The novella (only 127 pages) itself is a wonderful work. It won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. I recommend it to everyone, especially those who love to be out on the water or who love to fish. It is the story of an old fisherman in Havana who, after 85 days without catching a fish, hooks an enormous marlin and fights with every ounce of his being to catch it. It is the story of a man and the boy who loves him, a story of persistence, a story of courage in the face of loss. At one level, it is simply the romantic tale of a man and his duel with the fish. But it has so many other levels. I would love to look at the role of suffering in the work.
The old man suffers so greatly in his trials. His hands are cut badly by rope; he does not sleep for three days; he suffers from dehydration and malnutrition; his back bears the pain and the pull of the fish for the entire journey.
He was stiff and sore now and his wounds and all of the strained parts of his body hurt with the cold of the night.
He earns his fish. At the end, when the man returns to Havana, the boy who loves him (Manolin) finds him asleep.
The boy saw that the old man was breathing and then he saw the old man's hands and he started to cry. He went out very quickly to go to bring some coffee and all the way down the road he was crying.
Hemmingway even seems to compare his battle to crucifixion, casting him in a Christ-like light.
"Ay," he said aloud. There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just a noise such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood.
It reminds of the I Have a Dream speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the expository writing class of my sophomore year, the class read this speech. The instructor, Dr. Joyce Moser, mentioned that King is just now being looked at as a theologian. There are ideas in his writings that are easy to pass by in lieu of the stronger messages of racial equality.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
"Unearned suffering is redemptive." What an interesting idea. Was Santiago's suffering unearned? In some ways, no, it was not. To say it was unearned would be to diminish his accomplishment. He gave everything of himself towards the goal of catching this fish, and consciously so. But does a poor, old fisherman such as Santiago deserve such suffering? No, he does not.
Sometimes I wish I was an English major. I would love to analyze the role of suffering in the novella more deeply.
In unrelated thoughts, the burgers here are terrible. Terrible. Even McDonald's, the global standard of fast food, seems lacking from its usual reliability. Burger King is my relief; their Whoppers are delicious and taste like a real hamburger with better ingredients.
I've also heard that the Ruby Tuesday's here puts on a good show. I am excited to find out.
1 comentario:
ese cuento es uno de mis favoritos de toda la literatura. me encanta el estilo en que Hemingway escribe. espero que todo este bien contigo y que te diviertas muchisimo en tus viajes.
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