The Old Man and the Sea

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Abstract：The Old Man and the Sea written by Hemingway , which won both Nobel prize in literature and Joseph Pulitzer , is really worth reading . The hero Santiago of the novel was the reflection of Hemingway and his tough guy spirit , which accompanied his entire life and also symbolized the tough spirit of American ---- never submit to fate , and always be optimistic .

Key Words ：Hemingway ； << The Old Man and the Sea >>

It was a stage when the younger generation of America as well as Hemingway himself was confused about the society , the world , and even American Dream after undergoing the World War 1 and witnessing the Spanish Civil War , which vividly embodied the cruelty and frailty of humans body and inmost soul . It was a period when Hemingway suffered from flows of criticism on his novel Across the River and Into the Trees , by which he was actuated to create another novel to reestablish his reputation in American literary world .

This is a heartbreaking story narrating an old fisherman Santiagos fighting against giant Marlin in current far off the coast . Although not having caught a fish and compromised for 84 days , the old fisherman was full-hearted and spunky , and finally caught a gigantic marlin on the 85th day . Neither with food or fresh water , nor carrying arms or assistances , he never felt frustrated even the moment his left hand was jerky . After life-and-death battle with the big fish for 2 days , he finally killed it , whose blood unfortunately appealed sharks to come over . Having lost his hard-won trophy , he got back with the fishs skeleton . Heartbroken and exhausted , the old man lay on the bed , trying to get back to the old pure golden days and letting the miserable reality fade away .

Though he lost in respect of secular definition , hes always the winner in spiritual world , demonstrating the summit of tough spirit and enlightening the way for the Lost Generation . Moreover , at the end of the novel , the child went fishing with him , which indicated that the tough spirit would inspire generations and generations . “For greatness and force are truly measured only by the greatness and force of the opposition out of which the spirit brings itself back to unity with itself again.” Only in the hopeless circumstance could he struggle to fight against the enemies even at the cost of his life , maintaining the dignity and courage of being a human being , even if he clearly knew he was in vain . And only in the extreme circumstance could the “ never be defeated ” spirit sparkle .

When most of us mainly focus on the old mans strong will , the old mans inner world , which demonstrates his yearning for sincere friendship and many other good things like the lions , should enjoy the equal significance as well . As far as Im concerned , the friendship between Santiago and the little boy is one of the two most fantastic parts of the novel , which illustrates the soft part of a tough guy . It was the boy that devoted to him all through the fishing and always gave him strongest spiritual support whenever he was at the brink of breaking down. Without the boy , Santiagos tough spirit couldnt have become the summit of American spirit , and couldnt have sparkled for generations , I bet .

The hero Santiago of the novel was the reflection of Hemingway and his tough guy spirit , which accompanied his entire life and also symbolized the tough spirit of American ---- never submit to fate , and always be optimistic . Hemingway had a strong desire to excel everything he confronted in his youth . But with time fleeting , he was reluctant to admit that his vigor and creativity was going down . He was uneasy in his inmost heart , but of course , he never surrendered to his fate , which just perfectly embodied the old man Santiagos life creed ,“ A man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated”. Just as the old saying goes , “It is better to die than to live when life is a disgrace”. When his creativity came to end because of illness , Hemingway committed suicide with his credit of being an unyielding man .

When it comes to my favourite parts of the book , the narrates of Santiago dreaming of the lions should never be ignored . Only when dreaming of the lions could the old man get back to the old pure golden days , letting the miserable reality fade away . Not only does it show us his yearning for pure life , but also it illustrates the soft part of a tough guy , making the character more well-rounded . Moreover , combined with calmness and tenderness , the lion should be seen as a symbol of confidence , dignity , and majesty , which helped make mental and spiritual preparations for the old mans next fishing journey .

The Old Man and the Sea , which won both Nobel prize in literature and Joseph Pulitzer , is really worth reading . It wont fail your expectation .