The Old Man and the Sea question #6

"The Old Man and the Sea" was written in 1951. That means this book has been around for sixty-one years. There has to be a reason for this book to still be read today, and there is. The message, characters and lessons "The Old Man and the Sea" teaches is what makes this story timeless. Like I said, the characters are timeless. The main character, Santiago, is not your typical old man. He has great traits of determination, experience, strength, and skill that makes him an interesting character, expecially for his old age. Manolin is also a likeable character. As the reader, I appreciated his respect and genuine care for Santiago. "It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empy and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast" (Hemingway, 9). Another item that makes this book timeless is the overall message. This message is to never give up or except defeat. The great thing about this message is that it is so universal and can apply to everyone. It can apply to someone in a sport competing against their rival team, an adult working towards a raise, a person battling a serious illness and many more. One last reason why "The Old Man and the Sea" is still read today, is because of what it teaches the reader. It teaches you determination and how powerful it can be. Santiago taught us determination simply through his actions. He displyed determination through out the entire book. He showed it through the way he never gave up on fishing even after a bad luck streak of eighty-four days, his epic battle with the marlin and victory in killing it, and lastly his struggle against the sharks where he fought until there was never left to fight for. Santiago was definetly the definition of determination and this is a quality that will always be timeless.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.