by: Juan Diego Jimenez
Ernest Hemingway’s wonderfully written novel is about an old Cuban man, the protagonist, who goes by the name of Santiago. He has lost the days where he would do arm wrestling competitions, play a lot of sports, but he never lost his freedom. Now he dedicates the rest of his life on fishing, since he is an old man. He is a poor man and because of this he feels despondent and lonely. But really he doesn't show it. Like if he had nothing left to do. He has no family left but there is this boy he taught how to fish. They both depend on each other and have created a very friendly relationship. They even buy drinks for each other and he’s the only person Santiago has left. (52) “But you haven’t got the boy, you have only yourself and you had better work back to the last line now.” So once Santiago went fishing for weeks without catching a fish and that shows he is a very patient man. But when he went fishing with the boy they caught a lot of fish. Then he went fishing for 84 days and hadn’t caught a single fish and he was alone. This shows that the boy gives luck to fishermen. But he still wouldn’t give up.
His inspiration was the great DiMaggio, which was a famous baseball player in the New York Yankees. Until one day his patience and the good service to God paid off. He finds a gigantic Marlin who seemingly has no chance against the bait Santiago put in his hook. The Marlin was a tremendous catch for Santiago and there for turned into the antagonist. His confidence is so high he decides to go deeper out into the sea. He already had enough fish but then the problems started to occur. When he feels he has another fish in his hook he suddenly gets a cramp on his hand and then he starts feelings weak. He’s weak, tired, dizzy, and dehydrated and he barely hangs on but he just never gives up. And the rest, go find by yourself what happens at the end.
When I picked up this book I had a feeling I would like it because I have had experience with fishing and its fun so that’s why I chose this book. In my opinion at first I didn’t like the book because no drama or action was going on but at the end is where it gets very interesting. I like the way the author clearly describes the feelings of the main character throughout the story.
Santiago used to be an athletic kid whose father was a tough man who taught him how to fish and other things as well. He doesn’t like to give up and he always likes to keep pushing forward. He’s a very religious person besides that he prays before catching a fish. He thinks he talks to God so there’s other resemblance. He has learned to love his enemies as much as his friends. And he never gives up. But even though he is old and weak he is very happy and lives with what he has.
Honestly I look forward to reading books by this author. I ended up liking it and like they say don’t judge a book by its cover.
