The Old Man and the Sea

The main action takes place at sea, and the story’s only main character is an old man. Yet the author managed to present to the reader an astonishing struggle of a person who is left one-on-one with the elements. In essence, it is a struggle with himself. It would have been easier to give up and give up that big fish, which, although fantastic, demanded too much strength. But the old man didn’t. He chose to fight.

This book is not only about loneliness and old age—it’s also about friendship. Santiago the old man has a pupil, someone who is ready to look after him and to believe that in front of him is a great fisherman, not a loser. When the old man’s strength runs out during the fight for the fish, he remembers the boy, and thoughts of him sustain him.

And after three days of a duel, the fish is defeated. It dragged the old man’s boat far into the sea, but in the end he is stronger. The fish is truly enormous—it cannot fit into a small fishing boat. And then tragedy strikes the old man: the shore is visible, but he won’t be able to return with the long-awaited catch…