The Old Man and the Sea - 10

There are many lessons to be learned by reading the book The Old Man and the Sea but the theme of the book is the struggle against death and defeat. This is portrayed by an old man out at sea grappling with the biggest fish he has ever caught. It is a fight to keep the fish, and the fight lasts for three days. The old man seems almost defeated in physical appearance but mentally he does not let himself become defeated.

The old man was very determined to catch the fish and not give up. For three days he struggled with the fish and would not stop. The old man had slashes on his hands from where the fishing line had cut him. He also had a back that ached terribly. The man put the fishing line around his back on his shoulders and held it with one of his hands. This gave the old man more leverage and he could hold onto the fish easier. But this caused the old man's back to hurt. The old man was also very thirsty. He had only one glass of water for his entire three day journey. Because of his thirst and hunger the man grew weaker and his mind became more confused. All of these physical ailments the man had against himself, but he let none of those things stop him.

The man was so determined. He did not let any physical ailments defeat him. He wanted to defeat the fish. The man wanted to defeat the fish because of pride. He wanted to prove to himself that he could beat the fish. The man wanted so badly to prove this to himself and he thought it was so important, that he determined it was OK if he lost his life in battling the fish. The old man was willing to give his life up to prove that he could fight until the end in a battle with a fish.

Just as the old man did not want the fish to defeat him, the fish did not want the old man to defeat him. The fish swam for three days at a steady level. The fish did not swim deep nor high, where the man could harpoon him. The fish stayed right in the middle and stayed at that level for three days. I think the fish did this to prevent the old man from killing him. I think the fish knew that the old man was hunting him and the fish was not going to go down without a fight, just as the man was not going to either. Both the man and the fish were willing to die so that they could defeat the other and have that pride of defeating them.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print.