marrymerob

[marrymerob]

marrymerob (obviously not my real name), she/her, 18, second year uni student, perpetually confused

[marrymerob]

The Old Man and the Sea

To be honest, I didn't love this book. It was very good, and I almost feel as though I should wax lyrical about how amazing the writing was, how deliberate Hemingway is with his words, and how deserving this book was of the Nobel prize it received (or Hemingway received, in it's creation).

That's not to say that I didn't appreciate the book, and somewhat enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed the way that he wrote. It was almost as through he is telling you: this is what happened, believe it or don't, that much is up to you. I appreciate that no-nonsense writing. Nothing is there because he needed the book to be longer, or in order to impress, it simply is.

There is clearly a metaphor in the book, or at least - that is what I thought whilst reading. The Old Man is the fish: I think that much is clear, that waiting for the fish to die is also slowly killing him. The fish is old and big and rules the sea, for the man, maybe the same about him for the fish. Their places are interchangeable for each other. I also feel like this story is contextual to masculinity - "women have pain built in" to quote fleabag, and so we don't write or read books about how hard we work and how we hurt but we carry forward. Or we do, but the pain is less exciting and more melancholic.

It took me a while to read, for how short it is - which is where my main criticism lies (how hilarious, me, criticising Hemingway. I'm sure he's fine). I just didn't really care. It is the Old Man and the Sea, and I personally just didn't relate that much. That may make me a philistine and a cultural pariah but it's fine because no one knows me. I am not old, I do not constantly think about my own death - at least not in the way older people do. I am not a man, I do not need to be reminded of how strong and resilient I am.

But I did enjoy reading it and I will try to tackle For Whom the Bell Tolls at some point: for now, I am reading Bridget Jones (which may be a juxtaposition to my point about female writing, but who cares? I can say what I want here.)

Thanks, and have a prosperous turn.

MMR