Review of The Old Man and the Sea - Jashan Takhar

To say the least, reading, thinking about, and understanding  The Old Man and the Sea is... a unique experience. 

I have been recommended this book multiple times but never really took it upon myself to read it. From what I had heard about the novel, it sounded like a very linear and stodgy read. I finally decided to give it a try and confirmed my hunches: "This book is just an old man fishing, but I guess it's a little sad in the end," I thought. I knew something with my claim was wrong. After all, The Old Man and the Sea is one of the best-known books of a man who won the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize for his writing. The Old Man and the Sea is a short read, about 130 pages. I decided to reread the novel, and this time, I understood things that were invisible to me before, picked up new details, and got an idea of the theme. You see, The Old Man and the Sea is not a book to read for its action, drama, or humor, but rather for its true philosophy. This novel is a true example of life lessons being conveyed through simplicity (there are only two named characters!). 

Santiago is a fisherman. As one would expect, he fishes. However, there is a problem. Santiago is incredibly unlucky. As stated at the beginning of the novel, he has gone eighty-four days without catching a single fish. His village ridicules him. His apprentice, a young man named Manolin, is often told to change mentors, but out of his deep affection and admiration for the old man, Manolin stays. 

Reading this book for the first time, here is what I saw for the rest of the pages: Santiago is old but wants actually to catch a fish, so he goes pretty far and through many hardships to catch a big marlin, but unfortunately his effort takes a toll on him. He is severely injured and probably died (it's not explicitly stated if he dies or not, but there foreshadowing throughout the book hints Santiago's death). I closed the book and thought: "Ha! How boring. And some plot twist that was at the end, I pretty much knew from the beginning it was gonna be a sad ending! There's no action, the old man's not even that likable, and I don't even know where Manolin went. Hardly an adventure." 

Opening the book again here is what I read: Santiago is a poor old man who has a heavy burden of balancing his decaying reputation in his village, a horrible streak of luck, and keeping the few that look up to him happy. Alienation, societal, and personal pressures have taken the better of him, and he has finally decided, on the eighty-fifth day of his unlucky streak, to go farther than any fisherman ever before where there will undoubtedly be a big fish. His journey was difficult, but he finally finds his prize marlin. One striking scene from the book for me was when Santiago held the line that connected him and his marlin for three days. Multiple times he dreams of African lions playing on the beach. He is physically tarnished, yet his determination keeps him going. His pride shall not falter, and he will not let go of the thing that is a testament of his worthiness as a fisherman. "Pain does not matter to a man," he remarks. His marlin is attacked by sharks and is torn to shreds, but Santiago will not let go. He fights the sharks with a makeshift knife and harpoon, once again proving his determination. He has to kill the marlin, but he feels as if it has killed his glory along with the marlin. He returns back home with a new feeling of revitalization, though he knows he is at the end of his journey in life. The book closes as he falls asleep dreaming of the lions. 

Two emotions struck me after closing the book for the second time. Guilt, for underestimating a book with a much deeper meaning than I had initially thought, and satisfaction following. Instead of scanning the book to get it over with, the second time around the struggles of the old Santiago suddenly felt a lot more real to me. At the same time, his persistence struck a chord to me that I would never forget the tune of. The Old Man and the Sea was a book that represented many of Hemingway's interests as an author. He was an adventurous person, but at the same time believed that endurance was the solution to many struggles in life. Santiago's unflinching pride until the end was a lesson that Manolin learned and would be able to pass on for several generations. The marlin that Santiago had formed such a deep connection with dying, I think was directly correlated with Santiago's eternal slumber. I think another lesson readers can take away from this applies to every book - read a book once for its story, read it twice for its meaning. Overall The Old Man and the Sea, though not the most enjoyable read, was an experience that changed the way I read. 

My rating:

9.5/10