One of the greatest stories of all time

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	• The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway Charles Scribner's & Sons, 1979 - 127 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A truly classical story.

I have never been a fan of Ernest Hemingway, but The Old Man and the Sea is a truly classical story.
Set in Cuba during the 1960's, an old fisherman named Santiago seeks to catch fish: a feat which he has not accomplished in eighty-four days. Outlasted by successful fishermen with better equipment, Santiago can only hope to catch fish the old-fashioned way with the help of his apprentice, a young boy named Manolin, whom the boy's parents eventually force to work on a different, more successful boat.

Santiago sets out to change his 'losing streak.' When a giant marlin takes his bait, he struggles with the great fish for several days until he finally catches it. To his great dismay, sharks that are by Santiago's boat attack the fish's body, and it is completely devoured, leaving only a skeleton.

With the skeleton as his only record of the great catch, Santiago returns to Cuba. What will happen to his apprentice, Manolin, as well as Santiago's well being after an apparent defeat by the sharks, is up to the reader to find out.

Hemingway conveyed a powerful message in a very short book. This story can be enjoyed by anyone who likes classical books or simply good reading in general.

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Sea Novel

This is about an old man's determination to catch a fish. In the story of the old man and the sea, a man shows that he can do what he sets out to do. The story shows his strong will and struggle against the weather, fatigue, pain and other elements that he encountered while at sea.
In the story, Santiago said, "A man can be destroyed, not defeated." I really like this statement. I think it is true. He faught to the end. Even when the sharks attacked his fish, he didn't give up. He still tried to protect the fish. He uses every method that he can think of not to be defeated by his enemy.
The old man called the sea "la mar" which is masculine. He liked fishing and baseball. What I like about the old man is his dream. He always dreams about a lion. It's in a beautiful gold sea in Africa. I say I like it because not very many people dream about such beautiful places.
In the end, the old man did catch the fish and made it back to his village. However, his physical conditionwas nearly distroyed. With his determination, he proved to the people of the village, the boy and himself that he was able to accomplish his dream in "La mar."

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One of the greatest stories of all time

Ernest Hemingway was one of the greatest writers of all time, and Old Man and the Sea is one of his greatest works. The story is simple and compelling, as all of his greatest works are, but this one stands out because anybody can see themselves in either the old man, the boy, or even the fish. Once you pick this book up and start reading, the story will envelope you and make it hard to put down. This story is great for students of any age because it is simple enough for young readers and complex and multi-faceted enough for advanced readers. It can be read for a great story about a man in an effort to catch a fish, almost as a child's book, but can be read as a battle of man vs. nature, or even as far as a struggle within a man's own soul. Whatever is read into this story, it is a great work of literature at all of these levels. It will not disappoint any student, teacher, or recreational reader. The stories about what this book means to the world are far longer than the book itself.

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"We must kill our brothers"

I really enjoyed the movie (1990) with Anthony Quinn as Santiago. So I decided it was time to read the book. Well I found the book and the movie paralleled pretty well. How ever I was getting bored with the book. He kept going on and on about Joe Dimaggio's bone spur.

There were a few places that made me squeamish. One such place is when he gutted a dolphin and had his face stuck in it.

The story is too short to go into detail without revealing the surprises; however it is about (you guessed it) an old fisherman, that should be over the hill, going out to sea from Cuba to catch fish. He has 84 days of bad luck and with any luck this is about to change (or is it?)

The reader helps bring the story to life.

The Old Man and the Sea

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Left behind

One aspect unnoticed in the modern, industrial world, is that many jobs that are now done by man and machine used to be done by man himself, with maybe the aid of some hand-made tools. As such, this book is a good portrayal of this type of economic transition. Santiago, a very old fisherman, goes a very long time without catching any fish. His competitors pass him by with improved technology and machines. One day, Santiago heads out to sea with the promise that he will not return until he catches a fish. He finally does catch one, but the catch is eaten by sharks before it is pulled on board. This book is short and easy to read, and portrays very well the plight of those who make their life from the land, or sea, and what happens to their livelihoods when technology and progress pass them by, and nature refuses her help.

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