December 26th, 2020
The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's last fiction pieces, earning him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953. In short, it's about Santiago, an elderly yet sprightly man who's weathered various storms (pun intended) as a fisherman, in order to perfect his craft. Hemingway puts forth a lot about what makes a man, and that your strength is determined not only by will but by pride.
A lot of it felt very archaic to me, and reminiscent of what made a man's man back in the day. But I think there was still a lot to be said about having what you love be so tethered to your being that giving up might as well be like dying.
I've always admired people who were so one-track minded, and were willing to put all of themselves into what they loved the most. There's a decisiveness and conviction there that I have yet to fully identify with.
I think Hemingway inspires you to stick to those convictions, but also be aware of the repercussions following such an endeavour. Sometimes sticking to your convictions gains you nothing that the world can really see. There's a beautiful sense of independence to that as well.
3.5/5 Nights out at sea