The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea is a fictional story by Ernest Hemingway.  In 1953 this book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the author won the Nobel Prize in 1954.

This story is about an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago who has had very bad luck and has not caught a fish in a long time.  He never gives up, he keeps going out fishing.   Finally his luck changes and he hooked into a huge marlin.  He battles this fish for 3 days straight.  Now the real battle comes, he has to get the fish back to land by pulling it along the side of his boat and battling sharks that want to eat it.  In the end, they eat the marlin leaving only its skeleton, head, and tail.

I think the one of the themes of this story is determination, to never give up. Santiago has not caught a fish in 84 days, but he doesn’t give up and still keeps fishing.  He also has to fish by himself because his only friend, a boy named Manolin, is not allowed to go out with him because he hasn’t caught a fish in a long time.  He also shows his determination by fighting a huge marlin for 3 days and then having to fight hungry sharks to get it back to land.

Another theme is courage. Santiago shows courage by taking his boat far out into the sea and fighting such a large fish by himself.  He then shows courage by taking the fish back to shore fighting off blood thirsty sharks. He continues to fight these sharks even though he knows he is losing the battle.

I would recommend you read this book. It’s a simple story and an easy read. There aren’t computers and guns in the story.  There is only an old man, a fishing pole, and a boat.   

Book Review by Nick B.