Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is a literary masterpiece that transcends time and cultural boundaries. The first time I read it, I was in high school, and I didn’t think it was a masterpiece.
The plot and its protagonist, Santiago. At a surface level, the short 100-page novella tells the tale of an old Cuban fisherman who battles a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream. The old man is stubborn and his struggle is foreseeable. Here are vivid descriptions of the sea, the fish, and the battle between man and nature – but hardly an “adventure” for the young generation. I used to go deep sea fishing with my dad, so I could visualize much of what Hemingway left out in his direct prose and straightforward storyline.
I thought it was boring, stupid, and frustrating.
Someone told me I should read The Old Man and the Sea three times – once in early adulthood, again in mid-life, and finally in old age.
I have now read it twice. The second time, was frankly astonishing. Its narrative simplicity was now profoundly deep with new layers of meaning. The same book was now totally new – to a married man with two children – loaded with symbolic and thematic elements. Santiago’s struggle with the marlin is not merely a physical battle but a metaphor for the human condition. The fish represents Santiago’s ultimate challenge, a test of his endurance and resilience. Revisiting the story, I began to see Santiago’s journey as a reflection on the nature of existence, the inevitability of struggle, and the dignity of perseverance. There are themes of mentorship, loyalty, and the passage of knowledge between generations.
Hemingway’s words now spoke powerfully to me. A deep sense of isolation and sadness kept me thinking about this book for days. But no one to talk to about it. Well, maybe now I guess in a way, I am talking to you about it.
I am curious and somewhat dreading my third reading. Will you read it with me?
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