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    The Old Man And The Sea
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    The Old Man And The Sea
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    The Old Man And The Sea
    Ebook91 pages1 hour

    The Old Man And The Sea

    By Ernest Hemingway

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The last major work produced by Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953. Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, has gone 84 days without catching a fish. Confident that his bad luck is at an end, he sets off alone, far into the Gulf Stream, to fish. Santiago’s faith is rewarded, and he quickly hooks a marlin…a marlin so big he is unable to pull it in and finds himself being pulled by the giant fish for two days and two nights. Showcasing Hemingway’s trademark simplicity of style and powerful prose, The Old Man and the Sea is the epic tale of the struggle between life and death, personal courage, and man’s desire to triumph when all hope seems to be lost.

    HarperPerennialClassics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 16, 2013
    ISBN9781443425216
    Author

    Ernest Hemingway

    Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. His novels include The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1899, he died in Ketchum, Idaho, on July 2, 1961.

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    Reviews for The Old Man And The Sea

    4/5

    172 ratings192 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It's been a while since I've jumped in that small boat with Santiago. As a teen, there are some things you don't appreciate fully. There are books you read in high school that are begging to be reread, through the lens of one who has had more experiences than that of a teen. The Old Man and the Sea is mostly a snapshot of one event, a fight against a fish, a tale of perseverance, wonder, and fortitude. Hemingway is a master at saying a lot with a little, a particular trait that turns off many critics. But this was Hemingway's last thumbprint on the written world, the last book he ever saw published. I think it is personally a perfect bookend to an illustrious career.
    • 5/5
      This is my first Hemingway novel. I've avoided his work because of the negative views I have formed based upon what I know of the man and his treatment of women. However many people have called this book great and it did win the Pulitzer Prize when it came out in 1952 and it is on the list of 1001 Books to Read Before you Die. So when it came my way thanks to Pooker3 I thought I would see what all the buzz was about. An old Cuban fisherman has gone 85 days without catching a fish. He goes out early one morning in his little skiff by himself. He is determined to go out farther than any other fisherman hoping to catch something worthwhile. When he feels a tug on one line he knows it is something big. The fish pulls and pulls taking the fisherman and his little boat in a northeasterly direction. It takes all the fisherman's strength and wiles to keep this fish on the line. After a day the swordfish finally tires and the fisherman is able to harpoon it. Too big to be brought into the boat he ties the fish alongside the boat and puts his sail up to go back home. Sharks start to find the fish and take large chunks. The old man fights and kills some but more and more arrive. He arrives home with only a skeleton lashed to his boat. This is such a tragic story and yet shows how determined a person can be. The old man recognizes that he and the fish are partners and friends. This seems very similar to the attitude North American aboriginals have towards the animals they hunt. There were myriad interesting details about the life in and above the sea. I was particularly charmed by the little warbler that landed on the old man's boat while the fish is steadily pulling it further out to see. I thought it was only recently that it was discovered that warblers flew long distances over water to get to South America for the winter. Obviously Cuban fisherman have known this for a long time and finally scientists have caught up to them.
    • 4/5
      Very beautiful tale. The deep symbolism of the man and his respect of the sea, make for a wonderful tale.
    • 5/5
      I like to read the favourite books of other people, in doing so I always look for what they saw in it. It was easy for me to find greatness in this short classic. The writing is simple, deceptively simple. There is very little personal feeling explained, but actions and comments slyly placed give us what we need to create a full picture of the old man of the title. The absence of explanation allows the reader to use the character's actions and statements to form their opinions of the characters, rather than relying on the author telling us that they are kind, subtle, humble, hardworking or whatever it is that they area. Anything said about the plot, including the one word I have to describe the entire thing, would give it all away, so avert your eyes now as I say what this novel is about. Futility. Beautiful, gentle and very real futility.
    • 4/5
      This is arguably Hemingway's masterpiece, the culmination of the man v. nature theme that is so common in his work. He excels at spare, beautiful prose, and he tells a compelling story. However, it is a testament to Hemingway's misogyny that he is able to disparage women in a short novel with no female characters.
    • 3/5
      An interesting short novel that is literally about an old man and his experience at sea. In many ways it was a sad book as I couldn't help but feel for the main character and of his solitary and difficult life. His search and experiences fishing and fighting off the sharks was emotional, and I continue to have my appreciation grow for the writing of Hemingway.

      This was not an exciting book or even a page-turner, but an important book to read. I look forward to more Hemingway.
    • 4/5
      This is arguably Hemingway's masterpiece, the culmination of the man v. nature theme that is so common in his work. He excels at spare, beautiful prose, and he tells a compelling story. However, it is a testament to Hemingway's misogyny that he is able to disparage women in a short novel with no female characters.
    • 5/5
      I loved the book and the film with Spencer Tracy when I was a youngster - I'm sure I saw the film first. The story made me so sad when I was young and it still manages to do so now. I've read it several times and I'm sure I will again. A sentimental favorite gets an extra half star from me when it doesn't fail on a re-read. This story grabbed me once again from the start. Hemingway's narrative was among his best and this is a great novella. It was very unique among the books I read long ago. It still is unique. The character of the boy who learned to fish from the old man is my favorite - he is so devoted and loves and cares for the old man deeply.
    • 4/5
      I will shamefacedly admit that this is the first Ernest Hemingway novel I have ever read. I know. I'm a monster. How dare I call myself a librarian! I'm glad I finally got around to reading this Pulitzer prize winning classic, because I liked it so much more than I anticipated. The title summarizes the book pretty succinctly. It really is about an old man and the sea. A lonely old Cuban fisherman sails out to see and battles against a giant marlin for days. All he has are his wits and perseverance and he's not giving up. Deeper though, this story is so much more. It's about fortitude and determination, about never giving up and being resilient all the way to the end. I never thought I would enjoy a story about fishing, but thankfully it is so much more than that. The old man's struggle is real, it's not easy, he loses many battles, but he never gives up on himself.
    • 4/5
      I likes it.
    • 4/5
      An old Cuban fisherman sets out to sea to find his catch-of-the-day for survival. Before the end of the day he catches the biggest fish he has ever come across, nearly the size of his boat. He holds onto the fish through the line as it drags him days into sea. By the time he finally defeats the fish he is far from home. As he is alone, he cannot pull the fish into the boat so he attaches it to the side of the boat. While traveling home he is attacked over and over again with sharks who eat the fish to the bone. When he finally reaches his home he is near death with hunger and water dehydration and exhaustion (probably some heat stroke as well). He lays resting while the community is at awe at the carcass attached to the side of the boat. I remember seeing the Hallmark movie when I was a child and remembered this differently. It was the perfect literary companion for my cruise to the Bahamas though and I enjoyed the simplicity of the text. I was also in Key West when reading this and touring Hemingway's house where you can see pictures of the fisherman that inspired this book along with the local hang out where he wrote and drank with friends.
    • 2/5
      A "classic" perhaps because the simplicity of the story leaves so much room for interpretation. A great struggle, a great death and an enormous amount of disrespect for the loser. If the point isn't to win or lose but to struggle, then we've all achieved.
    • 1/5
      I was forced to read this so many times in high school and college that I just came away with an intense hatred of this damn little story.

      And while re-reading it today may give me new perspective, I literally cannot imagine picking this up again, even if you paid me.
    • 5/5
      Outstanding short story.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful story. It would have taken me a much shorter time if I had not been so busy with other things during the Christmas period. Basically about an old man from Cuba who lives in a small fishing community has had a run of bad luck catching very little fish. His good friend, a young boy often went fishing with him, and looked in on him to make sure he was warm and fed, could no longer fish with him as his parents wanted him to go with somebody else who would find fish. The old man goes out by himself as usual and gets the biggest fish of his life, but not without going out much further than normal, and struggles with the pain and exhaustion as he catches and then brings the fish home several days later, despite shark attacks that reduce his giant and noble fish to nothing more than a skeleton. I was very happy he got home in the end. Not triumphant but a return to normality despite his amazing feat.
    • 5/5
      This book was part of our college syllabus so naturally, we never took this seriously then. It was something evil devised only to create difficult homework. We had to write the character sketch of the fish, for heaven's sake!!!

      I re-read this today just because it is such a short read and I have to read as many as 28 books between now and year end, if I am to complete my 100 book challenge for 2015 ;)

      This is such an exalted book and has been analysed ad nauseum. The symbolism in books really gets my goat. I do not like the feeling that th writer is hinting at something which I am unable to grasp. While reading, I find myself constantly wondering, "what does it mean? what does it mean?" and I tell you, It is such a nag!

      So today I came across a quote by Hemmingway himself which pretty much explains the book.

      "There isn't any symbolism. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. 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."

      So there!

      Read it for a story well told. Yes, there is no denying that the books keeps your curiosity heightened.

      And that fish? That is one formidable character, I tell you ;)


    • 3/5
      I read this for a school assignment. I'm not sure if I appreciated it like I was meant to at the time.
    • 4/5
      This book report is by Ernest Hemingway called, "The Old Man And The Sea." This story mainly takes place far out in the Gulf Stream. At the beginning of the story, the old man is coming back from another unsuccessful fishing day. When he gets to shore, the kid the old man trained asked if he needed any help but the old man didn't want any. The old man didn't want help from the kid because he could do it himself. The old man continues fishing because he is determined to turn his luck around. He continues to have bad luck and gets no fish. His pupil needs to leave him because the kids parents don't believe in the old man. His pupil still believes in him but he must leave because his parents told him to. The next day, the old man goes out to the sea for three days because he doesn't want come back empty handed. The village sends out the Coast Guard because they are scared the old man is lost at sea. The old man finally catches a huge marlin. On the way back to shore, the man finds out the sharks ate all the meat. The pupil takes care of the old man as he rests. The pupil has become a successful fisherman. The pupil tells the old man that they can fish together.I rated this book four stars because I like nautical stories. I thought this story was very depressing. It is an American classic and it has some redemption qualities at the end. I also liked this story because it was easy to read unlike "Moby Dick". I would recommend this book to people who like nautical themes. It is a easy read and a classic tale of a mans struggles and redemption. I liked how Ernest Hemingway wrote this story.
    • 4/5
      Good summer book! Easy to read, simple but meaningful.
    • 5/5
      This short novel describes an incident from the life of an ordinary fisherman extremely well. There comes a time in everyone's life when one gets a chance to achieve all that one desires. It then depends on self, how far is one willing to go and how great a risk one takes. And sometimes, it is the 'big fish' that is driving and controlling us instead of the other way round.

      If you do not take the opportunity, you will never know what Luck has in store for you.
      I'd like to buy some (Luck) if there's any place they sell it,
      Yes, you can buy luck too. At the cost of persistence, which The Old Man rightfully pays.

      A man's most difficult struggles are known only to self.
    • 5/5
      Now that's very interesting. I have a very clear picture in my head of how The Old Man and the Sea ended. It has great detail, and it is wrong in every respect. I remember weeping bitterly in my teens over this story. Today when I finished, I was very satisfied. Surprised, too!There are plenty of wonderful reviews for this book, so these are my impressions only. This is, by far, my favorite Hemingway story. Not that I have read them all, but I know this will remain my favorite of his because of where it takes place and the simplicity of the telling matches the simplicity of the life and it is beautiful.
    • 4/5
      really moved me
    • 2/5
      Sharks are dicks!
    • 4/5
      Poignant, painful, beautiful.
    • 5/5
      Third time re-reading it, finding new things as a parent. Excited and also scared to re-read it as an actual old man.
    • 5/5
      This was so good I couldn't get the circulation flowing in my hand for ages and the over-stretching of my back was killing me. By the time I got back to shore - hey, hang on, I was only reading this! For a moment there my imagination was so vividly fired up I was in the story. This now-classic is nothing less than brilliant.
    • 4/5
      I didn't really expect to enjoy this because of the subject matter, despite my adoration of Hemingway. In my head I was linking it to Moby Dick and I knew I didn't want to go there. So yeah, I was wrong, I liked it just fine. As always with Hem, I really appreciate the dialogue, even the inner dialogue of Santiago speaking to himself at sea. While there is much to read into this should you wish to do so, I chose to mostly pass that by, it is pretty obvious, as in a children's fable, so opted to just enjoy the characters and the writing of the tale. I did really like how respectful and protective the young boy was of Santiago; a man to whom he wasn't even related, but who stood tall as a hero and mentor to him. I look forward to reading this again in the future.
    • 4/5
      Not as boring as I expected.
    • 4/5
      Hemingway's simple style lovingly treats this story of an old fisherman trying to bring in his catch and makes it quietly powerful. Simply isn't easy, and Hemingway is the master.
    • 4/5
      As straightforward a man-versus-nature plot as they come, this novel pits an old fisherman against a rather large fish and other travails of the ocean. Discovering the size of his opponent, he doubles down on stubborn and the real battle begins. There's little more to the plot, more a study of Hemingway's unique, spare style aimed squarely at showing events responsible for feelings rather than conveying the feelings themselves. Santiago uses age (i.e. old age), skill and experience equally to achieve success as well as to acknowledge defeat. His work requires strength, fortitude, endurance - not to mention a high pain tolerance and a taste for raw fish. It does not matter whether he returns with a catch - witness his eighty-plus days without one, and yet he returns to the sea because that is who he is and what he does. It is a novel as much about identity as about facing mortality, about being the best at who we are and finding life's meaning through remaining true to that self-image.