My Book Reprt

I. Introduction/General Information

• Title: The Old Man and the Sea
• Author: Ernest Hemingway
• Type of Book: Tragedy Novella (short novel)

II. Characters

Main Character

          Santiago is an old widowed fisherman who lives alone in his shack. Inspite of his old age and stroke of bad luck for the past eighty-four days of not being able to catch any fish, he still continued to be hopeful that he would be able to catch something. He experienced many hardships such as having many cuts and wounds and enduring many sleepless nights alone in the middle of the vast sea. Furthermore, he had difficulty reeling in his catch and fending off the sharks from the dead marlin that he tied to the side of his skiff.

          I can identify with the main character when he was about to be able to harpoon the marlin but he was already feeling very exhausted. I have also experienced times like this in which I was so close to reaching my goals but I felt as if I could hold not hold on longer. Yet, like the fisherman, I continued and overcame the obstacles in my way. 

Supporting Characters

• Manolin is Santiago's ever-loyal apprentice and companion. He truly cares for the old fisherman who taught him how to fish when he was five years old, and he helps him in whatever way he can to help and lessen the burden of the fisherman. For the first forty days, he fished with the old man but afterwards, he joined another boat because of his parents insistence for him to leave the unlucky fisherman.
• The marlin is Santiago's catch on his eighty-fifth day of fishing. Because of its great size, the fisherman let his boat be dragged by the marlin as it swam for three days before he was able to finally kill it with his harpoon.

III. Setting

          The story was set in a fishing village by the coast of Havana, Cuba and in the Gulf of Mexico. It was set during the late 1940's.

          Aside from having an important effect on the main character, the setting helped me understand better the culture of the place were the fisherman lived, his way of life, and ultimately, the story itself.

IV. Plot

1. After forty days of fishing with Santiago and catching no fish at all, Manolin decides to join another fishing boat.
2. On the eighty-fourth night, as with every night, Manolin helps Santiago in bringing his things to his shack and eats with him before leaving him off to rest for the night. 
3. On the eighty-fifth day, a marlin eats the bait of Santiago. Afraid that his rope will break under the strain of the pull of the marlin, he lets the marlin drag his boat off into the sea for three days.
4. On the third day, the marlin comes close enough to Santiago's skiff and he finally manages to hit the marlin with his harpoon. He ties his catch to his boat.
5. Some sharks smell the marlin's blood and try to get a bite of its meat. Santiago defends his catch for two days, yet all that remains after is the skeleton of the marlin.
6. Santiago is able to go back to land after five days of being at sea. Manolin could not bear to see the tired and exhausted fisherman and he cries.

V. Theme

          What the author was trying to say in this story - and what I learned from reading this book as well - was that we should not give up easily when we are experiencing different problems. We should be like the old man who, as what was said by the narrator in the novel, chose to fight until destruction and defeat rather give up.

          One problem in this story was when he lost his harpoon in fighting off the first shark. He solved this problem by making use of his other resources by lashing his knife to the butt of his oar. And when this too was destroyed, he used his fist and punched the sharks that dared to come close to his catch.

VI. Evaluation of the Book

          I must admit that Ernest Hemingway's writing style is different from what I enjoy. Yet, since I have read before one of his novels, A Farewell to Arms, I was not anymore surprised with his writing style. If I did not enjoy reading A Farewell to Arms, this one I was able to appreciate especially since I can relate with it. Overall, this book was enjoyable.