The Old Man and the Sea book review

The Old Man and the Sea by best-selling author, Ernest Hemingway

Warning- book spoilers- 

I very recently read this book for a summer assignment and was honestly expecting this book to be boring. I was very surprised when I started reading and could not put it down. Now this is an easy book to read it only has 127 pages (at least in my copy it does), so I of course finished it in less than 8 hours (though the way I read, it should have taken me less).  Stated on the back of the book-

"The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal-a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss."

The book starts by introducing Santiago (the old man), who is considered an unlucky fishermen, as he hasn't caught anything in 84 days. Manolin (the boy) is the old man's 'caretaker'. Now he isn't really his caretaker but he really does take care of Santiago. He brings him food, makes sure he eats, helps him with chores, gives him sardines to fish with, and helps him carry the coiled lines, the gaff, the harpoon, and the sail that was furled against the mast. The boy grew up with the old man, but because of his unluckiness the boy's parents ordered him to go fishing in another boat. Even though the old man was the person who taught the boy how to fish. On the 85th day Santiago felt a tug on the line and thus began the chase. The line held a large, beautiful marlin. The chase went on for three days and the old man was pulled very far out to sea. After he finally got the marlin, he had to fight off more than seven sharks. The sharks ended up eating the whole fish and the old man was left with only the carcass. When the old man returned, he went directly to sleep (after bringing in his things) and dreamt of lions, as that was the only thing he dreamt of anymore. 

But there is more to this book than meets the eye. You have to dig a little deeper for the true meaning of the book. Now the meanings might be different between you and me, or another book review and mine. I believe that the old man represents courage and patience, the sharks represent tests that life throws your way, the boy represents love and care, the marlin represents hard work, and the lions represent everything that is familiar. Before you judge or say I'm wrong, please remember- this is how I interpret these things.  If you agree or disagree, please tell me in the comments below, along with what you think the symbols above represent. 

Quotes:

"It is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers." 

"A man can be destroyed but not defeated."

There weren't really any good quotes in this book, I only added the first quote because I didn't want to put just one quote. But I really like the second one. It's just really uplifting. It's like Hemingway's telling us that no matter how bad it seems/gets, it can get better if you give it a chance.(Again, that's how I interpret it.)

In total honesty, I'd rate this a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I really liked this book, it's actually one of my favorites. This book might be a little boring to some of you, but remember to think past the pages. I would recommend this book if you like classic, slower, (kinda) sad, parables or novellas.

                                                                                                 Con Amor, 

                                                                                                          

                                                                                                         Emily