The Old Man and the Sea Blog 1

The Old Man and the Sea is a long time classic that reveals the values and attitudes of its writer, Ernest Hemingway.  As the author of this book, Hemingway displays his love of nature and life at sea through this voyage of a lifetime.  Nature is seen as a great and wonderful thing by the old man in this book.  “They are good.  They play and make jokes and love one another.  They are our brothers like the flying fish.”  (Hemingway, 48).  In this quote the old man was explaining to the great fish that two porpoises are also brothers to the fisherman and the fish.  Hemingway most commonly displayed this love of nature through the eyes of the old man making him sound peculiar, yet kind.  Another value that Hemingway showed in this book was his joy at life at sea.  “ He was very fond of flying fish as they were his principal friends on the ocean.” (Hemingway, 29).  This quote, said through the eyes of the old man, shows that the old man like Hemingway valued the little things in life including the individual fish in the ocean.  Old Man and the Sea also demonstrates Hemingway’s value of perseverance and compassion. Perseverance is one of the most obvious traits portrayed by the old man.  Even in the face of lost hope in catching the fish, he pushed on and did not give up.  “Fish, I love you and respect you very much.  But I will kill you dead before this day ends.” (Hemingway,54).  The author also shows this value in the old man’s defense of the great fish from sharks.  Even though he did not succeed in saving the fish, he did his best to punish the sharks for their stealing.  The final value that Ernest Hemingway displays through the old man is compassion.  He loves all the creatures of the sea, with the exception of sharks, and would gladly talk to them as if they were friends.  “Stay at my house if you like, bird.  I am sorry I cannot hoist the sail and take you in with the small breeze that is rising.  But I am with a friend.” (Hemingway, 55).  Through these values and attitudes shown in The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway’s character can be discovered by his past perspective view through the old man.

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