The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've read this a number of times and each time I get something different from it. This time I was impressed with the determination of the fisherman to suffer any manner of injury in order to bring in this fish. It was as if the fish, being a worthy opponent, deserved to be conquered and not to die from a huge fish hook in it's mouth or from getting tangled in the trailing rope. It made me look at how easily I give up on things in comparison. The description of how the fisherman managed to catch, clean and eat raw fish with only one free hand and then, after a day of agony holding the rope around his back and in his hand to keep the right tension so the fish wouldn't capsize the boat, had to figure out how to sleep without letting go...and that is just the first night.

The first time I read the book, I didn't know how it ended and I think the end clouded the way I saw the book. I felt like there was no resolution because I was reading it as a plot driven book. This time I read it as a character driven book and I enjoyed it more, and took more from it.

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