Reading is an integral part of the life of a literature student. To promote reading culture, Library committee leaders, Me and Jayshri Khachar decided to start a book club, where we can read certain works every month.
You can access it from here - The monthly bookshelf
The primary purpose of ‘The Monthly Bookshelf’ activity is to foster a love for reading and creating a community of enthusiastic readers. Each month, we shall select a thought-provoking book that invites discussions and reflection among members. Whether you’re a seasoned reader or just beginning your literary journey, our club offers a welcoming space to share insights, exchange ideas, and cultivate a lifelong passion for reading.
The book of this month :- Old man and the sea
About Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway is one of the most iconic American writers of the 20th century. He is known for his iceberg theory writing style and exploration of themes such as masculinity and war. Born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, he began his writing career as a journalist before transitioning to fiction. Hemingway's writing is characterized by its focus on the experiences of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. He often drew on his own life experiences, including his time as an ambulance driver during World War I and his adventures as a big-game hunter and fisherman, to inform his fiction.
His most famous works include "The Old Man and the Sea," "A Farewell to Arms," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and "The Sun Also Rises." Hemingway's writing style revolutionized American literature, and he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 for his "mastery of the art of narrative" and his "influence on contemporary style." Despite his literary success, Hemingway struggled with personal demons throughout his life, including alcoholism, depression, and a series of failed marriages. He tragically took his own life in 1961, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire writers and readers around the world.
“As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”
- Hemingway
Why you should read this book
Reading Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea' is essential for anyone who appreciates the beauty of simplicity in storytelling and the profound depths it can reveal. This novella, with its elegant prose and restrained style, explores timeless themes of human endurance, dignity, and the struggle against nature, all encapsulated in the story of an old fisherman's epic battle with a giant marlin. Hemingway's ability to convey the universal truths of life through a seemingly simple narrative invites readers to reflect on their own challenges, making it a work of enduring relevance and power.
Book review
The story centers on Santiago, an aging fisherman who has gone 84 days without catching a fish, earning him the label of “salao,” the worst form of unlucky. Despite his misfortune, Santiago remains determined and sets out alone in his small boat, determined to end his unlucky streak. His epic struggle begins when he hooks a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream, which drags him into a multi-day battle between his strength, skill, and willpower against the marlin’s raw, elemental power.
At its heart, The Old Man and the Sea explores themes of perseverance, pride, and dignity in the face of defeat. Santiago’s struggle with the marlin becomes a metaphor for human life—an enduring fight against forces beyond one’s control. Hemingway writes,
“A man can be destroyed but not defeated,”
encapsulating Santiago’s resilient spirit. Throughout the novella, Santiago embodies the ideal of heroism through endurance, facing not only physical exhaustion and pain but also isolation, hunger, and his own sense of mortality.
Hemingway’s signature style of short, declarative sentences, vivid imagery, and sparse but powerful dialogue serves this novella well. His economy of language mirrors the simplicity and directness of Santiago’s life. At the same time, the novella brims with symbolism. The sea is depicted as both nurturing and cruel, a reflection of nature’s indifference. The marlin, meanwhile, represents the ultimate challenge, a worthy opponent that tests Santiago’s limits.
Hemingway’s novella remains an essential work in American literature, offering readers a deep, contemplative experience that resonates long after the final page is turned. In the end, The Old Man and the Sea is a tale not just of one man’s battle against nature but of the universal human quest for purpose, dignity, and triumph—even in defeat.
Words - 727
Images - 5
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