Overall, I actually ended up enjoying this novel. I said in the beginning how boring it was, and the book did have its moments. I would recommend this book to anyone, as it tells a good story of perseverance, and never giving up. Santiago could be seen as an idolized character, because despite the fact that he is being pulled across the ocean by a marlin, he never gives up. Sure he gets discouraged and starts talking to his cramped hand, the marlin, and the sea, but not once does he think of letting the line go. If I were to be in the old man's position, I would give up after the first day. The fish is strong as well for not giving up without a fight. I am not taking the fish's side of things at all, but both the old man and the marlin did not give up, making them both an equal match for each other.
One thing I did not care for as much was the dialect and how Hemingway tended to have extremely short and choppy sentences, especially when the old man is by himself in his skiff with just the marlin and the sea. He begins talking to himself, and Hemingway does not use quotation marks, which made following what the man was saying and doing difficult to follow. I did like how short this novel was, as it made it a quick read. However, trying to decipher what message Hemingway is getting across can be difficult, as there are several I can come up with. Survival would have to be the main message. Also, I found two conflicts through the novel. There is the one between Santiago and himself, and also Santiago and the sea (nature). Therefore, for being such a short novel, it is actually a quite complex story, and I can see why Hemingway received the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature. So I was surprised that I actually ended up enjoying this novel more than I had initially thought I would.
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