In a Dark Time … The Eye Begins to See

There are few novels I identify with more than Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. On the simplest level, I like the fishing story itself. Santiago knows how to fish well, knows the rituals that should accompany fishing. We first meet Santiago in the midst of a string of bad luck, a string every [...]

Santiago shows great courage while following Hemingway’s code in catching the giant Marlin. Like a good athlete, he respects his opponent, never underestimating his abilities. In fact, sometimes Santiago seems almost awed by the marlin: You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, [...]

After Santiago loses his knife while fighting off the two sharks, he was left thinking, “Now they have beaten me, he thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. But I will try it as long as I have the oars and the short club and the tiller.” In the end, he loses [...]