The Old Man and The Sea

By

Ernest Hemingway

The story I read was "The Old Man And The Sea" By Ernest Hemingway. This story is talking about an old Cuban fisherman who did not catch anything within eighty-four days. When he went out far in the Gulf to fish, he had a painful battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. The form of conflict that presented in this work is man versus nature.

The old man's name is Santiago. He is an old Cuban fisherman. He is the protagonist of the story. He was "thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck and his hands had deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. But none of those scars were fresh". His "cheerful and undefeated eyes" show people even he lacked of success, but it did not destroy his spirit. I think he was a lonely and poor old man. He only has one friend. His house was very simple with a bed, table, and chair on a dirt floor.

There is a boy involved in the story. The boy's name is Manolin. He is the antagonist of the story. He was the old man's only friend. This passage "When I come back you can tell me about the baseball" shows that the boy likes baseball. Manolin was a very warm hearted and prudent person "I must have water here for him, the boy thought, and a good towel. I must get him another shirt and a jacket for the winter and some sort of shoes and another blanket."

The old man taught Manolin how to fish and the boy loved him. Manolin used to work for Santiago. His parents thought Santiago was unlucky, so they order him to join another boat. Although Manolin did not work for the old man any more, but he helped the old man to bring back his boat everyday.

One day, Santiago went out far in the Gulf to fish, "he left the smell of the land behind and rowed out into the clean early morning smell of the ocean. Soon Santiago rows over the ocean that fisherman called the great well because there was a sudden deep of seven hundred fathoms where all sorts of fish congregated." Santiago saw a large school of dolphin traveling very fast which was hard for him to capture and then he moved on. Later on Santiago captured a tuna. Soon, there was a strong bite on one of the lines Santiago cast out earlier. Santiago knew this fish was very big. The marlin swam around the hook for a little while after many false bites then finally it took the tuna and pulled out a great length of line.

Santiago waited a bit for the marlin to swallow the hook and then pulled hard on the line to bring the marlin up to the surface. The fish was strong, though, and does not come up. Instead, he swam away, dragging Santiago and his skiff along behind. Four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea, towing the skiff, and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back. As the sun set, the marlin continued swam on the same direction until the old man lost the sight of land. Expressing his resolve Santiago says, "Fish... I'll stay with you until I am dead" A small bird landed on the boat, while the old man was talking to the bird, the marlin sway forward and pulled down the old man. It cut his hand. While Santiago washed his hand in the water he knew the marlin has slowed down so he ate the tune he has caught to give him the strength to fight the marlin. Later the marlin came out of the water quickly and descends into the water again. Santiago saw the fish was two feet longer than the skiff, just then he knew the marlin could destroy his boat so he pray God to protect him. As times went on Santiago caught some fish for food and slept a little bit so he has the strength to kill the marlin. At sunrise, the marlin began a large circle. Santiago held the line strongly pulling it in slowly as the marlin goes round. This marlin continued to circle, coming closer and closer. At last it was next to the skiff, and Santiago drove his harpoon into the marlin's chest. Finally the marlin was kill by the old man.

On his way home, he pulled a line through the marlin's gills and out its mouth, keeping its head near the bow. An hour later, a mako shark followed the trail of the blood that comes from the marlin. As the shark approached the boat, Santiago prepared his harpoon and killed the shark when it was ripping on the marlin. Santiago thought the killing of the marlin was a sin. Later on, he concentrated on getting back to shore. Two hours later, two shovel-nosed sharks arrived at the skiff. The old man lost his harpoon to the shark, so he used his knife to fight against the sharks. He killed the first shark easily, While he was killing the shark, the other shark ripped the marlin underneath the boat. After some struggle, he killed this shark as well. More sharks appeared at sunset and Santiago only has a club to beat them away. He did not kill the sharks, but to damages them so they would not return.

Santiago then looked the light of Havana, guiding him back to land. At around ten o'clock, he saw the light of Havana and steers toward it. In the night, the sharks return. He lost his club on his last battle. Santiago grabbed the tiller and attacked the sharks until the tiller breaks. "That was the last shark of the pack that came. There was nothing more for them to eat". Santiago sailed lightly back to his homeport and ignored the sharks that came to gnaw on the marlin's bones. Finally, he arrived at the harbor. On the second day afternoon everyone saw the eighteen feet long marlin's bone. Manolin can fish with Santiago again.

The author's message is to be brave when you face your trouble and do the very best you can. As long as you do your best maybe it can lead you to victory.

I like this book because it is a very excited. Especially when the old man fight with the giant marlin and sharks. I did not know an old man have such strength to do such things. After the reading I know no matter how old you are there always have the shadow of bravery in your blood. I would recommend this book to others because it is an excited book. It can teach people lessons about how to be brave.