The Old Man and the Sea. Book Review #2

"The Old Man and the Sea is a magnificent story. At one level it is the tale of a man and a fish, at another, a story of man versus nature, at yet another, the story of the culture of manhood, courage, bravery in the face of existence, and at yet another a history of what life was like when individuals were more the central actors on the human stage and not groups or organizations. "
Bob Corbett

I chose this book because it gave me an intense feeling of hope- and strength, to face the daily challenges of life.

The story revolves around a Cuban fisherman, who has not been able to catch many fish. But that changes when he is brought into a battle, by himself, far out in the ocean, with a large marlin for 87 days.

While there was really not much to the plot except for some old guy fishing in the middle of nowhere with a relentless marlin on the end of his line, for me the detailed yet simple language of Hemingway's made this book an undoubted classic in American literature. What made the book powerful was the fact that it was based on a true story about a fisherman who endured for 80 something days for one fish. But going deeper than the surface, the story has unbelievable Christian symbolism. Santiago, the fisherman, befriends a young boy and teaches him many things. Who else but Christ himself is The Teacher? Santiago also battles the fish, which is one of the most amazing elements of the story. The strength and exhaustion spent on the marlin's part reminds me immensely of Christ's battle for His children on the cross.

Hemingway wrote the book in 1952, and went on to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954.