The Old Man And The Sea is a novel written by the popular writer Ernest Hemingway. It is one of the magnificent works of the writer. He has written about a heroic struggle of a legend fisherman, ‘Santiago’. He was a strange old man.
He was a good fisherman but unluckily he has gone fishing eighty-four days without a fish. He had only one friend whose name is Manolin. Although the boy’s (Manolin’s) parents ordered to leave the old man because he was unlucky in fishing, Manolin continued to care and support him. Especially, they used to talk about American baseball players. Among the many baseball players, Joe Dimaggio was the main hero of the old man.
On the day of 85, Santiago thought about venturing into the Gulf Stream. He made ready his lines and dropped into the water. After some time, a Marlin, the biggest fish that Santiago had never seen, took the bait which was placed one hundred fathoms deep into the water. He waited for a while for the Marlin to swallow the hook and then expertly pulled the line but he couldn’t. Instead, the fish began to pull the boat.
The fish, Marlin pulled the boat through two nights. The fish gave him pain very badly during the entire time. He missed the boy very much for help. He talked with the bird, sea, and himself. On the third day, finally, he killed the Marlin and lashed it on one side of his boat by using his great experience and strength. Although he had killed the fish, he was feeling love and admiration for the fish as a brother.
Santiago was sailing the boat with wounded Marlin. Marlin’s blood attracted the sharks and they attacked the boat to eat the fish. Santiago fought and killed several sharks as more as he could. Unluckily, the sharks ate Marlin, leaving behind only its skeleton, head, and tail. Then he returned without any kind of thinking, only concentrating on steering.
When he arrived at the harbor, everyone was asleep. Then, he went to his shack, laid on his bed, and fell asleep. In the morning, other people saw the skeleton of Marlin tied to Santiago’s boat and they became amazed. The boy, Manolin started to cry by seeing his friend Santiago asleep alive on the bed.
It is one of my favorite books. There are many quotes in this novel. Some of them are as follows:
There are many good fishermen and great ones. But there is only you.
Now is no time to think what you don’t have. Think of what you can do with that there is.
Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.
Let him think that I am more man than I am and I will be so.
