THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

First read it many years ago. Still a good story. Well written so you feel you are with the old man. Very enjoyable again.

The old fisherman Santiago’s luck has run out. For eighty-four straight days he hasn’t caught a fish, and is surviving only with the help of the young boy, Manolin, who once fished with him but whose parents have now insisted he go out with another luckier boat instead. Manolin feels an intense loyalty to old Santiago, and helps him each day with his gear, catching bait, and even buying him food when Santiago’s funds run out.On this day it will be different. A fish takes Santiago’s bait – a huge marlin, so big that Santiago can’t pull him in. As the marlin sets out to sea, dragging Santiago’s little skiff behind him, Santiago must decide whether to cut the line or run with the fish. And so it becomes a matter of will, as Santiago battles with nature, with his own failing strength, with growing exhaustion and with his pride as a fisherman.This is a beautifully written and absorbing short tale – mesmerising, almost, as hour after hour passes and still the fish won’t tire. Although written in the third person, once Santiago is alone on the sea with his fish, the reader is taken directly into his thoughts. He is a simple man, and his mind dwells on great successes and failures of his past, a lifetime’s experience all guiding his actions in this moment. He knows he is at the limit of his physical endurance as the line cuts his calloused hands each time the fish changes pace. He recognises that the pride of youth has given way to the humility of age, and wonders when that happened. But he still has enough pride to want to kill this fish, although he loves it for its strength and will and beauty.I suspect people have read all sorts of symbolism into this over the years and maybe there is lots and I just missed it. But for me, this is simply a tale well-told, by a man who clearly knew what he was talking about. As usual with Hemingway, there’s a degree of pondering on the meaning of masculinity, though less overtly than in the couple of longer novels of his I’ve read. It’s an old theme, man against nature, and Hemingway brings nothing new to it except his wonderful prose. And that alone makes this well worth reading.

A classic for a reason. One of his best works.

I'd always wanted to read this book,as others that had read it told me how amazing the writing was and the emotion you felt reading about this fisherman's lone journey,afraid it didn't do that for me.Is an inspirational tale of one man's struggle to achieve what he had always wanted,and so very sad at the outcome when he eventually arrived back to shore once again to the dear young boy who thought the world of him.Earnest Heminway was a fantastic person and did so much with his life,have been to Cuba and seen the bar he hung out in,Hotel room where he sat and wrote also the beautiful set of bungalows that he lived in one for wife another for the lover,also the writing tower that his wife had built for him,is set in a remote place along with his beautiful boat,if you get the chance to go to these places they give you a great in site to this wonderful man's life,so sad it ended the way it did,in the bathroom of his bungalow there are markings on the wall where he used to practise the length it would take for him to use the gun !!

The Old Man and the Sea is a beautifully written story that captures the struggle between man and nature. Hemingway's writing is simple yet powerful, and the tale of Santiago, an old fisherman battling against the sea and a giant marlin, is both inspiring and moving. The book explores themes of perseverance, pride, and the human spirit, all told in a way that’s easy to follow but deep in meaning.Despite its short length, this book leaves a lasting impact. It’s a classic for a reason—perfect for anyone who appreciates a story about courage and determination.

typical Hemingway style, if you like that you'll like this, its a great story!

This has stood the test of time, and it’s still a beautiful story.Resilience, perseverance and acceptance. Lessons for the modern world.

I read this story in two sittings, it was hard to put it down, I will read more of Ernest Hemingway’s books in the future, cheers kb.

I’ve always believed that the best stories ever written are those that sever the veil (screen) upon which our seeming lives are temporarily projected. Through the hole/tear we see an eye looking in, and lo, it is our own!This story is about ambition, love, resistance, resilience, acceptance, and ultimate triumph, but not in the way that the conditioned mind would expect or tend to think.This beautiful little story reminded me of a time when I thought that I’d caught my own big fish. I’d been hired by a prestigious company that promised to turn my life around. As soon as they hired me, I was able to purchase a fully loaded, top of the line luxury vehicle. The latest model. Something that had never happened in my life.My first car had been a used, Orange 1973 Volkswagen Beetle. Which left me stranded more times than I can remember. And the nice thing was that the company that hired me gave me a car allowance that well exceeded my car payment! The company issued me a beautiful smart phone to conduct business, the latest model. Nothing but the best. and furnished me with all of the office supplies that I could ever want or need. They paid for my airfare and hotel stays when traveling, and had a rule that I could never stay in hotels that ran under $140 a night. They had a reputation to uphold! They paid for all of my meals when traveling and even paid for the entertainment that I had to furnish to my top buyers, from my top accounts! In other words, I got paid to take my buyers golfing and seven to strip clubs, as some preferred.I was making more than four times what I made before and the company even paid for my relocation to the most beautiful state that I’ve even stepped foot on — Oregon. I had many accounts scattered along the breath-taking Oregon coast, which I loved to call on, because it meant spending a few nights in hotels just steps from the water. Eating fresh seafood while marveling at the in and out breaths of the mighty Sea.However, like Santiago in the story of The Old Man and the Sea, I became tethered to this huge fish. It was so big that it took me wherever it wanted. And my life became a tempest of temporal highs interspersed with tremendous pressures. Since I had never made so much money before, I began to spend as if I was a millionaire! As if money was infinite rather than finite. Little by little, the sharp teeth of sharks all around me began to eat away at my big fish and I couldn’t do anything about it. My great joy began to dwindle, daily. Eventually, when I could take it no more, I emailed my letter of resignation and sailed back home with only a carcass of a fish. My company t-shirts, my samples, office equipment, etc.I loved the way that Hemingway was able to express deep emotion with few and simple words. Like when the boy, who loved the old man, cried because he’d seen the wounds in the old man’s palms. Battle scars from the tussle he’d undergone with the big fish at sea.I loved how Hemingway pulled me into the old man’s mind. The reasoning process and respect that he’d developed for the giant fish. The flavor of wisdom that comes with age.I’m not old yet, but I certainly identified with the old man’s spirit. When he arrived back home, there was this sense of redemption that radiated from him. This sense of acceptance of life as it is. You get this sense that a deep change had taken place within him. That he no longer gave as much importance to the things that can be taken away, but to the things that last, that matter, that heal the soul and heart — like the Purity and innocence of unconditional love, symbolized by the boy.

This tale of an aged fisherman intent on proving he could still catch “the big-one” earned Hemingway a most well-deserved Pulitzer Prize.Capturing the writer’s trademark theme of challenge – be it physical or moral – the story features his crisp, sparse writing style that keeps the reader fully engaged to the end.Hemingway has weaved a fable of remarkable strength and beauty that relies on just three characters: The old man, a young boy who prays fervently for the old man to succeed in his quest, and a giant fish.To those who may claim it to be boring, uninteresting, predictable I say pish-posh (or more directly, don’t be foolish!) This is a perfectly crafted story that led to Hemingway being awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature. Those who dismiss it as anything less have most assuredly never challenged themselves to seek success against odds deemed by others as unobtainable.This is a great book; great literature, and well deserves the title of “Classic”.

Esse livro é simplesmente maravilhoso! A história é excelente e a relação do velho com o menino me fez refletir demais. Fala sobre as idas e vindas da vida, é uma metáfora sobre viver uma vida com riscos, uma história de redenção. Além disso, é uma leitura perfeita para quem quer aprender inglês, as palavras "diferentes" possuem um índice explicando o que elas significam e se você clica em cima delas, há um dicionário. É muito bem ilustrado e há no final dele umas perguntas excelentes para fazer com crianças.

Me gusto el paralelismo de la historia con la lucha y esfuerzo que muchos tenemos que hacer en la vida para lograr lo que deseamos. El pez es el objetivo, lo que deseamos, la cuerda y la lancha, los recursos, el mar, las circunstancias, lo tiburones, los obstáculos, el niño, un apoyo, un amigo.

Libro molto semplice per una lettura per chi è alle prima armi