Krishna
This is my second book by Ernest Hemingway. The first that we have already reviewed is A Farewell to Arms. This is a very different story, not at all about any war.
An old man was unlucky in fishing in Cuba and did not catch anything for months. An apprentice boy with him was asked by the boy’s parents to go to another boat, where they caught fish from the first day onwards. But the boy was sad for the old man.
The Old man pretends he has food for later since he does not want the boy to feel pity on him but the boy brings food anyway and makes the old man eat.
Next day, the old man sets out to sea as usual. He has had no luck for many days but will keep on trying. As always, Hemingway’s description of the sea and the boat come alive with descriptions of the cloud, the birds that are circling to catch the fish, the dolphins arriving in the hopes of catching the same flying fish and many other things. Hemingway’s full narrative prowess is on full display here.
Finally he hooks what looks like a big one but that fish, without showing itself anywhere near the surface starts dragging his boat (with him in it) for more than half a day without even tiring!
The old man spends another night having the boat drag him. He gets one glimpse of the enormous fish when it jumps up once – it is a huge swordfish, bigger than he has ever seen, let alone caught.
The book has fascinating descriptions of how the old man keeps the string taut when he has to, lets out when he has to, eats his tuna in the middle with one hand – the other hand is minding the line – and how when all his food is over, he catches a dolphin with another bait hanging off his lines and guts it and eats it raw even while managing the huge fish. He is waiting for it to ultimately tire.
The old man remembers how strong and stubborn he was in his youth. He won an arms wrestling contest in a bar over a very strong black man after eighteen hours of struggle!
He wishes the boy was with him now to help; he talks to himself.
It is all – in a way – rather mundane but the narration and the descriptions (for instance of a tired bird that comes to rest for a while on the line he is holding and, much to his sorrow of losing a companion, flies away a while later) make it spectacular.
Hemingway’s narrative brilliance is what makes this novel of a single old man in the sea around Cuba and his battle of wits and strength with a large fish so fascinating.
After he finally bags the fish, coming near collapse himself, he realizes that he cannot take that fish into the boat as he is too big. So he lashes the fish to the side of the boat and sets sail back. But his ordeal is not over; a shark smells the blood of the dead swordfish and comes for him, forcing the old man to try to fight it with the harpoon.
The rest of the book is equally great. Tragedy strikes and by the time you finish the story, you have a heavy heart – but the tragedy is not what you would assume since this is not a pulp novel or a thriller. Reality is seeped into every page, every description. The story stays with you after you have closed the book.
In one aspect, it is a very ordinary story of a fisherman and the big one he caught. But the narration, the explanation, and the sheer description of the ambience all elevate it to the level of a great story. It is a master class in terms of learning how to write.
I enjoyed it, and unless you dislike stories about ordinary lives and want the thrill of mystery or action, I think you would too.
8/10
— Krishna