The Old Man and the Sea written by Ernest Hemingway is considered to be one of the classics of American literature. I wanted  to read it to really understand why it is so iconic. 

The book is presented in the simplest form. For the majority of the story we follow Santiago, an old fisherman. The Main conflict of the story is Santiago trying to catch the biggest fish of his fishing career, a ~1500 lb swordfish. We get an up close view of him struggling to reel the fish, a struggle that lasts for days. Every pain and ache he experienced was fully presented to us. As the audience, we feel pity for him, as he’s an elderly man fighting the beast of a fish, alone. 

Because it's only Santiago in the story, the book gets in depth in every thought he has while battling the fish.  We can see how his mental state diminished. We can experience the loneliness and regret that Santiago feels. There were moments where he doubted himself and regretted the journey. He never gave up though. Even with the doubt in his head, he kept going. We all can relate to Santiago; he’s an average joe trying to achieve a goal at any cost. 

This book is interesting with its dialogue and description; the book always seems calm. When he’s fighting the sword fish and there isn’t much action, he’s reeling in for days. This is an effective component in the book. When reading this book, I felt relaxed and stress free. It's a nice breath of fresh air, a nice break from books full of suspense and stress. I would describe the story as small talk with a fisherman. In some moments in the story where he starts talking to himself, it made me wonder if I would keep a sane mind or if I would give up. 

Hemingway lived in Cuba when writing this book and his news updates make it feel like we’re there with him. It's fascinating, he keeps us updated with the news about baseball in the 50’s. The baseball players he names off are really people, like the great DiMaggio and Mike Gonzalez, Cuban baseball player/manager. It makes us, the audience, infused into Hemingway's world that surrounded him at the time. The themes in the story are basic but powerful. Santiago's determination inspires me to keep trying to pursue my goal. If an old man can do it, why can’t I? The old man at the end didn’t achieve the exact goal he wanted,  But his willingness, fighting for days, is what inspires all of us to at least keep fighting for our own goals.

This book is the best read at once. It’s short and basic, but the simplicity is what makes this book so unique and why I believe this book is considered one of the all time classics in American literature.