Book Review - The Old Man and the Sea

All of our lives are consciously or unconsciously in preparation for that one moment where we can finally feel proud for making it count. Ernest Hemingway’s “The old man and the sea”, which won him the Pulitzer prize is a narration of one such glorious moment of an ordinary old fisherman - Santiago.

It is the story of how Santiago who is struck by ‘salao’ (bad luck) and hasn’t had a single catch in almost 3 months decides to endure any challenge that might come in the hope to reverse his unproductive streak. The decision sees him stuck deep in the sea for three long days having baited a huge Marlin but unable to pull it up and holding onto the fish line with every ounce of strength his body can produce.  As the struggle between the old man and the giant marvellous Marlin progresses, what we witness are the beautiful, intricate layers of a not-so-ordinary man and the sheer strength and grace of the mighty nature. I feel this is something we all can personally relate to - going through bad days, trying our best, not succeeding yet tightly holding on to HOPE and amidst all this - discovering ourselves!!

The monologue of the old man saying to himself “Let him (the fish) think that I am more man than I am and I will be”, “It’s silly not to hope, It’s a sin”, “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is” are all brilliant representations of the same.

The story is not just about the old man and the sea or the fish, this is also the story of Santiago and a young boy he mentors - Manolin. The mutual care and affection between the two is endearing and their beautiful bond is charming at the very least. It depicts the vulnerable side of every human who at the end of the day wants to find connection and meaning to their life by sharing it with another. 

I have read this book multiple times now. I think I keep going back to it each time I need a refill of virtues such as hope, resilience, patience among others. As a young adult, reading the line “Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?” makes me want to get up and move mountains now rather than wait too long in life to do everything that I love, that I am passionate for.

My final take away from the book would be that - We have one life gifted to us by the Universe, let’s make it count!