The Old Man and the Sea

I found a review I wrote of this book when I had just finished reading it at the beginning of last year. Here it is: Somehow, the words of this book resonated inside me. Maybe it was the ephemeral atmosphere of it all. Or perhaps it was the thought of the old man’s bloodied hands etched into my mind. Then he was sorry for the great fish that had nothing to eat and his determination to kill him never relaxed in his sorrow for him. At the core of this book is the old man’s relationship with the marlin he has caught. He loves the fish, yet continues to slowly reel the fish in as it drags the old man’s skiff farther and farther from the shore. The old man is willing to die in order to catch the fish. When he finally reels the fish in and spears him to death, the old man laments the fact that they have gone to far from the shore. As they travel back, sharks are attracted to the blood of the fish. The old man fights back; he fights for the fish. He loves the fish and does not want to see him torn apart. And yet when he finally returns, there is nothing left of the fish save its bones. The old man’s hands are bloodied; he fought to get the fish and he fought to protect the fish. But, alas, he went to far, and he has only the carcass to show of what was once a beautiful fish.