The old man and the sea: gentle tough guy, failed success

The book The Old Man and the Sea is both familiar and unfamiliar to me. Familiarity is because it often appears in high school argumentative essays, and strangeness is really something that has never been seen. I am ashamed to say that I read very few books when I was a student. It's always a pity that I didn't put more books in my mind at the age when I should study, but it's not too late to study now. Especially recently, I feel more and more that people are becoming more impetuous because they are surrounded by all kinds of popular entertainment and fast-disappearing articles on WeChat Weibo. It's time to study and find some peace in this noise.

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"The Old Man and the Sea" tells a very simple story, that is, an old man insisted on going out to sea after 84 days of nothing, and finally managed to catch a big fish after fighting with him for three days and two nights. However, when fighting with the big fish, the ship has sailed too far. The old man had to carry the big fish back and fight with the sharks who came to hunt, but a big fish could not overcome the siege of sharks after all, and finally the old man only brought back a huge fish bone.

At first glance, I always feel that this is a tragedy, telling a kind of helpless sadness. It seems that no matter how hard the old man tried, it still came to nothing. In the end, all he can boast about is a process. In fact, Hemingway's novels are full of positive energy. Finally, the fishbone brought back was a seemingly unsuccessful success. In the understanding eyes, seeing this pair of fish bones is like seeing the process of San Diego's old man fighting with big fish and seeing his tough guy image. This pair of fish bones is a symbol of a hero. It's like a flag. This ending is far better than the old man bringing back a big fish and selling it at a good price. Although it seems to be a happy ending, fish has become a delicious food for people at the moment. That ending is too life-oriented.

Let's talk about the old man. The old man is undoubtedly a hero and a tough guy. He has a strong body. He once wrestled with the Black Hercules. The game lasted for a long time and the referee changed again and again. Finally, the old man won. What he caught was a big fish, and even the boat could be easily taken away. In the struggle with the big fish, he is not inferior at all In this invisible battle, the big fish really felt the strength of his opponent. He is also a strong spirit. He insisted that he was full of faith. After 84 days of nothing, he still insisted on going to sea and still believed that he could catch a big fish. He struggled with the big fish for three days and two nights. If it is not the power of spirit, what can support him to finally win?

However, such a tough guy also has his gentle side. He sympathized with the weak seabirds; He sympathized with the killed turtle; He respects the integrity of sharks. Especially in the struggle with the big fish, he even felt sorry for his enemy: this salmon should have lived well in the sea, and he felt that maybe neither of them should go out of the sea. This salmon may be a "tough guy" like the old man in the sea. So the old people have a feeling of caring for each other. Even if the other person is an enemy, his character still does not prevent the old people from admiring him.

At the same time, old people are lonely. Fortunately, he was accompanied by a child during his long voyage alone. Unfortunately, after 84 days in a row, the child was called to another lucky boat by his father. However, the child loves him and always does not prepare bait for him. When he comes back from fishing, he will help him pack up and have a drink occasionally. When the old man fought alone for three days and two nights again, he thought of the child countless times, thinking that if the child were here, he could give him a hand and accompany him all the way. Visible, the old man's heart is lonely.

Hemingway created an old man with flesh and blood. He is a tough guy covered in scars, a hero who caught a big fish, and a gentle and lonely old man. His failure is also a kind of success, and I prefer to think it is a kind of failed success.