The Old Man and the Sea

I read The Old Man and the Sea in the terminal and on the plane last Thursday morning. While the tale was somewhat sad there seemed to be some just consolation for the old man upon his return trip as onlookers seemed to realize what an incredible catch he had and how hard he must have fought out at sea. I believe he wanted their respect and was saddened by having been mocked and judged as being unlucky.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I was impressed with the depth of the relationship that existed between him and the boy. I found that to be remarkable especially for the time in which this was written.

The baseball references were also poignant. I wondered if Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan carry the kind of legendary status that DiMaggio carried in his heydey. I thought that they probably do not because sports today are everywhere 24-7 and we've lost the sense of purity that American baseball used to evoke. I liked the style of writing Hemingway used in which teams were spoken of as the White Sox of Chicago or the Yankees of New York. I wondered if people ever used to refer to teams in that manner?

Finally, the epic battle with the fish and the mind games that he played with himself were riveting. He showed respect for the sea and its inhabitants and marveled at their beauty and personality. This I found refreshing and yet sad. In this you could see the depth of his loneliness and his craving for companionship. Perhaps, this is why he and the boy were so close, as the boy didn't appear to have much of a relationship with his father. It seemed that this loneliness was something that Hemingway understood on a deep level and it really shows forth in his writing.

The Old Man and the Sea to me epitomizes much of what one experiences in a lifetime: memories, pain, regret, hope, fear, and resiliency, and companionship. I can see why this story won the big prize for literature as it is a true classic. I hope to read it with my children one day.