The Old Man & The Sea

127 pages

Ernest Hemingway is the author of The Old Man and the Sea. This classic will keep you "hooked" till the end.

The book illustrates the struggle of life. Man works hard to overcome all the obstacles that are thrown into his path throughout life. Even though he may succeed in conquering them, in the end, he, too, will die.

Hemingway's writing style is very direct and to the point. Hemingway uses very vivid words and short sentences unlike author Steven King, who uses long complex sentences to describe a simple thing. The main part of the book takes place at sea in a small fishing boat. This is in keeping with Hemingway's style; it is a very simple setting. It is easy to picture the Old Man bobbing in a small wooden boat surrounded by a neverending sea.

Santiago, the main character, is a poor fisherman who has only a boy for a friend. Santiago, or the Old Man as he is refered to, is in desperate need of a catch. Although Santiago is at the end of his life, he is still braving the elements, trying to land "a big one." One day Santiago decides that even though it is very dangerous, he will try to fish the drop off. The risk pays off and Santiago catches a huge marlin. Catching the fish, however, turns out to be the easy part. Now the Old Man must get his prize back to shore.

This book appealed to me at first because the subject matter was fishing; something I really enjoy. This is a very good book and shows a man with unbelievable patience.