Let me be blunt: I didn’t get the hype around The Old Man and the Sea.
They call it a classic.
Pulitzer Prize-winning. “Hemingway at his finest.”
Sure, fine. But when I read it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being sold something I didn’t need.
It’s a short book, sure, but it felt like I was reading the same thing over and over.
And when I was finally done, I just felt empty.
Was this really supposed to be some profound meditation on life and struggle?
Because if it is, it missed the mark by a mile.
1. The Old Man is a Walking Cliché
Santiago, the old man, is a character you’ve seen a thousand times.
He’s the noble, humble fisherman, poor but proud, struggling against the forces of nature. Fine, okay.
But where’s the depth? Where’s the originality?
He’s a man who has a fight with a fish, and that’s it.
There’s no nuance, no complexity, no inspiring reason to root for him.
He’s just an old guy who talks to himself and a fish, and that’s supposed to be enough. I wasn’t impressed.
2. The Book’s Just One Long, Boring Monologue
The entire plot is the old man, Santiago, alone on a boat for days, battling with this massive marlin.
And how does he pass the time? Talking to himself.
Constantly. About everything. About baseball. About the fish. About his dreams. About how tired he is.
I mean, really? This is what people are calling “spare, powerful prose”?
It felt like I was trapped in a conversation with a guy who has no one to talk to, so he just rambles on.
There’s no action. No real tension. Just talk.
3. The Fish is Overhyped
The big marlin? Big deal. Yeah, it’s a giant fish.
But what does it represent? Struggle? Man vs. nature?
Who knows? Who cares?
It’s a fish. It doesn’t have depth. It’s just there, serving as a metaphor, but it’s such an obvious one that it lost any chance of being meaningful.
Santiago’s fight with it is drawn out, sure, but it’s ultimately hollow.
I kept waiting for the fish to actually be something more, but it was just… a fish.
4. The Symbolism is as Subtle as a Sledgehammer
Hemingway’s symbolism in this book is about as subtle as a punch in the face.
The fish represents man’s struggle against nature, the old man’s battle against time, and whatever else Hemingway felt like slapping on it.
But it’s not clever symbolism. It’s lazy. It’s so obvious that you’re not even allowed to think for yourself.
You don’t need to read between the lines when Hemingway practically writes it in big letters for you.
He’s telling you what everything means, so you don’t have to think. What a missed opportunity.
5. The Old Man is a Martyr for No Reason
Hemingway tried to turn Santiago into some tragic figure, a man who’s proving something to himself and the world.
But here’s the thing: there’s no real reason for Santiago to be this self-sacrificing hero.
Why is he so desperate to catch this fish? Why does he make it such an epic, life-defining battle?
It’s as though Hemingway wanted to make him noble and suffering, but Santiago never earned it.
His struggle didn’t resonate because it felt like it was built on nothing.
Santiago was just stubborn, plain and simple. And stubborn doesn’t make for a great hero.
6. It’s the Same Thing Over and Over
Santiago catches the fish. He struggles with the fish. He talks to the fish. He gets tired. He struggles some more.
The book could’ve been a 10-page short story, but instead, it’s drawn out to the point of exhaustion.
And what’s worse is that, by the time Santiago actually gets the fish, you’re so bored you don’t care. Hemingway builds tension by repeating the same thing over and over.
It’s like watching someone spin their wheels in the mud. You get nowhere.
7. The Old Man Talks About the Boy More Than He Actually Interacts With Him
We’re supposed to care about the bond between Santiago and Manolin, the boy who looks up to him.
But the boy is barely in the story. He’s a distant memory that’s brought up occasionally to make us feel something.
But we never get to see that relationship evolve. So we’re supposed to care about Santiago’s struggles, but the only emotional tether we have is this kid who pops in and out.
It’s almost like Hemingway wanted to make the old man more tragic by reminding us that he’s alone, but it comes off as lazy and manipulative.
8. No Sense of Real Danger
The entire plot hinges on this man battling with the marlin, and at no point do you ever feel like he’s actually in danger.
Sure, he’s tired, and sure, he’s out there alone, but you never get the sense that he’s really at risk of losing everything.
Hemingway’s writing makes you think you’re in the middle of some grand struggle, but in reality, you’re just reading about a guy who is really, really tired.
So the “epic” nature of the struggle falls flat.
9. Too Much Reflection, Not Enough Action
There’s a lot of reflection. A lot of pondering. Santiago spends more time thinking about his past and what he could have done differently than he does actually, you know, fighting the fish.
He reflects on the meaning of his life, on his dreams of lions, on everything except the present moment.
It’s like Hemingway thought introspection would make the struggle more profound.
But instead, it just made everything feel padded and pointless. Show me the action, not the thoughts of a guy in a boat for 100 pages.
10. It’s Just a Damn Fish Story
In the end, that’s what it boils down to: an old man and a fish.
Yeah, there’s the symbolism and the deep philosophical nonsense, but at its core, it’s just a story about a guy who caught a fish.
That’s it. For all the acclaim this book gets, it never transcends that. It never becomes more than a tired fish story.
And after reading this whole thing, that’s what I came away with. A fish story. Nothing more.
Summary Table
| Reason # | Complaint |
|---|---|
| 1 | Santiago is a tired, predictable character with no depth |
| 2 | The entire book is just a boring monologue |
| 3 | The fish is overhyped and lacks real significance |
| 4 | The symbolism is blunt and obvious |
| 5 | Santiago’s martyrdom feels unearned and unnecessary |
| 6 | The story is repetitive, with no real progress or payoff |
| 7 | The boy is more important than he ever gets to be in the plot |
| 8 | There’s no real sense of danger in the old man’s struggle |
| 9 | Too much introspection, not enough action |
| 10 | It’s just a fish story with some empty philosophical fluff |
Look, Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is one of those books that’s been elevated to iconic status by people who are really good at convincing you that something’s worth your time.
But in reality, it’s a dusty old tale of an old man, a fish, and a whole lot of nothing. Sure, it’s short, but it’s also a slog.
By the time the fish is caught, you’ll wish it had stayed in the sea.
And when you finish it, you won’t feel enlightened or moved.
You’ll just feel tired. So go ahead, keep calling it a classic.
But when I’m done with it, I’ll leave it where it belongs: on the shelf, collecting dust.
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