Monday, June 20, 2011

Review: The Old Man and The Sea

Key West, where a little over a week ago we spent a little vacation at, is Ernest Hemingway's former digs. Alas, with a very active 21 month old, visiting Hemingway's house just wasn't a possibility. But, Shira had a brilliant idea: why not actually read something he wrote, instead.

So, for the last few days I've been making my way through the audio version of The Old Man and The Sea. As books go, it has that remarkable I feel like I'm in English class feel to it. Sure, the story is entertaining, but you can tell there's a whole lot going on beneath the surface (if you'll pardon bad fishing pun).

What exactly that is, I'm not sure. I do know that the SparkNotes (whatever those are - just found them on the web) appear to be longer than the book itself.

There's definitely plenty of Christian imagery presented throughout the book - enough so that even a good Jewish boy like myself can recognize it. But who the fish, sharks, Sea, Old Man and the Boy are, I can't quite say.

But, I can say this: the book has a brevity to it that allows me to roll it over in my head easily enough. Perhaps a few days from now, I'll sit up and bed and say - Aha! I've got it. In the mean time, I suppose I'll just enjoy the subtle bragging rights I'll be able to accrue by dropping Hemingway as a recently read author.

What do you think the book is all about? Is it Hemingway's best or do you prefer another one of his works?

Here's a gallery produced by Life Magazine which is related to the book - it'll get you in the mood if you decide to read the book.

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