The Simple Life

One day before my AP Literature class, my friend, Larsen Burack, told me that we should read a book together for our blogging assignment. We had the ability to choose any book we wanted and Larsen said that we should read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Larsen got this idea from his mother, who thought we would enjoy the book because of Hemingway’s appeal to male readers. This appeal is mostly due to his use of straight forward and relatively simple sentences. The name Ernest Hemingway certainly rang a bell, but I really did not know too much information about him and I must say that I was a bit hesitant. If there was one thing I did know about Hemingway, it was that he lived and wrote a long time ago, and sometimes my naive mind often associates old things with boredom. Then I learned that the book was about an old man who goes fishing, which did not help to change my opinion on this Hemingway fellow. Nevertheless, I trusted the Burack family with their recommendation, and proceeded to read the first quarter of The Old Man and the Sea.

As mentioned before, I am naive. Perhaps I was just in a good mood when reading, but something about those 39 pages really piqued my interest.

From the start, Hemingway depicts everything to do with the old fisherman, Santiago, as empty, broken and old. He is described as “salao, the worst form of unlucky,” (Hemingway 9). This is due to the fact that he hasn't caught a fish in eighty-four days. The sail of his boat is “patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.” (Hemingway 9). His own appearance is shown in the same depressing way, describing how “The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck.” (Hemingway 9). The scars on his hands are as “old as erosions in a fishless desert.” (Hemingway 10). Through imagery and details Hemingway shows the sad physical appearance of the man and his unfortunate boat. This information is all stated to show the importance of one of the man’s positive features: his eyes. “Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the color of the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.” (Hemingway 10). Even with his bad luck and unfortunate situation, the man does not give up. His perseverance is reflected in his eyes, which are the same color of his passion: the sea.

Later in the book, Santiago relates himself to sea turtles, mentioning how “Most people are heartless about turtles because a turtle's heart will beat for hours after he has been cut up and butchered. But the old man thought, I have such a heart too and my feet and hands are like theirs.” (Hemingway 37). Like the turtle, the man moves forward even though he apprears half dead. His haggard appearance contrasts with his strong mentality. Nothing will stop this man from catching the biggest fish he can. I am certain that this idea of perseverance will continue to be an important theme during the novel.

As in many stories, the protagonist is alienated from society. Santiago is strange and often goes on ridiculous voyages and brings no fish back from these excursions. At the Terrace, a local restaurant, many “fisherman made fun of the old man”. His alienation from others does not bother him though, and he continues moving through his simple life. This way of life shows the character’s ability to follow his own path, rather than conforming to society.

The only social interactions Santiago has are with the young boy, whose name is Manolin. Even though the old man is unlucky, the boy continues to find interest in his wisdom. They are unrelated to each other, but their relationship is strong. The boy used to work on the old man’s boat and “The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.” (Hemingway 10). Santiago feels the same way for the boy. When he ponders on the dream he has every single night, he remembers the familiar sight of lions which “played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy.” (Hemingway 25). Their relationship represents that of a father an son. Although the boy is told not to see Santiago by his father, he continues to spend time with him. Manolin seems to think of Santiago as his actual father. The boy is the only person who seems to have faith in the old man.

One noticeable motif in Hemingway’s first 39 pages is the repetition of ideas involving eyes. The first time eyes are mentioned, they are described as what displays the man’s strength. They show his courage and ability to persevere. Later in the novel Hemingway again speaks of his eyes, “The old man looked at him with his sun-burned, confident loving eyes.” (Hemingway 13). There is much value in the man’s eyes. He himself takes care of them and makes sure not hurt them, even drinking shark liver oil because “it was good for the eyes” (Hemingway 37). He knows eyes are very important, and makes judgments based on them. After catching an Albacore, Santiago notices “his big, unitellegent eyes staring as he thumped his life out against the planking of the boat.” (Hemingway 38). The fish’s eyes are described as unintelligent, which seem inferior to Santiago’s eyes. His constant mentioning of eyes emphasize the fact that he takes much pride in his own. Perhaps the fish’s unintelligent eyes are what gives the man merit to kill it.

So how did I like first quarter of the novel?

Simple? Yes. Boring? No.