From the Bookshelf of Never too Late to Read Classics…

The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

Start date: October 1, 2022

Finish date: October 31, 2022

Discussion: Lesser Know Classics

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Apr 20, 2019 Josh Caporale rated it liked it · review of another edition

Upon preparing for the 10th season of Literary Gladiators, which we will begin filming in May, I was thinking about nominating For Whom the Bell Tolls for the material list for the season, as Ernest Hemingway's short stories have received a good responses from viewers. One of the customers at where I work, though, suggested that we go over The Old Man and the Sea, for it has a lot to say about life. Ari also gave this book a vote of confidence, so I went forth with this book. I can definitely se Upon preparing for the 10th season of Literary Gladiators, which we will begin filming in May, I was thinking about nominating For Whom the Bell Tolls for the material list for the season, as Ernest Hemingway's short stories have received a good responses from viewers. One of the customers at where I work, though, suggested that we go over The Old Man and the Sea, for it has a lot to say about life. Ari also gave this book a vote of confidence, so I went forth with this book. I can definitely see where the message of this book resonates and how Santiago is the old man set on his dreams and goals in life and how the fish represent those physical goals and accomplishments. There are plenty of interchangables that can be applied. The story, though, was just okay. It reminds me of the fourth season of the original series of The Twilight Zone, where episodes become an hour long from the 30-minute episodes that were tradition (The Twilight Zone would go on for one more season and go back to 30 minutes). I enjoy Hemingway's short stories because they convey a thought-provoking message and they are right to the point. Of course, he has written a good handful of novels, but to me, The Old Man and the Sea did not come off so much as a novel, a short novel, or a novella. It was more so a long short story that felt more like a Season 4 episode of The Twilight Zone.

Now where did it drag? Santiago has been going days just looking to catch a marlin, which would be his dream catch, but he is set with his ways and refusing to budge. This is doing damage to his impression and even the boy, Manolin, that he has on hand, is being discouraged from working with him. Of course, Santiago does his best to keep going. He has a great deal of strength and determination left in him, even if it means developing a sense of physical strain. Santiago also has a great passion for baseball, particularly the New York Yankees, and is particularly a fan of Joe DiMaggio. Santiago also has the tendency to talk to himself, his hands, and the fish that he is able to catch.

The Old Man and the Sea is everything you would expect from Ernest Hemingway in its execution and details, which does not include flowery language, but instead direct descriptions and the mention of what is exactly happening at the given time and place. It is like Who Moved My Cheese in how Santiago seems to be the kind that "hems" and "haws," but this hemming and hawing may be contributing to something that is worth the wait. I do, however, feel that the book could have been even shorter and could have been collected among short stories, even if it was a little bit longer than most of the stories in the collection. I think the same effect of what he caught could have been conveyed in a shorter period of time.

The Old Man and the Sea is a short book that one can get through quickly, but it is also one that may warrant a reread shortly thereafter, which is often the case with what Hemingway has written. This book has a lot to say about life, but there are plenty of other works that possess the same ability and plenty of those plenty possess a greater ability to hook the reader without the harpoon or rod. ...more

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