The book the Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a story of an old Cuban fisherman who struggles to capture an enormous marlin. This is an incredible and moving story. The fisherman is down on his luck and when he hooks the enormous marlin it is everything he can do to just hold on. It was the strong will and perseverence displayed by the old man that made the reader fall in love with his character and feel the old man's pain, happiness, and sadness. Hemingway conveyed to everyone the amazing qualities of man's persistence even when the pain and anguish seem unbearable. This book shows that man can be destroyed but never defeated.

The book takes place in the 1940's when the "great DiMaggio" is playing baseball. The old man, a fisherman, lives in Cuba and fishes in the warm Gulf waters. The old man has taken a boy under his wing to train him to become a great fisherman like himself, though recently he has been down on his luck. Cuba is a perfect setting for the book. During this time period many impoverished people lived in Cuba. Fishing was the primary way to earn a living. Marlin are found mainly in the Gulf and it was important for Hemingway to create realistic characters that would actually be found in that location. Hemingway is also drawing upon his own experiences to make the story more realistic. Despite commonly held beliefs about the relaxation of being in places near the equator this is a very harsh place to live. During the time that the old man was holding on and fighting the marlin, it was scorching hot. He would get an occasional brisk wind that would cool him but toward the end of his great battle the harsh climate began to take its toll on him as his hands began to have a spasm. Even though the old man was tired, hot, wet, and having spasms he still was not defeated by the great marlin.

In this book the once great Cuban fisherman takes a boy under his wing to teach him how to fish. Even though the boy's parents wanted him to go with another fisherman who had been catching more, the boy stayed with the old man. One day the old man decided to go for a solo fishing excursion. The boy helped the old man to get on his way and then the old man was off into the darkness of the early morning. After he encounters a dolphin, man-of-war bird, and other fish, he hooks the great marlin. At this point he has no idea what is in store for him. The mighty marlin begins to pull his boat out further away from the mainland. The battle between the man and the fish continues. Eventually, the old man's body begins to fail him. He is tired and hungry and his hands are quaking, but he continues to fight the great fish. Soon the fish begins to get tired and the old man has decided to make his move. Every time the old man would begin to pull the fish closer the fish would right himself and bring himself back on course. Here we see the perseverance demonstrated in both the man and the fish. This demonstrates how hard the man had to work. He will now appreciate the great fish even more. Over the course of their battle, the old man begins to gain more and more respect for the marlin. Soon he wishes that he had never battled the fish. Eventually the fish surfaces and the enormous size of the marlin is revealed. The fish is gargantuan. Soon after the surfacing, the old man catches the fish. He estimates the weight of the fish to be 1,500 pounds and he begins to take it home. It doesn't take long, however, for the sharks to pick up the scent. After fending off many sharks, the old man has no energy and no weapons left. The sharks rip the marlin's body into pieces despite the old man's efforts. Though some people may call this a defeat, I think that Hemingway meant for it to be a triumph because the old man had proven that he still was the greatest fisherman in the islands. Even though the old man was in such horrible condition he still was victorious.

There are really only two main characters in this story. They are the old man and the enormous marlin. The old man plays a very important role in the story because the plot revolves around him. The great marlin is the old man's great nemesis and throughout the book the fight rages on between the smart old man and the big, strong marlin. Over the course of the story, the old man is substantially changed by this seemingly never ending battle. In the beginning of the story, the old man is thrilled to have hooked the great marlin. However, towards the end of the story, the man regrets ever hooking the fish and regrets that he has to kill such a noble and worthy adversary. He knows that he has to continue the battle and never be defeated. The changes in the marlin's personality are far less apparent. The author created the marlin to be the old man's arch-rival. Throughout the story, the marlin begins to go slower and slower. It begins to hurt the old man when he realizes how much pain he is causing the great fish. Despite everything, the old man is never defeated.

I think that the author wrote this story because of his experiences later in his life in Cuba. Hemingway let his imagination take him away in this book and in many ways the main character could be him. The old man shows a stubborn aspect of his personality. He fights the fish for days and he is lucky that his life is spared. I believe there are times when you should persevere and there are times when it is best to give in and let something go. Hemingway believes that since the old man caught the fish he knows in his heart that he has accomplished a great goal. Persistence is a good quality. I have sympathy for the marlin. Hemingway generated this when the old man's thoughts strayed to the noble fish that was inevitably injured and to be killed by him.

Hemingway proves again and again that man can be defeated but never destroyed. The setting of the book shows the environment that the old man had to endure to triumph. The action shows that the old man can be physically destroyed, with trembling hands and deep cuts from the ropes, but still win. The main characters show that even though this marlin was the mightiest of fishes, it could not stop the old man. The qualities of determination, perseverence, and sympathy are all brought out in this story. Over the course of the book the old man changed and gained sympathetic feelings for the marlin but still he kept up the battle. Hemingway used the ideas of persistence and dedication to show the true personality of mankind. Even though the great fish that the old man caught had been eaten by the sharks, the old man was happy because he had proven himself to be the greatest fisherman in the Gulf. It wasn't the trophy that mattered, it was the fight to attain it.