I finally read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. After hearing mostly negative reviews, it took a class assignment to get me to pick it up. My conclusion? I need to read more Hemingway.
In case you haven’t read the book, it follows an aged fisherman named Santiago who has hit a bad streak. After a life of successful fishing, he’s hit what many believe to be his final slump. Strangely enough, this seems to distress the other fishermen a lot more than it does Santiago. He goes out farther than usual and catches a fish. There. That’s the setup. That really isn’t the story. The story is what happens when he gets the fish.
Santiago finds that he has hooked a massive animal and it takes everything he has to finally bring it in. The vivid descriptions of his epic struggle with the fish show his expertise, his love of fishing, and his respect for the magnificent fish he has caught. When sharks rob him of his catch, he diligently defends it. When he lands his boat, he has nothing left from his long trip. A massive skeleton hangs lashed to the side of his boat. Again, the people who are most upset by this apparent failure are the onlookers. The old man has broken his bad streak and he goes to bed knowing he’ll catch more the next day.
There is so much texture in this book. It’s a lot like the film The Perfect Storm in that both show the rough and ragged life of the fisherman. Both feature captains out to redeem themselves. Both succeed in hauling in a huge catch, but eventually fail to bring it home. But that’s not my favorite part.
The Old Man and the Sea reveals a man with a tough job that he loves. Throughout the entire story, Hemingway shows us again and again how dedicated to quality Santiago is. He hangs his hooks at very precise depths and then carefully monitors them. He preservers. By the end, his hands are brutally cut up and he’s fought with the fish for a long time and then tore his boat apart to fight the sharks. That’s what I admire about Santiago–his love for doing his job the best he can.
Reading this book is like listening to one of Jeffrey Tucker’s enthusiastic speeches on the people of commerce. He celebrates the employees of McDonalds and Walmart at a time when most conversations about such people are filled with derision. His admiration goes to those who are anxious to serve and do their jobs the best they can. The man is nothing less than the cheerleader for the whole market economy. If you feel like your job doesn’t matter, listen to him and you’ll feel great (unless you work for government in which case you will realize you should quit immediately and apply at McDonalds)!
I believe that Santiago and Jeffrey Tucker would have gotten along great. Mr. Tucker would have admired his devotion to his craft and Santiago would have appreciated the encouragement.
Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most encouraging works of literature I’ve read. Read it! Then think about how you can be a little more like Santiago.
(By the way, here’s an extra treat! Listen to Jeffrey Tucker talk about how wonderful productive work is!)
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