general

I read Hemingway as a young college student and missed the depth in his simplicity. Reading him again has turned my opinion around. I urge you to read this book.

In "The Old Man and the Sea," he shows the story is not in the language per se, but in the compexity found in the subtle reality of life.

Of course, "Old Man," is not subtle in the classic sense. What I mean is that Hemingway doesn't labor the book with fantastic descriptions detailing the intracies of the sea, or of being a fisherman. Instead, he delves into the mind of the old man, shows the fatherly love he has for a young boy, and the quest for his legacy.

A quick read, I finished it in three or so hours. I was captured by the smell of the salt and the slippery feel of fish squirming in a net. I felt the thirst of a long night fighting a huge fish, and the burn of a fishing line running through my hands. I missed the young boy's company late on the boat, and also wished he were to help !me fish. How Hemingway did this to me... I've barely seen the sea, and have never really fished.... a great book. Read it for the drama, the language, the psychology, the suspense... but, by all means, read it.

I fully recommend this book. ...

Santiago is a poor fisherman who lives alone and has finally lost all will to live. Every day is the same dull, monotonous routine. His wife has died; his only comfort is a boy who is now forbidden to fish with him. It seems like Santiago has no reason to continue living. Little does he know that this is soon to change. Due to his determination in holding onto a gargantuan fish, Santiago is plunged into the adventure of his life-but will it give his days meaning? Through his brief tale of Santiago's strength, Hemmingway proves himself to be a master at his art and leaves you desperate for more.

The Old Man and the Sea is an amazing story. When I read the synopsis, I expected this book to be an easy, boring read, yet it wasn't. Although Hemmingway's masterpiece is short, it is powerful. Hemmingway creates a thrilling fast-paced snapshot of one man's determination, strength, and love for life that traps you in the tale like a fish in Santiago's net. The intense portrayal of Santiago's feelings, emotions and senses is so vivid that the story and characters come alive. Suddenly Santiago is no longer a character in a story; he is a friend whose ultimate fate you care about.

I highly recommend this fabulous, suspenseful book to anyone. Hemmingway weaves his tale so well that at the end you feel it was too short. Even weeks after reading this book, you are left pondering the old man's changed life and destiny. The Old Man and the Sea is a true classic.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a story about quiet determination in the face of insurmountable odds that would overcome a person who was not as courageous as the novel's main character, Santiago. Santiago is a fisherman who has not caught a fish in eighty-four days and is beginning to feel the effects of being fishless for so long. He is very thin and weak, and had to sell most of his fishing equipment, and someone has to give him food for him to eat. The bright spot in his life is a boy named Manolin. Manolin used to fish in the same boat with Santiago, but after forty-two days of not catching a fish the boy's parents made him switch to a luckier boat against his wishes. The boy still felt obligated to the old man in a way a son loves his father, and takes care of him, making sure he eats, and had blankets to sleep with, and that sort of thing.
Hemingway creates characters with a lot of depth like Manolin; he cares for Santiago even though he doesn't have to and fishes for a lucky boat. This is indicative of Hemingway in the sense that he likes to create characters through action and dialogue and not so much from digressing commentary on the side, you only get a feel of Santiago by how he catches the fish and what he says to himself as he is catching the fish. Hemingway also uses a lot of imagery throughout the book that allows the reader to get a sense of what he is talking about without a bunch of detail that most writers of his era used. The way Hemingway describes Santiago's Cuban town and Santiago himself are both good examples of this, a line from the novel reads, "That afternoon there was a party of tourists at the terrace looking down at the water among beer cans and dead barracudas." This line clearly gives the reader a vision of the poor and disheveled town where Santiago lives. The Old Man in the Sea also was laden with symbolism that was subtle, yet just obvious enough to catch the reader's attention. The birds Santiago sees while fishing is the best example of this as they show freedom and prosperity, two things Santiago is striving for. My favorite character was Manolin because he is very dependable and is always willing to help Santiago.
The character I felt I could most relate to was Manolin, "the boy." He would rather have stayed on the boat with Santiago regardless of whether he was catching fish or not, but his parents would not let him, and a boy must yield to his parents. My father is much the same way, making decisions for me whether I agree with them or not, but I must go along with his wishes no matter what, because he is my father. And that is how Manolin and Santiago both feel, that Manolin must agree to his father's wishes simply because he's his father. Hemingway does this a lot; he creates characters the "every day person" can identify with.
The book, stylistically, is not appealing to me because, even though I like the short-and-to-the-point works of writers like Hunter S. Thompson, Ernest Hemingway's style leaves too much to the imagination. I like to read a book where authors try out their ability to create beautiful language and Hemingway just does not do that. But, I felt he tried to get across a good lesson in the novel, and that was to have courage. A person cannot go through life always being afraid, and Santiago was the one of the most courageous characters I have ever read. So, I like it for its message, but not for the way it was written.
This novel is an easy read, and would be perfect for anyone that feels they cannot read a lot of books because the authors make it too difficult. I would also recommend this novel to people who enjoy adventure stories, because this story is one long adventure. And personally, I would recommend this book because Hemingway gives a good message in it everyone should think about.