R&R Classics: Ernest Hemingway

So, I haven't written in this for forever, and I'm finally back on track. Junior year's busy, but hey, there are things I shouldn't give up, no matter how late I'm staying up.

This is one of them.

Anyway, after attending OCHSA,(the Orange County High School of the Arts), I've been introduced and exposed to several "great name," most of which had slipped under my radar before. Shockingly, Ernest Hemingway was one of them.

Here goes!


The Old Man and the Sea
Written December 23, 2011

Read December 22, 2011

Those who recommended Hemingway to me--albeit indirectly--were students I admired greatly. They were intelligent, well-read individuals, and they apparently liked Hemingway, so I decided to try it out too.

Now, preconceptions are super important when it comes to reading, so in order to be as unbiased as possible, let me list out my preconceptions regarding Hemingway.

1) He has a blunt, short-sentence style. (only half-true, it turns out!)
2) He was the master of getting a lot said in only a couple words.

Now, fluidity is important to me, so I have to admit I didn't go into "The Old Man and the Sea" expecting to fall in love with it. Hoping, perhaps, but with no expectations whatsoever.

At its core, this book is about an Old Man who has not caught a fish in eighty-four days, and finally hooks one--as well as the ensuing battle as the fish refuses to die, and the struggle the Old Man faces as he finally kills the fish, only to find that he must now tow it all the way back home with sharks eager to steal his kill stealing bits and pieces of the fish at a time.

When I completed the book, (don't read if you don't want spoilers), my first thought was, "I saw that coming."

From the first page, the story is characterized by a very defeated tone. Not pessimistic, exactly, nor depressing, (exactly), but completely without the vibrant emotions and pictures that most books have. The characters are usually referred to as "the Boy," the "Old Man," etc., and even when they feel pain, Hemingway tells it rather than shows it. If it had been a movie, I would have expected black and white rather than color.

Most of the book was spent within the Old Man's head, and personally, I felt that his mind reflected his age a bit too much. He is old, and his thoughts are slow and repetitive as he contemplates the fish, DiMaggio, and how he wishes the boy were with him.

In general, I enjoy books that throw colors in my face--even if it's dark, ugly colors--so this book didn't appeal to me as much as I'd hoped. It did not, however, turn me off either.

There is something beautiful about the way the Old Man fights to kill the fish, and then to defend it. He's going to fail, and perhaps Hemingway wanted his readers to know that he was going to fail, and that's why the fight is so captivating.

After all, the last heartbeats of a dying bird is most beautiful.

So, I suppose my final word of advice--which has never changed--is to try the book for yourself. It's short, only about a hundred pages, and perhaps you will love it, or hate it, or decide to write something about it so that it becomes something you don't forget.

Maybe you will gleam a truth I missed, and I hope you do. But until you read the book, who knows?