"The Old Man and the Sea" is a novella written by American author Hemingway, published in 1952, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. I had previously read the Chinese version, and this time I specifically bought the English version to better appreciate the charm of the original language. I had read Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" before, so I have some understanding of his life experiences.
"The Old Man and the Sea" is not long, about one or two hundred pages, and most of the vocabulary is common, though there are some fishing-related words that require looking up in a dictionary. The difficulty is not great, and it reads relatively quickly. The story content is also not complex and can be summarized in a few sentences. There are not many characters; besides the old man, there is also a boy, and the dialogue is minimal. What stands out is the portrayal of the old man's psychology and monologues. The old man is alone at sea, spending most of his time talking either to himself or to animals. Even in harsh conditions, the old man maintains an optimistic attitude, never blaming fate or others, and does not easily give up, calmly doing the best he can. Even if the outcome is not satisfactory, he remains hopeful.
Personally, I feel this is a fable that reflects Hemingway's views on life. The old man symbolizes an author with rich experiences, hoping to prove himself by doing something, and even when faced with difficulties, or even life-threatening situations, he confronts them head-on. He does not find the setbacks unacceptable but sees them as life experiences.
Although Hemingway and Fitzgerald were contemporaneous American writers, their writing styles differ greatly. Fitzgerald's prose is more ornate, like a famous painting embroidered with a needle, while Hemingway's style is that of a tough man, like a sculpture carved with an axe. Although there are not many descriptions of the old man's image, his mental state leaps off the page, leaving a deep impression.