The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway wrings triumph from tragedy

Welcome to By the Books, a newsletter dedicated to capturing and distributing wisdom from works of classic literature.

Each post will take less than 5 minutes to read, and will feature one great book, including:

• A brief summary

• A distillation of relevant themes

• One actionable insight

Live by the best books, one day at a time.

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“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway

Some books can and should be read in a single sitting. The tale of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who embarks on a solitary journey to catch a giant marlin, is one of them.

For 84 days, the old man catches nothing, and even his apprentice is forced to abandon him for a more successful boat. But Santiago holds fast hope, and sets out alone into the Gulf Stream. Then, a miracle: he hooks the marlin. For three days and three nights, Santiago battles the fish, in what becomes a meditation on human endurance, dignity, and the product of man’s contest against nature.

After finally reeling in the enormous creature, which represents a potential fortune, Santiago must defend his magnificent catch from sharks on the way back to shore. Despite his heroic, tireless efforts, the sharks devour it all, leaving only the skeleton behind.

"Man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated."

Actionable Insight*

The moral thrust of Hemingway’s story is vivid — the old man fights hard, loses the prize, and ultimately triumphs anyway.

It might sound trite to say that the journey is more important than the destination, that the battle itself is more important than the ground over which it is fought, but that’s only because it’s almost always true.

The only thing that holds lasting value is the material of a soul forged in the fires of desperate effort, anguish, and loss.

Nature itself may conspire to destroy you, but you were not made for defeat.

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*As a lover of literature, I must emphasize that the best way to truly absorb the wisdom of any work of literature is to actually read it, from start to finish, the way the author intended. I hope By the Books will occasionally inspire you to do just that.