Old Man and the Sea-Q. 1

In The Old Man and the Sea, the author values are shown through in a couple major ways. One thing I noticed the author revealed most was what little affect money has on a person that enjoys life. The old man was very poor and didn't even have a radio, but that didn't stop him from having fun. He could go out to sea and get lost from all the earthly things while he fished. He would usually catch enough fish to simply survive, but that didn't bother him. The one thing the old man enjoyed the most was having a friend and someone who enjoyed his company. The little boy didn't care that the old man was poor he enjoyed his personality.

The other thing Hemingway made clear was the presence of a greater being. He used this book to help show people that there is a God and he can do mighty things. Throughout the book people can see the relationship Santiago has with God and how that affects Santiago's fishing. When Santiago puts his trust in God it is a huge leap of faith hoping God will help him catch the marlin. Santiago says to God, "...I will do 100 Hail Mary's...if you help me catch this fish." This signifies the author trying to show the readers you must give to God in return and be thankful for things, you can't just continually beg of Him. You have to sacrifice things sometimes too. In this case Santiago sacrificed his boat, his bait, the marlin towards the end, and essentially his life. When God helps he may not do it the simplest way or the way you want, but he does everything for the best.

Another thing Hemingway valued was description. He used unique words that could describe a situation or place perfectly. When reading this book people can feel like they are actually in the boat sitting right along side Santiago pulling in a big fish. They are able to visualize every move Santiago makes and that's why this small book is so popular. That also makes it easier to read when the reader actually wants to read more doesn't have to.

These are just a couple of the values the author shows in this book, but they are the biggest ones that stuck out to me while reading it. Being a fellow Christian I enjoyed seeing how an author can use their job to witness to different people.

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