Summary Of The Old Man And The Sea

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self” Ernest Hemingway. The Old Man and the Sea By: Ernest Hemingway and Between the World and Me By: Ta-Nehisi Coates are very similar in many different ways. The comparison of each book is shown well in the setting, theme, and in Symbolism.

In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is an unlucky fisherman who has not caught anything in 84 days.  Yet he sets out alone on the 85th day to try again.  For three days he struggles with a large marlin which he finally kills; but, despite his best efforts, he loses the fish to repeated shark attacks.

The Old Man and the Sea is a novella written by Ernest Hemingway. It details the journey of an old fisherman who sails out to sea one day in an attempt to redeem himself after his 83 days of not catching any fish. His assistant, Manolin, has been forced to work for another fisherman that is more successful. Santiago, the fisherman, decides he’s going to try to finally catch a fish. He sails out too far and ends up in the Gulf Stream. This is where he engages in a 3-day long battle between himself and an 18-foot marlin. Santiago and the marlin are two of the most important characters in the book. At first glance, they seem completely different, but further reading reveals that the two are more alike than one would think. Santiago and the marlin

plays in the story. The book's two principal characters, Santiago and Manolin, represent the old

Among all the novels and essays he has published, he is best known for his classic novella The Old Man and the Sea (1952). Since its publication, the novella has earned worldwide recognition and has been translated into numerous languages considering it is known as a tale with a much deeper message that transcends place and time. In the novella, the protagonist Santiago’s qualities of bravery, honor and endurance not only enable him to thrive in the face of adversity, but also influence those around him. For instance, a young boy, Manolin has a special relationship with Santiago, who has taken the boy out to fish since he was five. Manolin has a certain degree of devotion and loyalty to Santiago, for he thinks of Santiago as both a fatherly figure and a mentor.

In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway writes about an old man in Havana, Cuba. The main character of this book, Santiago, was once a great fisherman and well-known man in Havana. With his glory days of arm wrestling and great fish behind him, Santiago struggles to survive with an eighty-four day period without fish. Despite his vast troubles, he continues to travel to sea every day. Pride, Santiago’s greatest strength but also his most fatal flaw, leads to his defeat.

Everyone that is, except for Manolin. Santiago is Manolin’s idol and he sticks by him through thick and through thin. I loved how the book ended with Santiago being respected by everyone for catching the biggest marlin anyone had ever seen but still keeping to himself and spending time with the boy. This shows that the old man remembers who stood by his side when times were rough and not just when the village accepted him and that is an attest to the type of person he is.

“Failure will never overtake [him] if [his] determination to succeed is strong enough” (Mandino). An unwillingness to fail reveals itself in The Old Man and the Sea, a literary fiction by Ernest Hemingway, relates the hills and valleys of a Cuban fisherman’s adventure. Throughout the novel, Santiago, the main character, displays his determined spirit when capturing the marlin and fighting sharks. Hemingway use several symbols throughout his novella, including the old man’s faithful fishing line and the ravenous sharks that attack the marlin.

‘The Old Man and the Sea’; quite possibly the most boring book I have read in my life. Not to say that it is necessarily “bad”, with all the possible interpretations, which bring about the book’s own sense of mystery, and actually decent characterization, perhaps it is worthwhile. But, nonetheless; the most boring, unexciting book I have ever feasted (or perhaps forcefully overindulged) my eyes upon. I guess it just wasn’t quite my cup of sea.

Throughout the course of his life, Ernest Hemingway proved to be a prolific writer who cherished the art of literature. His works embodied a simplistic style, yet he often portrayed profound messages hidden within this simplicity. As a person who loved adventure and travelling, he always had sources of inspiration that he used in his books. One of the most notable influences on his life was his time serving in various wars, which drastically shifted his view of the world and universe. Although some of his earlier books directly referenced the struggles of war, many others hid the effects war had on Hemingway and his resulting opinions of war underneath simple sentences and storylines. Big Two-Hearted River, which was written in 1925 after Hemingway served in World War I, follows the character Nick Adams as he confronts the wreckage of his burnt town and goes fishing alone. One of the last books Hemingway ever wrote was The Old Man and the Sea, which depicts the struggles of an old man, Santiago, who tries to catch a fish after being unsuccessful for 84 days. Although neither of these books directly mention war, the motivations and actions of Hemingway’s characters reflect his own struggles and demonstrate the disillusioning effects that war had on his mindset.

The Old Man and the Sea is a Pulitzer prize-winning novella written by Nobel award-winning author and journalist Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway endured many tragedies, from the wounds of his time in war and even during two successive plane crashes in which Hemingway was permanently injured. Throughout it all, however, Ernest Hemingway still stood with great honor and took pride in his humility. These are the characteristics that really led Hemingway to greatness and success. His book is the story of an epic battle between an aged, seasoned fisherman and the biggest catch of his life- a 1,000 pound marlin, set on the coasts of Cuba. He based this book off of a true story, however, the Old Man and the Sea also reflects upon the life of Ernest Hemingway, who was also an experienced fisherman. Throughout the entire plot, Ernest Hemingway repeatedly enforces the theme that greatness will only follow humility, pride, and fierce determination, not just physical strength. This theme can be proven through an analysis of three characters in the book- Santiago, the marlin, and the Manolin.

The book I choose to read for my summer reading assignment was The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.I choose to read this book not only because I could read it for both History and English classes but because the title sounded interesting.

Ernest Hemingway was viewed as a talented writer, and was considered in his prime up until his novel Across the River and into the Trees, which led to his downfall. After this point he was seen as old and a has been. He rose from his sorrows and created the Old Man and the Sea, his final and most popular work. This novella featured an old man, Santiago, going through a time in his life where he is attempting to prove he is at his prime by catching a marlin, despite all his previous defeats. Similar to many other writers, as an author his novella included experience from his life, and at this point in his life he was becoming old and leaving his best years, so it reflected in his writing. The major and recurring theme of the Old Man and the Sea is growing old as seen through Santiago’s denial, pain, and acceptance.

Ernest Hemingway is considered an astounding author of his time. He wrote during the early to mid 20th century, and he has published many works that are considered classics of American literature. During his literary career, Hemingway experienced almost a decade without publishing a successful major literary work (History.com). During this time, his last successful work, For Whom the Bell Tolls, was published in 1940, and Across the River and Into the Trees, which was not received well by critics, was released in 1950. After Across the River and Into the Trees was published, reviewers thought he was through as a writer. Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea to prove himself as an author by reflecting upon his life.

The endless advance of time has left many writers, and their works forgotten. Only a select few live on, Ernest Hemingway being a prime example. With his straight forward style of writing and his Sinatra-esque personality his name still continues to live on to this day. His most famous work called “The Old Man and the Sea” which follows and old washed up fisherman whom is down on his luck embarks on a voyage where he is thrown into a long bout with a tremendous