The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
|
|
| published
|
October 1st 1979
by Scribner Paper Fiction
|
| first published
| 1952 |
| binding
| Paperback |
| isbn
|
0684163268
(isbn13: 9780684163260)
|
| ebook |
|
| literary awards
| 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature |
| date added
|
10-11-06
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|
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bookshelves:
indonesian,
world-literature
Read in September, 1991
recommends it for:
sastra klasik
Salao -- demikian orang-orang memanggil Santiago, nelayan Kuba yang tua. Salao, artinya orang yang paling sial dari yang paling sial. Bagaimana tidak, selama 85 hari ia sudah melaut dan tidak mendapatkan ikan satupun padahal itu bulan September, bulan dimana arus besar selalu dipenuhi ikan. Rekor sebelumnya, 87 hari tanpa ikan.
Tapi Santiago bukanlah orang mudah patah semangat, di hari ke-85 itu ia memutuskan untuk melaut sejauh-jauhnya sambil berdoa agar mendapat ikan. Memang b...more
Salao -- demikian orang-orang memanggil Santiago, nelayan Kuba yang tua. Salao, artinya orang yang paling sial dari yang paling sial. Bagaimana tidak, selama 85 hari ia sudah melaut dan tidak mendapatkan ikan satupun padahal itu bulan September, bulan dimana arus besar selalu dipenuhi ikan. Rekor sebelumnya, 87 hari tanpa ikan.
Tapi Santiago bukanlah orang mudah patah semangat, di hari ke-85 itu ia memutuskan untuk melaut sejauh-jauhnya sambil berdoa agar mendapat ikan. Memang benar, akhirnya tertangkap oleh kailnya, ikan Marlin sepanjang 18 kaki (luar biasa besar!!! dan belum ada orang yang berhasil menangkap sebesar itu) dan dengan penuh perjuangan dan rasa jumawa ia mengatakan bahwa dirinya telah menang. Karena begitu besarnya ikan Marlin itu dan dirinya sudah terlalu lelah, ikan itu diikat dan disampirkan di sisi kapalnya. Sesuatu yang menarik perhatian ikan hiu-hiu mako dan seolah-olah mengundang mereka untuk makan gratis.
Lalu benar, selama 4 hari Santiago berperang melawan hiu-hiu yang tak kunjung lelah menghabisi ikannya hingga yang tersisa hanya rangka. Salao memang si Santiago! Tapi di mata Manolin, anak kecil yang dapat disetarakan dengan murid, Santiago adalah nelayan hebat. Ia berjanji bahwa ia tidak akan membiarkan Santiago sendirian dan mulai saat itu menjadi partner lagi.
Setelah membaca novella (cerpen yang panjaaaaang) ini, saya menjadi seorang "believer". Believer of dream and hard work. Santiago menunjukkan sesuatu yang penting dalam hidup yang dapat membuat perubahan: semangat. Dan soal ini saya berutang terima kasih yang banyak sekali pada Ernest Hemingway.
Novella ini ditulis Ernest Hemingway berdasarkan pengamatan dia sendiri waktu tinggal di Key West, Florida dan Kuba pada tahun 1930-an. Waktu itu bahkan Hemingway pernah menulis cerpen untuk majalah Esquire tahun 1936 tentang seorang nelayan Kuba yang diseret sampai jauh ke tengah laut oleh ikan marlin. Hingga akhirnya ikan tangkapannya itu disikat habis oleh hiu. Tampaknya ini yang kemudian dikembangkan oleh Hemingway menjadi novella Lelaki Tua dan Laut ini. Bagiku, novel ini dapat disetarakan dengan cerpen William Faulkner berjudul “The Bear” dan novel Moby-Dick karya Herman Melville.
Secara khusus mengenai novella ini, aku ingin mengatakan karya terjemahan ini dapat dijadikan standar/tolok ukur terjemahan yang berkualitas. Jadi salut untuk Sapardi Djoko Damono.
...less
Read in July, 2008
recommended to Anne by:
Stacie?
Right, so. I feel the need to contextualize this.
In 10th grade, I had to read The Sun Also Rises which, for a number of reasons, put a bad taste in my mouth. Having no frame of reference for Hemingway, I still found myself reacting negatively to his very male-ness. I didn't give a crap about Jake's impotence, and I could think of quite a few male figures in my life who I thought damn well deserved impotence. Plus, it was just sort of half-assedly taught, and I was fifteen.
Seco...more
Right, so. I feel the need to contextualize this.
In 10th grade, I had to read The Sun Also Rises which, for a number of reasons, put a bad taste in my mouth. Having no frame of reference for Hemingway, I still found myself reacting negatively to his very male-ness. I didn't give a crap about Jake's impotence, and I could think of quite a few male figures in my life who I thought damn well deserved impotence. Plus, it was just sort of half-assedly taught, and I was fifteen.
Second, and this is pretty nonsensical but it sticks in my mind for some reason: in the early nineties (jaysis), I was obsessed with supermodels, in particular Christy Turlington. For whatever reason, I wanted to believe all good things about her, and hold her up as a personal style icon. So I was really excited when I heard her talking about being a lit major, and a Hemingway scholar and stuff. I don't know - I think I was trying to find some middle ground, some place to exist between being a pretty girl and having a brain, and I needed a role model. Anyway, in a discussion of the intellectual capacity of supermodels with a female roommate of mine, I remember actually saying in defense of La Christy: "But she reads Hemingway!" and my roommate replying "All that means is that she has bad taste." It really stuck with me.
Cut to 16 years later, and /The Old Man and the Sea. This time around, I loved the spare style, the whole man against the elements business, and I didn't even mind when the old guy called the sea a whore. It made me want to strip my life down to its barest elements, and as I wrote to a friend who was horrified I hadn't read it, "use my pants for a pillow."
This is a very reader-resonsy type of review, but that's what summer reading's all about, isn't it? My personal thoughts and reflections and emotional reactions. My reaction to this is that I feel like a fat capitalist, and it makes me wonder where in my life I ever live as deeply or as on the edge, and if I'm capable of creating that kind of deep living in my comfortable, suburban existence. I don't want to become a weekend warrior or anything - I don't think that's the point. I just find myself wondering about my current definition of living.
Pardon me while I finish my iced coffee with sugar free vanilla syrup....less
The story:
(old) Man vs. Nature.
A down-in-luck old man becomes truly desperate after going for 84 days without a catch. Soon, he hooks the catch of a life-time. The rest of the novel describes the man and fish (a marlin) in their struggle that lasts for days. Don't worry, at this point, I will not give away the ending (not that it is that thrilling).
This story, of course, has deeper symbolic implications. Although the exact symbolism may be debated, the story seems to have certain mo...more
The story:
(old) Man vs. Nature.
A down-in-luck old man becomes truly desperate after going for 84 days without a catch. Soon, he hooks the catch of a life-time. The rest of the novel describes the man and fish (a marlin) in their struggle that lasts for days. Don't worry, at this point, I will not give away the ending (not that it is that thrilling).
This story, of course, has deeper symbolic implications. Although the exact symbolism may be debated, the story seems to have certain motifs, such as the honor of a fair struggle. The old man fights his own struggle for life, but like the fish, he does so with pride and honor.
Other interpretations include the idea that the man has hooked the fish and that the fish has hooked the man, and that both are necassary for one another, respect one another, and define one another.
Any way you choose to look at it, here is the following analysis:
Style- Dry, slow, choppy, and simple. I don't like it.
Lenght- Very short book. I think I liked this fact the most.
Symbolism- The symbolism is present...everywhere. In my opinion there is too much of it, and I would prefer if the author had actually showed something insightful instead of producing a simple plot with little dialogue, overflowing with cheap symbolism. This book, in my view, has a lack of subtelty, and complexity which I believe is present in life, and this is what annoys me the most. To be fair, it probably annoys me too much, as this book may be better than I am making it out to be.
Deeper philosophical meaning- All of it is conveyed through simple symbolism.
Entertainment- Very low.
All in all, this book may be better than I am rating it. However, my point is that (1) any way you look at it is not a masterpiece, yet so many regard it as such. (2) The style and symbolism really rubs me the wrong way, but it may work for others.
...less
bookshelves:
novels
As much as Twin is American, Hemingway is un-American. He is the most famous narrator of "loosers but proud". He came to literature world with Nick Adams (In our Time), lived as Nick lived and died as Nick would die! Laconic but efficient, compendious but moving. Wishing for peace he lived in war and came to the coast with the fish skeleton left in his hand, as Santiago did (Old Man and the Sea).
پیر مرد و دریا فراموش نشدنی ست، هم بخاطر خشونتی ک...more
As much as Twin is American, Hemingway is un-American. He is the most famous narrator of "loosers but proud". He came to literature world with Nick Adams (In our Time), lived as Nick lived and died as Nick would die! Laconic but efficient, compendious but moving. Wishing for peace he lived in war and came to the coast with the fish skeleton left in his hand, as Santiago did (Old Man and the Sea).
پیر مرد و دریا فراموش نشدنی ست، هم بخاطر خشونتی که در جدال کوسه ها و پیر مرد است، خشونتی که در همه ی آثار همینگوی حضور دارد، و هم بخاطر غروری که یک شکست خورده می تواند داشته باشد، چیزی که با همه ی قهرمانان همینگوی هست، شکست خورده اما مغرور.
این رمان یک بار در 1332 به نام "مرد پیر و دریا" با ترجمه ی یحیوی به فارسی منتشر شده، یک بار در 1343 با ترجمه ی تقی بهرامی منتشر شده، ترجمه ی سعیدی به چاپ دوم در 1348 رسیده، یک بار در 1354 با ترجمه ی نازی عظیما منتشر شده و یک بار هم با ترجمه ی عباس کرمی فر در 1372 به چاپ دوم رسیده است. اما بهترین ترجمه به گمان من از نجف دریابندری ست که توسط انتشارات خوارزمی در 1363 منتشر شده است. کاش تمام داستان های کوتاه همینگوی را ابراهیم گلستان و تمام رمان هایش را نجف دریابندری به فارسی برگردانده بودند. ...less
HAMLET: To be, or not to be--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
To die, to sleep--
No more--and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to.
'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--
To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,
For in that slee...more
HAMLET: To be, or not to be--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.
To die, to sleep--
No more--and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to.
'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--
To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprise of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. -- Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia! -- Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.
*is it better to have strength and to lose it,than to have no strength at all?...less
Read Old Man and the Sea, for the first time taking it seriously, after years of ignoring the book, and the author down as some boring pop culture hoopla, over admired stories with no real complicatedness.
Old Man and the Sea is not about a man trying to catch a fish, even though it really is; it is a difficult thing to explain, such as the intricate detailings giving appeal to the multicolored facets in a diamond, or an aged Port with hints of smoke and asparagus; it is difficult if the f...more
Read Old Man and the Sea, for the first time taking it seriously, after years of ignoring the book, and the author down as some boring pop culture hoopla, over admired stories with no real complicatedness.
Old Man and the Sea is not about a man trying to catch a fish, even though it really is; it is a difficult thing to explain, such as the intricate detailings giving appeal to the multicolored facets in a diamond, or an aged Port with hints of smoke and asparagus; it is difficult if the fundamentals are not there, the appreciation of rhythm, of sounds in music, in the flawless white powder covered back yard feeling perfect in relaxing, the whisper of an intuitive lover before climax framing the moment into a memory.
In other words: experience in a refined palete, maturity and elegant simplicity are Hemingway to me, finally.
Here, a few lines that wrecked me into reverently triple reading them:
"The old man carried the mast on his shoulder and the boy carried the wooden box with the coiled, hard-braided brown lines, the gaff and harpoon with its shaft. The box with the baits was under the stern of the skiff along with the club that was used to subdue the big fish when they were bought alongside."
Those lines had me imagining reading to my future children before bed; they lines gave me hope for the future in raising progeny in a fucked up world. Poetry in a story.
Hemingway wrote a book with enough appealing and undistracting denominators that everyone from a TBI boy's Spanish physical therapist, to his science-minded, scatter-brained contractor father would swoon at the sight of it. And now I will be among the swooners, (if anybody even uses that word anymore).
...less
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone living their life and anyone that has tested themself in some way
I liked this book because it has something to say about life and people. I'd agree with any interpretation that compares the marlin to our ambitions and accomplishments in life. They might be big, but in the end they are a skeleton of memories and then not even that. For me the character of the boy meant most that we help give each other's lives meaning. I agree with the Sparknotes analysis that pride will make us drive ourselves mercilessly to make what we want of our lives. The old man's ...more
I liked this book because it has something to say about life and people. I'd agree with any interpretation that compares the marlin to our ambitions and accomplishments in life. They might be big, but in the end they are a skeleton of memories and then not even that. For me the character of the boy meant most that we help give each other's lives meaning. I agree with the Sparknotes analysis that pride will make us drive ourselves mercilessly to make what we want of our lives. The old man's battle against his own weaknesses at the climax of the book reminded me of the way I felt in the comparatively minor ways I've challenged myself in life. Foot racing and trying to write papers through sleep deprivation (thank you college) are the two experiences i've had where I was totally strained, but didn't quit because I wanted the reward. The feeling of regret at starting in the first place, the uncertainty, spurts of confidence and doubt, trying to reason with yourself, and hope for the payoff are all expressed in the book. To really understand the climax, I'd say that experiencing combat might get a person the closest with the sense of identifying with the opponent and a taxing struggle for simple existence. I'm glad that will probably never happen to me. To be able to identify with the whole story I think all you have to be is human. After many years of hearing about this book it was still really worth reading....less
bookshelves:
2007---2008
Read in November, 2007
Hemingway, Hemingway, Hemingway--how it sounds so like the hum of hummingbirds when echoed in all the discussions and debates among scholars deemed esteem.
His stories aren't as long as what Tolkein might write, or as rhythmic as Dr.Seuss, but Hemingway strikes to me as someone who spotlights the smaller misfortunes of reality. Of course, to some my notion is absurd, but it is my opinion--deal with it.
In this particular novel, Hemingway tells the story of the journey of an elderly man b...more
Hemingway, Hemingway, Hemingway--how it sounds so like the hum of hummingbirds when echoed in all the discussions and debates among scholars deemed esteem.
His stories aren't as long as what Tolkein might write, or as rhythmic as Dr.Seuss, but Hemingway strikes to me as someone who spotlights the smaller misfortunes of reality. Of course, to some my notion is absurd, but it is my opinion--deal with it.
In this particular novel, Hemingway tells the story of the journey of an elderly man by the name of Santiago to capture a large kill in the open waters. Mocked by many to be a pathetic fisherman unable to make any good catches for a month, Santiago sees his chance to catch a large kill as his opportunity to redeem himself.
While reading about Santiago's will to please, I wondered about who he strove to please--his assistant, who admired him when no one would, or the crowd of fishermen who mocked him? I thought that at the end, Santiago was trying to prove to himself that he was not as pathetic as the majority says and that he did still have the skills that his assistant admired him for. On the other hand, I felt that the fish he killed mirrored him because both were once great but doomed to deterioration no matter. The interesting part is that most things, when sensing that their end is approaching, strive the hardest to show their capabilities. Why is that? Also, why do people sometimes take that act of striving as a performance for them?...less
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in August, 2008
It has been years since I read this book back in college. When I read it again, I had a newfound appreciation for this book about Santiago and his battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. I was amazed at Hemingway's "simple" writing style and how his descriptions were so vivid.
My favorite paragraph in the book:
"He remembered the time he had hooked one of a pair of marlin. The male fish always let the female fish feed first and the hooked fish, the female, ...more
It has been years since I read this book back in college. When I read it again, I had a newfound appreciation for this book about Santiago and his battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. I was amazed at Hemingway's "simple" writing style and how his descriptions were so vivid.
My favorite paragraph in the book:
"He remembered the time he had hooked one of a pair of marlin. The male fish always let the female fish feed first and the hooked fish, the female, made a wild, panic-stricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her, and all the time the male had stayed with her, crossing the line and circling with her on the surface. He had stayed so close that the old man was afraid he would cut the line with his tail which was sharp as a scythe and almost of that size and shape. When the old man had gaffed her and clubbed her, holding the rapier bill with its sandpaper edge and clubbing her across the top of her head until her colour turned to a colour almost like the backing of mirrors, and then, with the boy's aid, hoisted her aboard, the male fish had stayed by the side of the boat. Then, while the old man was clearing the lines and preparing the harpoon, the male fish jumped high into the air beside the boat to see where the female was and then went down deep, his lavender wings, that were his pectoral fins, spread wide and all his wide lavender stripes showing. He was beautiful, the old man remembered, and he had stayed."...less
bookshelves:
literature
Read in September, 1965
recommended to erik by:
Ms Yates
recommends it for:
everyone
Ms. Yates was my freshman English teacher at Maine Twp. High School South in Park Ridge, Illinois. She seemed very old, a tall greying lady reminiscent of some of my favorite teachers from elementary school. She was as old-fashioned as her curriculum. She had the job of weeding us out, deciding who would go into the accelerated program, who would not, according to various criteria, one of which, grammar, was not my strong suit at all. She also had the job of teaching us mythology, preparing ...more
Ms. Yates was my freshman English teacher at Maine Twp. High School South in Park Ridge, Illinois. She seemed very old, a tall greying lady reminiscent of some of my favorite teachers from elementary school. She was as old-fashioned as her curriculum. She had the job of weeding us out, deciding who would go into the accelerated program, who would not, according to various criteria, one of which, grammar, was not my strong suit at all. She also had the job of teaching us mythology, preparing us for a lifetime of similes and metaphors. I respected her a lot. I came to love her so much that I'd visit her after school in the years thereafter.
Ms. Yates (archetypes like her have no first names) also introduced us to Ernest Hemingway through the reading of his novella, The Old Man and the Sea. It was an excellent choice, the prose being simple, clear and descriptive, the story exciting, the protagonist heroic. In addition to the usual class discussion, she lectured us about the author, then quizzed us about such minutiae as Hemingway's war wound, its treatment and the stomach contents of the fish.
I did well on her demanding examinations, probably did well with composition and class participation. I just barely squeaked through on the grammar, entering Ms. Naden's accelerated class in the sophomore year....less
Read in June, 2007
This is Santiago's story. He's an aged Cuban fisherman who once paired with a helpful boy in his skiff but has gone fishless for 80-odd days straight. He goes way out on the waters early one morning and subsequently finds himself in the fight of his life to bring in a wondrous marlin.
This is a compact, crafty read for anyone who can't break away from all the mysteries of the sea. Hemingway knows better than most how to inject meaning into the seemingly quaint parts of life, or rather reveal ...more
This is Santiago's story. He's an aged Cuban fisherman who once paired with a helpful boy in his skiff but has gone fishless for 80-odd days straight. He goes way out on the waters early one morning and subsequently finds himself in the fight of his life to bring in a wondrous marlin.
This is a compact, crafty read for anyone who can't break away from all the mysteries of the sea. Hemingway knows better than most how to inject meaning into the seemingly quaint parts of life, or rather reveal the meaning embedded in our quaint days. He provides more insights in 120 pages than a whole lot of authors do in 400 or more.
It doesn't hurt either that this book came in the twilight of his writing career -- after Farewell To Arms and The Bell Tolls, after receiving the Nobel Prize in literature in 1954, after all the fanfare. This book is Hemingway's final act of greatness. It is fierce and tranquil, the story of a man who goes out every day to lose and find himself at sea.
At day's end, what does a man have to show for himself and his work? And near the end of his life? What is worth more, the fight or the trophy? These are just some of the questions seething below the surface in this short tome....less
bookshelves:
classics
Read in January, 1997
recommends it for:
Anyone into a thoughtful, albeit short ,read
So what is this book about? It can all be summed up from a scene occurring in one of my favorite South Park episodes:
Mexican 1: Si, we read it.
Kyle: What was it about, in case our teacher asks us?
Mexican 1: He starts, there's this old man and his job is to catch the fish. So he get in the boat to try and catch the fish.
Mexican 2: So he catch the fish but the fish is very strong, so the old man can not reel in the fish.
Mexican 3: ...more
So what is this book about? It can all be summed up from a scene occurring in one of my favorite South Park episodes:
Mexican 1: Si, we read it.
Kyle: What was it about, in case our teacher asks us?
Mexican 1: He starts, there's this old man and his job is to catch the fish. So he get in the boat to try and catch the fish.
Mexican 2: So he catch the fish but the fish is very strong, so the old man can not reel in the fish.
Mexican 3: So then he fight the fish some more and he finally catch the fish.
Kyle: He catches the fish so he can make money.
Mexican 1: No, because on the way home the sharks come and eat the fish and so... [pause, the Mexicans all take off their hats in honor of the sad, brave struggle:] he no make money .
Stan: So thats the story?
Mexican 1: Si.
And basically thats it. Sure it was Hemingway's last major work. And sure there's a lot of biblical allusions, questioning of goals and life, and Hemingway's prostilization of his whole "philosophy of man" dogma. But really... I mean really... it's exactly as South Park so poignantly described it. I mean the title alone is so apropos. Recommended, if only because its a very short read....less
bookshelves:
currently-reading
recommends it for:
Everyone!
I'm not a huge Hemingway fan, but I do have to say that this book is one of my favorites and the best that Hemingway wrote. What an incredible tale of human fortitude and self-validation. I love this story so much. I forget I am reading each time: the words are constructed in such a way that I visualize the whole story as though I were an invisible spectator. I love the descriptions of the old man's hands, and the whole story is told with unbelievable detail. We can all identify with the epic s...more
I'm not a huge Hemingway fan, but I do have to say that this book is one of my favorites and the best that Hemingway wrote. What an incredible tale of human fortitude and self-validation. I love this story so much. I forget I am reading each time: the words are constructed in such a way that I visualize the whole story as though I were an invisible spectator. I love the descriptions of the old man's hands, and the whole story is told with unbelievable detail. We can all identify with the epic struggle, the battle of wills. It is beautifully spare, sharp, deceptively simple writing. I can't believe how short it is. The old man did not accomplish the landing of the merlin to show anyone but himself and his student that he was up to it. It was his last stand to prove his worth as a fisher and especially as a man. It is a book of courage: "A man can be destroyed but not defeated." The beauty is in the simplicity. The economy of language makes the symbolism at at once easy to recognize and infinitely complex. Please please read this book if you haven't yet.
"But, he thought, I keep them with precision. Only I have no luck anymore. But who knows? Maybe today. 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."...less
bookshelves:
book-club-made-me-do-it
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Hemingway fans
While this was not my favorite Hemingway book, I enjoyed it nonetheless. The plot structure is simple: just look at the title and there you have it. What is impressive is what Hemingway does with the plot. Hemingway is a master of capturing the natural world and his prose is often poetic. In the figure of Santiago, you have the Hemingway code lived to its fullest. It's the knight attempting to slay the dragon, the matador in the bull ring, the big game hunter in Africa. In challenging nat...more
While this was not my favorite Hemingway book, I enjoyed it nonetheless. The plot structure is simple: just look at the title and there you have it. What is impressive is what Hemingway does with the plot. Hemingway is a master of capturing the natural world and his prose is often poetic. In the figure of Santiago, you have the Hemingway code lived to its fullest. It's the knight attempting to slay the dragon, the matador in the bull ring, the big game hunter in Africa. In challenging nature and respecting it, the old man and his fish are locked in the most classic of Hemingway battles--it's the will of man versus and nature and, whoever wins, it is fair because they were equally matched. Many critics refer to Santiago as a Christ figure and while there is some echoes of the story of Christ within the text, I see Santiago as representative of something finer and nobler than religion. In his refusal to break down, give into despair, feel pity for his situation, Santiago is the epitome of true faith. It's a simple story, but offers the reader much to think about without lapsing into the didactic. If you read the book, I also strongly recommend that you follow it by reading "The Ancient Mariner" chapter in Carlos Baker's Hemingway: The Writer as Artist....less
bookshelves:
aborted-efforts
I was very surprised when I finally tried to read this, and discovered that it bored the living crap out of me. I just couldn't get into it, I don't know why, maybe it was just my mood or something....? I mean, I do like Hemingway. I love the sea, and baseball. I am relatively fond of both old men and little boys (not like that, you fool).... and this is supposed to be really terrific and all, but I just.... I mean, I could've finished it of course, it's short, and it wouldn't have...more
I was very surprised when I finally tried to read this, and discovered that it bored the living crap out of me. I just couldn't get into it, I don't know why, maybe it was just my mood or something....? I mean, I do like Hemingway. I love the sea, and baseball. I am relatively fond of both old men and little boys (not like that, you fool).... and this is supposed to be really terrific and all, but I just.... I mean, I could've finished it of course, it's short, and it wouldn't have been like torture at all, but I just wasn't feeling it.... so I stopped.
Sometimes I think about making an "okay-so-does-this-mean-i'm-stupid-or-something?" shelf, but my ideological opposition to the idea has overridden that impulse every time.... so far....less
bookshelves:
11thgradebooksread
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone
The Old Man and the Sea is a book about trail. The Old Man happens to be a person who has met his match in strength and age. He was once a well reputed fisherman and has been through many ordeals. However, in this current state, few people respect him and look at him as finished. However, he finds hope in a task that has been avoiding him for the past few months. He has been on the hot pursuit of a large fish, a sail fish of great size and beauty.
This fish symbolizes a lot about th...more
The Old Man and the Sea is a book about trail. The Old Man happens to be a person who has met his match in strength and age. He was once a well reputed fisherman and has been through many ordeals. However, in this current state, few people respect him and look at him as finished. However, he finds hope in a task that has been avoiding him for the past few months. He has been on the hot pursuit of a large fish, a sail fish of great size and beauty.
This fish symbolizes a lot about the old man. The fish shows a wide range of symbols including young age, power, beauty, respect, life, trail, strength and more. Making this is final goal, the Old Man wants to finish where he has started. He does fortunately, find some hope and respect from a young boy. This boy looks up the old man and really cares for him. He still thinks of him as a great fisherman.
Before the book is over, a lot is revealed about life, about how hard things are, and how hard someone must try to achieve it. Ernest Hemingway really makes this a must read by making the sole task a very difficult one, one of great porportions. ...less
bookshelves:
read-in-2008
Read in July, 2008
Somehow, I completed high school, passed an AP English test, earned a Bachelor's in English and worked for two years as a teacher of English without ever reading this Pulitzer-Prize-winning book. I haven't read much Hemingway at all, save his two over-anthologized stories, "Hills Like White Elephants" and "Snows of Kilmanjaro", and so when I discovered Old Man and the Sea was listed on La Joya High School's "novel list" for 9th graders, I decided it wa...more
Somehow, I completed high school, passed an AP English test, earned a Bachelor's in English and worked for two years as a teacher of English without ever reading this Pulitzer-Prize-winning book. I haven't read much Hemingway at all, save his two over-anthologized stories, "Hills Like White Elephants" and "Snows of Kilmanjaro", and so when I discovered Old Man and the Sea was listed on La Joya High School's "novel list" for 9th graders, I decided it was finally time I gave this Great American Master a couple hours of my time.
Those were hours well spent (on the plane from McAllen to Dallas), and I did enjoy the book. Hemingway's prose is simple yet it sparkles, and it is impressive the amount of suspense and action he instills in a novel about an ancient down-on-his-luck man who spends almost three days -- 100 pages -- alone in the middle of the Caribbean. I'm not sure this is a story that would resonate with 14-year-olds, but its metaphors did speak to me. I think I am glad I waited to fold back its covers until I had matured enough to appreciate it.
One final note: Eating handfuls of raw fish flesh, even while starving and out in the middle of the sea, is yucky....less
The Old Man and the Sea is a magnificent story. The old fisher man respects the fish and loves it like a brother, but has to kill it because he has to survive. The Old Man and The Sea is a very good book even though it talks only about the sea and fishing. I would truly recommend this book to anyone who likes books with a lot of descriptions about the sea, sky, and fish.
It is different from many books that I’ve read. Books such as The Old Man and the Sea are not meant to be taken purely at ...more
The Old Man and the Sea is a magnificent story. The old fisher man respects the fish and loves it like a brother, but has to kill it because he has to survive. The Old Man and The Sea is a very good book even though it talks only about the sea and fishing. I would truly recommend this book to anyone who likes books with a lot of descriptions about the sea, sky, and fish.
It is different from many books that I’ve read. Books such as The Old Man and the Sea are not meant to be taken purely at face value. The reader is challenged to read between the lines, drawing parallels between the story and life. The book conveys the message that for most people doing a job well provides an abiding sense of gratification and self worth. Most of us are not alienated from our labor but we are challenged by it. The entire story is symbolic of a greater life struggle. A really big fish does not make for an enduring work of literature but a really big fish symbolic of the human impulse to seek great things even though attaining them would mean one's destruction is interesting. Hemingway is perhaps too detailed for some people(like me) to enjoy this book but it still is a very good read.
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bookshelves:
sudah-dibaca
Meski tidak ingat benar, tapi aku membaca buku ini lebih dari sekali. Pertama kali, dengan meminjam dari perpustakaan SMU. Kesan "rasa" yang aku ingat dari si buku, adalah kesan "dalam". Mungkin, itulah kekuatan para penulis sekaliber Ernest Hemingway. Kekuatan bukunya bukan pada penceritaan atau narasi atau tehnik (belaka), tapi pada jiwa yang mereka sematkan pada cerita. "Jiwa" inilah yang merasuk dalam hatiku, yang membuatku sangat terkesan.
Mengangkat kisah y...more
Meski tidak ingat benar, tapi aku membaca buku ini lebih dari sekali. Pertama kali, dengan meminjam dari perpustakaan SMU. Kesan "rasa" yang aku ingat dari si buku, adalah kesan "dalam". Mungkin, itulah kekuatan para penulis sekaliber Ernest Hemingway. Kekuatan bukunya bukan pada penceritaan atau narasi atau tehnik (belaka), tapi pada jiwa yang mereka sematkan pada cerita. "Jiwa" inilah yang merasuk dalam hatiku, yang membuatku sangat terkesan.
Mengangkat kisah yang sangat jarang, tentang seorang pria tua -yang kesepian- yang berjuang menaklukkan lautan dan sebuah ikan besar. Bagaimana kemudian, hubungan "spiritual" terjalin antara dia dan ikannya, itu adalah cerita yang luar biasa dasyat. Bagaimana kemudian, kisah itu masuk dalam sejarah sang pria tua, dan ia kembali pada hidupnya tuk me-marinade perjalanan sebelumnya, itu juga dasyat (gambaran betapa setelah bertarung mati2an, terkadang setelahnya yang tersisa hanya ingatan keletihan, karena hasil yang gemilang membuat kita lupa karena larut dalam ekstasi kepuasan).
Spesifiknya aku tidak ingat cerita ini. Namun itulah yang membuatku tidak akan pernah merasa rugi tuk membaca kisahnya sekali lagi dan sekali lagi....less
Sure, it's a classic, a must-read, and we all know the story whether we're consciously aware of it or not. But it is indeed difficult not to love a book that can be picked up at ten o'clock on a Wednesday night and polished off in two and a half hours. This is not a testament to the speed with which I read (at 140 pages with big print and large margins, the work is surely miscategorized as a novel; it is a novella), but rather to how marvelously the story grabbed my interest and compelled me t...more
Sure, it's a classic, a must-read, and we all know the story whether we're consciously aware of it or not. But it is indeed difficult not to love a book that can be picked up at ten o'clock on a Wednesday night and polished off in two and a half hours. This is not a testament to the speed with which I read (at 140 pages with big print and large margins, the work is surely miscategorized as a novel; it is a novella), but rather to how marvelously the story grabbed my interest and compelled me to turn pages. I mean, a lonely octogenarian who fishes unsuccessfully by himself for 84 consecutive days and whose thoughts often turn to Joe DiMaggio - really, what's not to like? Of course, if we develop any sympathy for the old man early on, we want him to land something, anything, and his battle with the Moby Dick of marlins therefore becomes as exciting to read as one can imagine. That this confrontation should turn out poorly is as it should be, but is in no way disappointing for being entirely predictable. Then again, predictability, or inevitability, is part of Hemingway's point, one might think, as is the significance of the failed and unwitnessed struggle. ...less
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
3.55 (20338 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 3.76
(147 ratings)
number of reviews: 1209
