Zhongnian Nian | #Emotional Views #Book Review Series
Hemingway | Novella "The Old Man and the Sea"
Illustration: Stills from the movie "Everything Lost"
In Cuba in the middle of the 20th century, there was an old fisherman named Santiago who did not catch a fish for 84 days, but he did not grieve because of it, but began the journey of the 85th day with confidence.
For him, not catching a fish is not a blow, and he will not re-sail again, and there is really a problem.
Catching fish is the goal, but the process of fishing is the mission.
This is the story told in Hemingway's novella "The Old Man and the Sea", hemingway tells us from an old man's point of view: man can fail, but he cannot be defeated.
Like the old man who could not catch a fish but still insisted on traveling, he never wanted to succumb to fate and bow his head, he was not only a warrior who never accepted defeat, but also pinned on Hemingway's philosophy of life and moral ideals.
From the old man, we see the power of struggle.
For each of us, struggle is a lifelong career, occasionally experiencing setbacks is common, tidy up the state, start again. There is no need to complain that fate is unfair.
Because life is a journey of continuous progress, it cannot always be smooth sailing, if you do not experience setbacks and tribulations, how can life be rich and profound?
The future is always full of uncontrollable, but because of this, it is always worth looking forward to.
Just like when the old man sailed to fish on the 85th day, he finally hit a big marlin that was 18 feet long and weighed 1500 pounds, and the big fish dragged the boat to the deep sea, and the old man launched a three-day and three-night fight with it.
In the process, countless sharks came to rob him of his booty, but he defeated them one by one.
As a result, the big marlin was still eaten, and the old man was exhausted and dragged back a pair of fish bones to the shore.
Strictly speaking, the old man found nothing on this voyage. But as long as the spirit of struggle is not extinguished, he will always be the most respectable and most unsightly opponent of the sea.
Action does not necessarily succeed, but failure without action is bound to fail.
The value and meaning of life may lie precisely in the action itself.
Always wrestling with fate, always having the spirit of struggle of not accepting defeat and not bowing down, is the most tragic and noble inner strength in the bones of human beings.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > one: life is the most expensive, nothing is loneliness</h1>
A person who is truly strong in his heart is a person who dares to admit loneliness, and to reconcile with loneliness and become friends. In a few words, Hemingway described the loneliness of the old man incomparably deeply.
He sailed alone, and could only talk to himself, to the birds on the side of the road.
The hand hurt, and he said to the hand, "How are you?" Tonight I will eat more for you. ”
The bird landed on the mast, and he said to the bird, "Hello, is this your first time out?" ”
He couldn't remember where he started talking to himself, but when he was alone, he always talked to himself, sometimes singing, even at night.
But the old man never deliberately avoids loneliness, and he does not feel that loneliness is a bad thing, and most of the time, he is concentrating on his own business.
He has a good mentality that ordinary people do not have, and since a person floating on the vast sea cannot be changed, why not change his mentality?
As he himself said: "No one should be alone in old age, but this cannot be avoided." ”
Since it is unavoidable, accept it calmly, be optimistic, and life will always be better.
This is the attitude of the elderly in the face of loneliness, and it is also the realm of the elderly.
People who live to a certain age will always find that the most expensive thing in life is loneliness, because only when you are alone, you can listen to your inner voice and focus on your own affairs.
The more no one bothers, the closer you get to yourself.
Sometimes, the power of solitude is far greater than we can imagine.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > two: Stay focused on whatever you do</h1>
When the old man is floating alone on the vast sea, one of the things he often does is to think, and in addition to that, he talks to himself. When the bird is there, he talks to the bird, and when the fish is there, he talks to the fish.
When you're not there, talk to yourself.
Often at this time, he easily thinks of baseball games, but he can always pull his thoughts back at the first time and tell himself: "Now I can only think of one thing alone, that is what I was born to do." 」 ”
Late one night, he stood on the side of the ship and looked at the stars in the sky to confirm his course, and he thought to himself: If I can't see the lights of Havana, I must be heading in the easterly direction.
Then he thought about baseball again: "I'd love to know the outcome of Major League Baseball's game today. ”
But after thinking about it, he said firmly: "You have to always think about one thing, and that is what you are doing, and it cannot be wrong." ”
In this way, he began to think about the big fish again.
He heard two porpoises frolicking near the boat, envious, after all, they were in each other's company, and then began to sympathize with the big fish he caught.
He had never seen such a strong, clever fish, and it was reluctant to jump out of the sea, so the old man did not know what kind of opponent he was facing.
But no matter what, he would not back down, since he had already set out, how could he be afraid of fighting?
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > three: No one can beat you as long as you don't give up</h1>
The old man and the big marlin engaged in a three-day and three-night struggle, and in the process, he felt that he could not hold on many times. But as many times as you want to give up, you will get back on your feet.
He said to the fish, "Are you trying to kill me?" You do have the right to do that, I have never seen a creature bigger, more beautiful, more calm, more noble than you, and I don't care at all about who kills whom. ”
But as soon as he finished speaking, he said to his brain, "Stay awake, like a man, and know how to suffer, or like that big fish." ”
In the old man's heart, the fish was a respectable opponent.
But when it is strong, it is strong, and in the face of such an opponent, I have more fighting spirit.
In this way, in the vast sea, the old man and the fish wrestled with wits and courage, either you die, or I die, no one gave up, no one conceded defeat. But the old man always insisted on it once more, and whenever he felt that he was about to faint, he always told himself over and over again: "I must try again." ”
Although his hands were blurred with flesh and blood, he still had to adjust his state and throw himself into the battle with the big fish.
The fish weighed at least 1,500 pounds, the largest he had ever seen in his life, and the three days and three nights were like an unreal dream for him.
He challenged his limits again and again in his dreams, and refreshed his records again and again, and it was he who proved with his actions: as long as you don't give up, no one can beat you.
Even if the opponent is stronger than you, as long as you hold on a little bit, hold on a little longer, and win.
The old man's heart is rich, fearless, and worthy of admiration. He has always faced the challenges in life with a posture of "life kisses me with pain, and I will return the song".
Battles that seem impossible to win can always give people unexpected surprises.
The source of these surprises is precisely the self who has never given up, precisely the insistence of "try again", and the psychological hint of "I must be able to".
For the elderly, the sea is gentle and cruel at the same time, but no matter how cruel, it can never withstand their indelible enthusiasm for struggle.
The old man reveres the struggle and insists on the struggle, in his view, the struggle is not only the main theme of life, but also the noblest meaning of the soul.
Not accepting defeat, not backing down, not compromising, can fail, but cannot be defeated.
This is the attitude of the old man, and it is the main theme expressed by Hemingway in this "The Old Man and the Sea": "People are not born strong, but they can be born not to accept defeat." A person who is really strong in his heart is not a person who cannot meet difficulties, but a person who can still not be defeated even if he encounters difficulties. ”
The outer flesh can be tortured, but the inner will is sacred and inviolable.
This is the truth that Hemingway told us in "The Old Man and the Sea", and it is also a truth that we should practice with our lives.
May you and I understand the true meaning of "life goes on and struggles on end".
END
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