The Old Man and the Sea (1952) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters edit see section history

• Santiago: The old man, who has fished daily for his entire life but is said to have run out of luck. He maintains hope and strives to better his luck.
• Manolin: The son of a fisherman and friend to Santiago who is forbidden by his parents to fish with him, although he still helps him when he can. Manolin stays in Santiago's thoughts, as he often states, "I wish the boy was here." The boy loves the old man. And the old man was the one who taught the boy how to fish.
• Joe DiMaggio: New York Yankee, and Santiago's idol, who has bone spurs, a medical condition having to do with his heel. Santiago wishes he were as great as the great Joe DiMaggio.
• Fishermen: Various fishermen reside in the same villiage as Santiago, and they keep their own opinions of him.

Quotes edit see section history

• “Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

  Santiago

• “I went out too far.”

  Santiago

• “It is better to be lucky. But, I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes, you are ready"”

• “I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars”

• “Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.”

• “He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women , nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy.”

• “Now is the time to think of only one thing. That which I was born for.”

• “Fish, I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends.”

• “You should have brought many things, he thought. But you did not bring them, old man. Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.”

• “"Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?"”

  Santiago

• “He didn't beat you. Not the fish.”

  Manolin

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.

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• “But man is not made for defeat,” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

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• But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favours, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.

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• He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.

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• You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who.

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• “Fish,” he said, “I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends.”

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• “Fish,” he said softly, aloud, “I’ll stay with you until I am dead.”

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• He always thought of the sea as la mar which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her.

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• He is a great fish and I must convince him, he thought. I must never let him learn his strength nor what he could do if he made his run. If I were him I would put in everything now and go until something broke. But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able.

  Highlighted by 150 Kindle customers

• salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week.

  Highlighted by 71 Kindle customers

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• The Gulf of Mexico: The Atlantic ocean is endless.
• Cuba
• Terrace
• Havana
• The Sea

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Perseverence: Describe this theme.
• Fishing

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by The Caine Mutiny.

Preceded by The Count of Monte Cristo, and followed by The Other Boleyn Girl.

Preceded by Their Eyes Were Watching God , and followed by Rebecca.

Preceded by They Used to Play on Grass, and followed by The Name of the Rose.

Preceded by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and followed by Catch-22.

Preceded by Invisible Man, and followed by Wise Blood.

Preceded by Catch-22, and followed by Interview with the Vampire.

Preceded by Lolita, and followed by Herzog.

Preceded by The Other Boleyn Girl, and followed by Anna Karenina.

Preceded by Giant, and followed by Gown of Glory.

Preceded by A Farewell to Arms, and followed by The Sun Also Rises.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Ernest Hemingway (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Nobel Prize (1953: Literature)
• Pulitzer Prize (1953: Fiction)
• BBC's Big Read (April 2003, #173)
• National Book Award (Finalist, 1953: Fiction)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PS3515.E37 O4
• Dewey: 813.52

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Actually anybody interested in fiction can read this great work of Hemingway. The language is so chiseled that no one think of a substitute for any word. A good example for Hemingway's famous style.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary

Movie Connections edit see section history

• The Old Man and the Sea (1958) (IMDb): An American production with Spencer Tracy
• The Old Man and the Sea (1999) (IMDb): 20 minute animation (Russia, Japan, Canada), directed by Aleksandr Petrov.

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