Commentary on The Old Man and the Sea Essay

Have you ever thought of thought of elderly people as old and stupid? In the book The Old Man and The Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, the main character is an old fisherman who hasnt caught a fish in quite some time. He uses a row boat and just some line and a hook. Hemingway uses this book to show that elderly people are thought of as old-fashioned and unintelligent, when in reality they are very wise. This is shown in the book by the communitys opinions, the old mans knowledge of fishing, and his determination.

In the book The Old Man and The Sea, Hemingway has the community think of the old man as old-fashioned and washed up. There is a boy in the town who is his apprentice, and the boys parents stop letting the boy fish with the old man because he hasnt been catching fish lately. They sat on the Terrace and many of the fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry. Others, of the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad. (Hemingway, pg. 11). The old man uses a little boat with a hook and some line. This makes him look old-fashioned to the other, younger fishermen. During this book, the old man goes out to sea and catches a monstrous fish with his simple system. This proves that this old man is very wise and knows how to catch fish.

In this book the old man catches a gargantuan fish after 84 days of no fish. He lets the fish pull him out to sea for days on end, maneuvering the boat and his line, in order to tire the fish out, and making sure so that the fish doesnt break his line. Knowing when the fish will jump and when to try to spear him. Hes taken it, he said. He let the line slip through his fingers while he reached down with his left hand and made fast the free end of the two reserve coils. (Hemingway pg 44). This shows that the old man knows how and what to do with a fish on the line. It also shows the old man has great knowledge of fishing.

In this book, the old man pursues this fish for days, waiting for the perfect time to spear it. During this time, he has little water, and eats raw fish to survive. He picked up a piece [of the fish] and put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. It was not unpleasant. (Hemingway, pg 58). This shows his determination to catch the fish. He could have easily cut the line and given up, but instead, he put and extra line out, in order to catch a smaller fish to eat. He lets the fish pull him out so far until he cant see the city at night. All these are examples of the old mans determination.

In this book, Hemingway is showing that elderly people are thought of as old-fashioned and unintelligent, when in reality they are very wise. This is shown through how the old man is thought of by the community, his knowledge of fishing, and his determination. Elderly people today are still thought of as old and unintelligent, when in most cases, they are very wise, and know how to get along.