REVIEW: The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man…and the Sea

What a fitting title indeed. The book is exactly that – it’s an old man struggling to catch a fish at sea. Most of us had to read it in school and are familiar with the story. I say story, but there is really not much story here: it is literary a fisherman in his boat trying to catch the fish and make it back ashore. Other than that, we just have a few interactions between the old man and his young apprentice.

The title is rather uninspiring in my opinion, although it fits the content and style. All about this book feels kind of basic and bare-bones; however, I do acknowledge that perhaps that was the intention.

Hemingway’s Most Famous Work?

For a lot of people, The Old Man and the Sea is the first book that comes to mind when talking about Hemingway. It is considered his most famous work, it received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and contributed to Hemingway receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature.

I didn’t read much of his work, but I did read For Whom the Bell Tolls in high school, and I remember really liking it. The Old Man and the Sea is usually also a part of the school program, though I don’t remember it very clearly. We did have a copy in our household, as it is a popular book to include in various series of ‘classics’ editions that publishers often print for an affordable price.

I must say, I also remember that it was famous for being…not very interesting. Let’s be honest, I don’t think this is an easy-to-appreciate book when you are in high school. The premise of an old man fishing is hardly appealing to young, hot headed teenagers. If you enjoyed reading it as a teenager, that’s great! I’m just saying, from my memory, this was considered one of the more boring reads in high school. However, I did give it another shot recently, so I did read it as an adult as well.

The Symbolism?

Since this is a very simple story, surely it has some meaningful symbolism behind it? Why else would it be so popular around the globe?

Let’s shortly talk about symbolism and metaphors…they can basically be found anywhere, and often if you really want to see something in a piece of art, you will find a way to see it and explain it. Sometimes the author has the intention to create a metaphor, and it falls flat. Other times, the author has no real intention, but some important metaphor comes across anyway. It is definitely possible to transfer some major ideas or lessons through literature, without being completely aware of them yourself. It may also be that the reader doesn’t completely grasp it, but feels compelled by the story and gets that special feeling from consuming a piece of literature.

My problem with the Old Man and the Sea is that I don’t really see the symbolism, and I don’t feel as if the book has very deep lessons, beyond the obvious ones regarding perseverance. Even Hemingway himself said:

“There isn’t any symbolism. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man … The sharks are all sharks no better and no worse. All the symbolism that people say is shit. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you know.”

Of course, the author is not always the sole (or the best) one to analyze his work and give possible interpretations. There is another interesting quote by Hemingway:

“No good book has ever been written that has in it symbols arrived at beforehand and stuck in. That kind of symbol sticks out like raisins in raisin bread. Raisin bread is all right, but plain bread is better. I tried to make a real old man, a real boy, a real sea and a real fish and real sharks. But if I made them good and true enough they would mean many things.”

So maybe he did make them true enough, and they mean many things – the book’s popularity for sure supports that statement.

My Reading Experience & Thoughts

As stated above, maybe there really is a lot to pick up from this book, but for me personally, it didn’t work. I did not enjoy the characters, the story, the writing, nor the setting. The symbolism wasn’t really there for me (again, you can find it if you want to). One might say I just don’t see it, and that’s fair enough. All of us experience every book in a different way. If that is your favorite book, more power to you!

I thought I would read it in one sitting, and it actually took me several. My copy had about 100 pages, but it felt as though I was reading double the pages. For a book set on the sea, it felt really dry to read.

Now, I am not trying to take anything away from Hemingway’s greatness, nor do I think you have to write a 500 page book for it to be good. It just fell flat for me. Even in such cases, I try to look at the positives and find some additional content. I think in this case it is a bit harder for me since there is not that much content in the book, so I guess you either love it or hate it.

Conclusion & Verdict

Since the Old Man and the Sea is a common required read in schools, and since it is so short and critically acclaimed, most people are likely to read it at some point. Based on my quick research on the internet, there seems to be quite a lot of people who really like the book. On the other hand, it is also often considered a boring read. It could be that readers with a bit more life experience find it easier to appreciate the story.

The books main message about perseverance is probably not a new lesson for readers, and some deeper meaning or symbolism is questionable in my opinion – something that is also confirmed by the author himself. Even so, he managed to create a short, simple story which resonated with a lot of people and literary critics.

This is probably not the first book I would recommend, but it may just be to your liking. Since it is such a short read, best would be to just try it out, as it will most likely take you no more than one or two afternoons. Maybe read it while fishing?

Rating: 3/5