Ernest Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea (1952)

                                                                           Part One

I suppose this novel is about a fisherman who likes the marine world, the sea. I think that maybe the old man speaks of his personals experiences, maybe the problems to meet in sea with the big fish.... I guess that to fish is his work and his passion. Maybe that this work his a work passed down from generation to generation, from father to son...

On book cover : « You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. »

= This story tells about the '' relation/ conflict '' between the fisher and the fish...

Essentials Informations about the Story:

• The story takes place: in a skiff in the Gulf Stream. At that moment, I suppose that is the day.

• The Characters are:

   

  The old man = *He names Santiago.

                          * He's about 70 years-old « The old-man »

                                     * His main occupation is to fish « fished alone »

                                     * « The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck / The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. / The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep- creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. / Everything about hil was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea. »

           The boy = * We don't know his name

                             * He is about 17 years-old «the boy's parents» / « It was Papa made me leave.I am

a boy and I must obey him» / « Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace... »

                             * I guess that is boy is leaning to fish « the boy had gone at their orders in another

boat which caught three goog fish the first week »

                             * We have any physical description on the boy.

The relationship between the two main characters :

 In this story, I noticed that the old man and the boy to had a enough special relation. Indeed, this two men seem like to maintain links very strong.

Because the boy's parents order him to leave the skiff's old man to go in another ship where the fishing is better, this one is « sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines... ». We can understand that the boy would like to rejoin the old man to help in his work.

We can notice also a sentence very important about the relationship between the two men « The old man had thaught the boy to fish and the boy loved him ». From my point of view is a key sentence.Thanks to this sentences, we learn that the boy grants much importance at the old man.

Eventually, we can see that the old man like too the boy « The old man looked at him with his sun-burned, confident loving eyes. » / « If you were my boy... ».

I can conclude that this two men have to create fundamental links betweem them. I think that never they could break. To me, they have a relation as Father and Son.

The main characters personality :

 The old man = « cheerful and undefeated »; « angry »; « He was holding his glass and thinking of many years ago »;« I can remember »; « looked at him with his sun-burned, confident loving eyes »

« his hope and his confidence »; « agree »; « attained humility »; « not disgraceful »; « no loss of true pride »

The boy = « sad » ; « I could go with you again »; « Can I offer you a beer... »; « Can you remember ? »

The reasonwhy the other fishermen '' made fun of '' the main character, or '' looked at him and were sad '' ? :

 The other fishermen made fun of the old man because this one didn't fished any fish since eighty-four days. Indeed, to them it was not normal but also as a catastrophe. They thought that it was impossible to not fish only one fish in 2 months...

Although, they made fun of the main characters, the fishermen were sad to the old man « looked at him and were sad ». From my point of vieux, they were a little worried for their colleague. I strongly believe that they show a certain fraternity because the fishing is a hard work. And the situation became complicated for the old man who didn't fished during a long period. I think that it's compassion.

'' Tomorrow is going to be a good day with this current '', he said :

 Here we can understand, that the old man to do confidence at currently. Indeed, he seems think that thanks to them, that he could made a good fishing. The old man hopes that this currently could enable him to obtain much fish.

Read it = click here