Author: Ernest Hemmingway
notes
- An old man sits off the sea and suffer through a fight of endurance with a grand and noble fish
- He was skilled but unlucky, lonely, but not truly alone at sea. Though his boy companion and wishes to venture out to see with him, his parents wish for him to fish with a lucky boat. Nobody can replace the close bond he has with the old man. Many times during his struggle with a fish, the old man wishes that the boy were there.
- Hemingway has a very stream of conscious style of writing, as if braided together to form a coarse rope. He excels an immersing the reader and the state of the character without letting the words and embellishment steal the spotlight. He transports the reader into the character, whereas with Dumas, the reader remains an outside observer with mind reading privileges.
- The old man catches the fish, but it gets devoured by sharks on his way home. He has weary, hurt, and defeated. He suffers and wants nothing but to go home. He missed the boy, the boy missed him. They make plans to fish together; the boy will give the old man his luck.
- I cried at the relief. The boy felt when the old man finally got home. I’m glad they got reunited. Companionship is a beautiful thing.
- The old man almost ruined himself with his hubris and yearns for the comfort of his routine life. He plans to sit out once again, though, with the boy by his side instead.
- Overconfidence, decisions on the fly
- Like Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and fell to his doom
- Overestimating abilities, biting off more than he could chew
- Relatable feeling of missing someone, dear to you in tough times or situations
- Be content with circumstances
- Make preparations necessary for tackling goals, no matter how confident, for we don’t know the unknown until it is too late, like when the old man finally realized the overwhelming size of the fish that has dragged him on his ski for three days
- The story reminds me of someone I know. Reaching for glory, working against nature, doing things on the fly, and stubbornness. He lacks the resilience of the old man, though. He wants to catch a big fish. Go out deep for the biggest ones. It’s pride, nothing else.
- Man against nature, against life, against a desire for achievement, against the nostalgia for glory days, and against death
- Sometimes efforts can be futile, but the journey makes them worthwhile
highlights
You did not kill the fish only to keep alive to self food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you’re a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more? – p. 105