Book Report IV

• Title of book : The Old Man and The Sea
• Author : Ernest Hemingway
• Publisher : Charles Scribner’s Son, New York
• Year of publication : 1952

Setting
The setting of the novel is in the Gulf Stream at September.

Major characters
1. Santiago
Description : He is an old strong fisherman. He is thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea are on his cheeks. He never gives up and has a high spirit.

2. Manolin
Description : He is a boy who fishes together with Santiago for the first forty days. He is kind, diligent, helpful, and obedient with his parents.


Summary
There was an old man who named Santiago. He fished alone in the Gulf Stream. Now, it was the eighty-four days for him without taking a fish. For the first forty days, He fished with a boy, Manolin but after the first forty days Manolin’s father ordered him to fish with the other boat because his parents thought that the old man was salao (the worst form of unlucky person). So, his parents wanted him to fish with the lucky boat which had caught three fishes in a week. Although the boy didn’t fish with the old man but he always helped the old man when the old man went to go fishing.
The old man woke up early in the morning to fish, he fished alone. He sailed so far from land. On the first day, He didn’t get anything. He almost got the fish but unfortunately, the fish didn’t want to eat the bait. It made the old man sad. Next day, the old man got the tuna for eat. He thought that he had to eat to get energy to catch the other fish which bigger than the others. There were many fishes which wanted to eat the bait but unfortunately, the fish always ran away before they got the bait. On the third day, there was a big fish which eat the bait, it named Marlin. The old man was very happy about it. He could catch Marlin. Unfortunately, there was a Mako Shark who ate his fish but he could kill it. Then, two shovel-nosed sharks came to eat the fish and the old man killed them too. One shovel-nosed shark came and he killed it very easy. Unfortunately, there were many sharks which came after that. At night, there were many sharks which came to eat. Now, he didn’t do anything, he was too tired.
Now, he sailed to go home. At harbour, the people were sleeping. He went to his home and then he slept. When Manolin came, the old man was still sleeping. Manolin said that he wanted to sail with him again although his parents forbade him. The old man lost because he just got the bone of the Marlin. Actually, there were tourists who looked the skeleton. They thought that it was so beautiful although it was just the skeleton. They thought the fisherman who had caught it very lucky.

What is the Major conflict in the story?
The Major conflict in the story is about the old man’s struggle to defend his Marlin from a lot of sharks. He wants to show the Marlin to the other people, especially to show it for the boy. So, he can fish together again because he feels alone when he fishes.

How does the story end?
The story ends with happy ending. Although, he doesn’t get the fish but he gets more than fish, the boy. He can go back to the land and meet Manolin again. Manolin promises that he wants to fish again with the old man. Now, the old man won’t fish alone again.

What is the theme of the book?
The theme of the book is we must be positive thinking to look the future. Although, we can’t get our hope but there’s something special that God wants to give to us. So, don’t be desperate and always do hard to face the problem.

Do you like the book?
Yes, I like this book because I’m very interested about the story which tells about the struggle of the old man to get the fish. The old man’s struggle inspires me to do the best for my life although there are some problems and the result isn’t good, but there is something which very good for us. The important thing isn’t the result but the struggle which is pure from ours, not from the others.

This book was a little difficult.