The Old Man and the Sea

(3.5 Star)

Over the past few months, I have found myself thinking about this book some. I first read it back in the summer before 10th grade for school, but I just remember powering through it at my cousin's house just to get it done with rather than actually taking it on, you know, typical 15 year old stuff. Anyways, I really feel like this is one of those books that shouldn't really be taught in schools in the 10th grade, not because it's bad or because of any kind of explicit content, but more because it's just not really a book that's written for that kind of more immature audience.

The book started out okay for me. There were some writing things with Hemingway's style in this one that were just a bit jarring. An example is this one passage, which I think can be referred to as a polysyndeton? Anyways:

They sat on the Terrace and many of the fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry.

Sentence structures like that caught me off guard at first, but they grew on me over time as Hemingway really looped me into this story that he was weaving. Here is a favorite quote of mine:

"Ay," he said aloud. There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just a noise such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood.

Of course, this quote and other portions of the book have led to many believing that this tale is an allegory to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. While I can certainly see that, I wouldn't necessarily say the book is a straight up allegory to that. For my own interpretations, I feel like Hemingway certainly pulled from the crucifixion of Christ, but, rather than to simply write a story about Christ in another form, I believe it is better looked at as a story of the struggle, perseverance, and continuation that comes from following ones passions to the fullest. At least that's what I take from it, although I'm certainly no literary expert.