Richard's Book Club #20
-“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway (April 14th thru April 15th)
http://www.amazon.com/Old-Man-Sea-Ernest-Hemingway/dp/0684801221/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-1080902-9227331?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176613923&sr=8-2
My two-and-a-half cents:
Anyone who watches South Park can tell you why I picked up this book off my bookshelf. “The Old Man and the Sea” has always been a book I’ve been meaning to read but never had any real urge to finish (I think I’ve read the first 20 pages about a thousand times). Thanks to Mr. Garrison, I now have my reason.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, this slim novel tells… well… about an old man (Santiago) fishing out at sea. He’s been without a catch for over 3 months and a lot of the fishermen make fun of the miserable son of a bitch. His little amigo Manolin keeps him company most the time and gives some meaning to Santiago’s life.
In short, he goes out really far in the sea, struggles and eventually catches a really big fuckin’ marlin, but then sharks come and eat the fish. The old man gets back to his shack fishless and beaten. Most depressing story you’ve ever heard of?
It’s actually kind of optimistic. He really connected with the fish and came to the wisdom-ish conclusion that he and the fish were one: both were destroyed but not defeated. Santiago was also alive to tell the tale to Manolin and therefore pass on his fisherman skills to the young learner. Finally, even though his arrogance was what got him so far out in the sea and nearly killed him in the first place, his pride didn’t take a hit because the damn thing was strapped to his boat, thus letting everyone see that he did at least catch a big fuckin' fish.
I want to mention this right quick: I read the Spark Notes to this book more out of habit than clarification (“Old Man and the Sea” is by no means hard to read or interpret; trust me), and I almost threw up. Guess who Santiago was an allegory to…? Yep, Jesus fuckin’ Christ himself. I couldn’t believe it. They even tried to say that the fish was somewhat similar to our Lord and Savior. New rule: if you compare a main character or, in certain cases, animals to a prophet, you will be thrown from a moving train in the middle of Cambodia. Agreed?
Recommended: Yeah; considering its length and quality, it’s the best bang for your cognitive-miser-ass buck.
Killer Quote: (Santiago regretting killing the fish) ‘“But man is not made for defeat, “he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”’
Next: “Guide to Getting It On!” by Paul Joannides (cont.)