When I first picked up this book and read through its pages, I was not fully impressed. It just went on and on, and soon I noticed that it did not even have chapters. Great. I continued to read and I found myself actually liking it. Despite the story being told in a somewhat bland way, throughout the novel, it shows us many qualities that are found in humans. These qualities are found in the form of universal themes that are seen in all kinds of literature. The specific universal themes I noticed in this novel are perseverance, strength and skill, and luck.
As I read about the old man fighting to win his prize (the marlin), all I could think was, “Geez, that man is hardcore.” He spends over three days trying to reel in this massive fish. He struggled against physical exertion, isolation from the rest of the world, and hunger, despite his old age. There was quote from the book that I believed really showed the old man’s perseverance. “’Fish.’ He said softly, aloud, ‘I’ll stay with you until I am dead.’ He’ll stay with me too, I suppose, the old man thought and he waited for it to be light,” (Hemingway 52-53). This quote really made me think about all the endurance and perseverance that that old man had within him. He was so devoted to reeling in that great fish that he was willing to go down fighting for it. It also shows how he also recognized the strength and endurance of the fish, and how the fish would also go down fighting to break free. Until the fish had finally died, the old man devoted himself to capturing it, and I mark that as a true example of perseverance.
Along with the old man’s perseverance were some valuable skills. Some may have thought that the old man could not handle the task of fishing because he had grown old and frail. It was clear to the old man that his skills and fishing prowess were more valuable than physical strength when it came to fishing. He knew how to fish. He knew all the tricks to capturing them from years of experience. ‘“I may not be as strong as I think,’ the old man said. ‘But I know many tricks and I have resolution.’” (Hemingway 23). In this quote the old man appears to realize that his skills are more powerful than his strength in his old age. I believe that this theme in the book is trying to show the readers that physical strength will deteriorate over time, but strength through skills and knowledge will last a lifetime.
The novel makes reference to luck, or a lack of luck, many times. The novel actually starts out talking about how the old man had gone eighty-four days without capturing a single fish (Hemingway 9). The old man even indirectly stated that he was unlucky by telling his young friend to stay with the “lucky” boat he was with instead of helping him (Hemingway 10). Even with this acceptance of his bad luck, the man values his skills more than a superstition. “But, he thought, I keep them with precision. Only I have no luck anymore. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.” (Hemingway 32). In that quote, I realized that he wants to be lucky, but he feels that his skills were more valuable to him. In the end, the theme of luck in this book was to show us that luck, where helpful, is more of an extension of skill. If you have the skills to complete a job, then you often will have more luck than someone who is not skilled.
All of these universal themes in the novel were there to show us the reality of being a human. Within the human spirit is determination and perseverance, strengths and skills, and luck. The way the author shows that through his writing shows that he understands human nature.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment