The Old Man and the
The author of this book is American writer Hemingway, he is the “news style” novel founder. In 1954, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature; In 2001, the American Library of Modern Times listed his two books, The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, as one of the 100 Best English novels of the 20th Century. His works have exerted great influence on the writers at that time and later generations, and occupy an important position in the history of American literature. In 1953, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his book “The Old Man and the Sea”. An old man in poverty and misfortune is portrayed by Hemingway as a man of perseverance and courage.
This is a short story from Cuba in the mid-twentieth century. The hero is an old fisherman in Santiago. The frail old fisherman went eighty-four days without catching a fish and almost starved to death. But he still refused to give up, still full of fighting spirit, finally on the eighty-fifth day caught a marlin eighteen feet long, weighing fifteen hundred pounds. The fish pulled the boat out to sea, but the old man held on, even though he had no water, no food, no weapon, no helper, and a cramp in his left hand. At last, after two days and nights, he killed the fish and tied him to the side of the boat. But many young sharks came at once to take his prize; And one by one he killed them, till at last he had only a broken tiller to use as his weapon. As a result, the fish still could not escape being eaten up, and at last, exhausted, the old man hauled back a pair of fish bones. He went home and got into bed. He tried to forget the cruel reality by remembering the good old days in his dreams.
When old Santiago took to the sea, it was a symbol of human pride, the courage to challenge and the desire to conquer the vast ocean, the desire to meet a real shark face to face. He said, "But man is not made for failure." He was a strong, unafraid man. Although he suffered many setbacks, he never gave up the idea of looking for hope. Though he met with repeated failures, he never lost heart. Though he almost died, he kindled the anger of victory again in his fearlessness. He is Hemingway's tough guy -- Santiago.
Why didn't Hemingway let the old man win in the end? In the words of the old
man in the novel: “A man is not born to be defeated” and “a man can be destroyed but not defeated.” This is the philosophy that “The Old Man and the Sea” seeks to reveal. There is no denying that all human beings have defects. When one acknowledges this defect and tries to overcome it instead of yielding to it, it doesn't matter whether one catches a complete marlin or an empty skeleton, because the value of one’s life has been fully reflected in the empty skeleton, because the value of one's life has been fully reflected in the process of hunting marlin. Human nature is strong, human beings themselves have their own limits, but it is because of the old fisherman such a person again and again to the limit challenge, beyond them, the limit is expanded again and again, put a greater challenge in front of human beings. In this sense, the old fisherman Santiago brother such a hero, no matter they challenge the limit is successful or failure, are worthy of our respect forever. Because, he brings us is the most noble human confidence!
Santiago's character features are somewhat similar to Hemingway's. The young Hemingway was competitive and aggressive. But as the years passed and Hemingway reached middle age, his energy and creativity waned. In Hemingway's inner world, he fretted, but never lost hope and confidence. Of course, he won't give up easily. The character of the old man Santiago reflects qualities that Hemingway most admired. Hemingway not only described the strong will of the old man, but also used a lot of length to describe the old man's inner world, that is, the sincere friendship and the yearning for beautiful things in the world, and this part is the most wonderful part of the novel.
Old fisherman, though old, unlucky, failure; But he persisted in his efforts and was able to win with the grace of defeat. This novel shows a striving outlook on life, even in the face of unconquerable nature, but people can still get spiritual victory.
Life is an endless pursuit. Its road is long, difficult, and full of frustrations, but as long as they are brave and tenacious to meet the challenge with a confident heart, it will always be a real winner!
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