Reading Response on the Old Man and the Sea

Eli Hecht 804
ELA Reading Response

     The Book, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway is the story of an old Cuban fisherman and his catch - and loss - of a giant marlin.  The book explains how the old man, Santiago is considered to be the unluckiest fisherman in his village.  On his eighty-fifth day out at sea without catching a fish, he gets ahold of a great marlin, larger than he or anyone in his town has ever seen, who pulls him and his boat for two days refusing to give in and surrender to death.  On the third day without returning to his village, the old man finally catches the marlin.  As the old man returns to his town, many waves of sharks, bite off pieces of the dead marlin tied to the side of the boat.  Eventually there is only a carcass of the formerly grand marlin.  The theme of The Old Man and the Sea is having love and respect for the world we live in.

     The old man throughout the book references his respect for the sea and the fish that inhabit it.  The old man's admiration of the sea is shown shown when he calls it the feminine la mar, "He always thought of the sea as la mar which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her." [29] This is then compared to the young fisherman with motorboats who refer to the sea as el mar, the masculine name for the sea, and refer to the sea as an enemy or a challenge.  Also, both before and after the old man catches the marlin he speaks to it as a worthy opponent and with respect.  A habit of the old man is speaking to himself, after he hooks the fish but before he catches it he says, " 'The fish is my friend too,' he said aloud. 'I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars."[75]  This shows how the old man has such a great respect for the fish that he compares it with the stars.  When sailing back to his village with the fish caught the book states that, "They were sailing together lashed side by side and the old man thought, let him bring me in if it pleases him. I am only better than him through trickery and he meant me no harm."[99]  Despite killing the great fish, the old man sees it as an equal.  The old man's love and respect for the sea makes the loss of the marlin seem even more tragic.

     The old man has an unbreakable love for the sea.  He shows his love, by treating the sea with honor and pride.  Unlike the younger fisherman who regard the sea as a challenge and refer to it as el mar, the old man prefers the feminine la mar.  Even to the fish that the old man kills, he shows his respect by calling it a friend and comparing it to the stars.  Once he catches the fish he doesn't treat it as his his inferior but as his partner.  In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway uses the old man as a symbol and a lesson for readers to appreciate the world that surrounds them.