more than a simple story about a man and a fish, the short novella shows understanding of men very different from himself--while he elevates their simple lives to legendary status. Kinship and honor develops between the fish and the man--a throwback to an older time in a way that almost denigrates modern advancements.
Hemingway writes of a time when fishing was not merely a business transaction, or a sport. Instead, fishing was an expression of humankind in its natural state--in tune with nature and oneself. Enormous stamina and power arises in the breast of Santiago. The simple fisherman is becomes a classical hero in his epic struggle.
The old man holds on to the rope--even though he is cut and bruised by it, even though he wants to sleep and eat. He holds onto the rope as though his life depended on it. Once more Hemingway brings to the fore the power and masculinity of a simple man--in a simple habitat. Hemingway demonstrates how the heroic can live in even the most seemingly mundane circumstances.
0 comments:
Post a Comment