The Old Man and the Sea: My Opinion

On a scale of one to ten (ten being the best), I would award The Old Man and the Sea with a whopping…three points. To be honest, the only reason it didn't receive a one is because it was written by the great, Ernest Hemingway. I don't know how this novel was able to stand the test of time and be considered as a classic. If you define classic as its synonyms typical and standard, then yes the novel is very classic. Of course, I can't be so this frank about the novel without a little explanation. First off, the novel was way too simple. It contained few characters, little dialogue, and an uninteresting plot. Don't get me wrong, a simple story with a message is nice, but this particular one was way to drawn out and lacked an in-depth analysis of its characters. For how short it was, it contained a lot of unnecessary ramblings that made the plot more confusing than entertaining. I also didn't enjoy how the book had no separation of chapters because it made it hard for me to take a break from reading and then come back and know what was going on in the story.

The Old Man and the Sea was very similar to a novel we were assigned to read as freshman titled, Life of Pi. They both involved men stuck on a small boat who are embarking on long journeys. Animals and obstacles faced both Santiago and Pi on their travels. The stories followed these men as they struggled to survive. However, I felt that Life of Pi was just as boring and hard to follow as The Old Man and the Sea.

As far as recommending this book to a friend goes, I think you, being the reader of this ongoing, opinionated rant, already know the answer. I wouldn't want anyone to suffer through the boring pages of this novel. That being said, if I truly know the person that I am recommending this novel to, it would be easier to decide if they'd like it. For example, a guy who enjoys fishing or baseball might really enjoy this novel. Both are brought up often. "I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing (Hemingway 22)," the old man once requested. Then again, most boys I know who enjoy baseball and fishing don't enjoy reading.

[Bibliography]

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.