The Old Man and the Sea: Timeless Message and Characters

The Old Man and the Sea has several important messages to be learned by reading it.  On the surface it may seem like it is just the story of some old guy that goes fishing, goes crazy, and talks to himself and the fish.  There is much more behind the story, though.  One lesson that appealed to me from this book is that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.  By going on this adventure, Santiago must have had a little more pride and confidence in himself that he was able to catch such a huge fish by himself, even if he did not return with it.

            Also, sometimes failure is better than success.  If someone is successful by luck, then he did not really learn anything and the reward will only last so long.  The same is true if someone fails and does not learn from it.  However, if a person learns from his or her mistakes and corrects them the next time, then he or she may be truly successful many times over.  One thought that goes through Santiago’s head while at the sea is, “But, he thought, I keep them with precision. Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.” (Hemmingway 11) 

            The next lesson is that “Man is not made for defeat; a man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (Hemmingway 38)  This says that whatever a person tries to do he tries with all of his heart.  If he fails then he may have nothing to show for his perseverance, but his spirit is not defeated in the loss and he tries again.  This is the important moral to never give up. 

            Santiago is a good example of a timeless character.  First, he often thinks back to when he was younger and the experiences that he had.  Apparently this is common especially for people who are becoming more advanced in age.  Second, his determination to catch that one fish is a reflection of how hard many people work to achieve their dreams, but sometimes things do not work out the way they were planned.  When this happens, we must let it go like Santiago let the fish go. 

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