The Old Man and the Sea is surprisingly easy to read, considering its literary stature. At a svelte 140 pages, it can be consumed in an afternoon but holds a fair amount of content.

As usual, I am sure I missed much of the deeper meaning of the work, but the character portrait of the Old Man as tragic Everyman is touching. Although I fear my own impending old age, I find the elderly rather romantic: the wise, noble, humble old man who has seen everything under the sun but continues to struggle through endless trials though both body and mind fail him. I also appreciated specifically Hemingway’s portrayal of the proper respect that the good fisherman or hunter has for his prey. The Old Man feels that his brother, the marlin, is destined to be caught as he is destined to catch it. The Old Man’s recurring interest in “the great DiMaggio” and “the baseball” (as he refers to the game) in general also adds a depth to the character.