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Fatal Attraction
The Old Man and the Sea
By Ernest Hemingway
Fr. Joaquim Garrido Mendes, S.C.J.
(Portugal)
This is a famous story by American author Ernest Hemingway about an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago and his epic fight against a giant tuna. It is a wonderful story that everyone will enjoy.
After forty days without catching a fish, the Old Man, a fisherman, was definitely feeling "salao", which is the worst form of unlucky. Nevertheless, when the Old Man went again to the sea, this time he was able to catch a fish - and it was a giant fish! For three days, the Old Man fought with the fish…it was a relentless struggle between two great opponents. The Old Men grew to love and respect the fish for its strength and its will to live, but he told it that men need to eat, and that the fish's existence was to be fished. After three days, the giant tuna finally died, and so the Old Man could return home with his catch.
However, when the Old Man was going home, sharks appeared. The Old Man fought and killed some of the sharks, but other sharks attacked; and eventually they managed to eat the tuna. The Old Man came back only with the tuna's head.
The Old Man and the Sea is a wonderful parable about man and the sea. Between man and the sea is a strong relationship, similar to sometimes the relationship between a man and a woman. Sometimes a man may say bad things about the sea, but he needs the sea, and he cannot help but love it. So, the sea is, for man, a "fatal attraction", and this is the main theme of the novel.
The characters of The Old Man and the Sea are very strong: the Old Man is an old Cuban fisherman. He does not have any family, and he is very poor. But, he is strong and courageous; and in spite of his bad luck, he is willing to fight against fate, and he is willing the fight the sea's obstinacy.
I found The Old Man and the Sea to be a wonderful poem about courage, heroism, friendship, and love. The Old Man exemplified those feelings and qualities for me, and this was the most interesting thing about the story. I also enjoyed story's simplicity, and the beautiful way it was written.
I recommend The Old Man and the Sea to others because first, it is a very good piece of writing. For example, Hemingway's descriptions about fishing and about the teeming tropical life abounding in the Gulf Stream are wonderful. Second, The Old Man and the Sea teaches us many things about courage, and about how confrontations in life require us to make strong decisions about friendship and about love. I thought it was an excellent story.
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