The Old Man and the Sea

The story is about the old fisherman who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream .He tried his level best, sparing no effort, ultimately, he killed the gigantic fish. At first, he wanted to use the fish to exchange the money, but he didn’t expect that the killed- marlin bled badly, as a result, the shark was lured by the blood and ate up the fish. When he backed to the harbor, nothing left but the fish bones. He used to sail out for living, but this time he encountered the dilemma, and it aroused the perseverance of the mission of fisherman. Eventually, when he came back finishing the fight against the sea, he was so tired that he left everything behind.

It shocked me a lot that the story just about a man and a fish could win the Nobel Prize. What Hemingway wanted to emphasize on is the value we got in the process, not the material reward. Though the marlin might be the largest in his career, even the hugest in the village; though he got the fish bone finally, it is extraordinarily meaningful to the old man .As the author said:”Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”We can see the majesty of humankind in these words and in the story.

In the journey of life, we regret, or we sigh from time to time. Sighing that:” If we had seized every opportunity, we would not have felt regretful.”Sometimes we feel jealous about other’s fortune, and all of these behaviors are evading our responsibility. We should keep good attitude just like the old man in the story .He knew that he might lose the fish but he still maintain good attitude while encountering this difficult situation. Yet he went back with a fish bone, he still have a good dream, dreaming about a lion wandering on the beach .It showed us that it didn’t desperate him, and he have positive thoughts thoroughly. To sum up, we should step straightly forward, from us, triumph should not be faraway.

Comparing with process and the result, which aspect should we put more attention on? What the fisherman harvest was not the result, the fish bone, but the process. He got the unforgettable memory; he stroke the fish, proving his self-esteem and strength .The true value did not depend on the material reward but on the spiritual growth .As an adolescent, we often feel depressed result from failures on test; we neglect our efforts, and put an accent on our final grades .It is despite the process yet addicted to the result. We should take the old man as a standard, learning his perspective to the issue.

Well goes an English saying:”God helps those who help themselves.”After reading this book, I learned the key to success. First of all, replace negative with positive aspect, and we will have the motivation to keep our faith. Second, find out ourselves value and don’t let it lose its brilliance. Third, put our eyes on the scenic, the process on the way to success, and never take the success for granted, always keeping our efforts in the depth of our mind. Combing the conclusions above, we are able to overcome the obstacles in the future. Last but not least, I will put those thinking of treasure into practice, which I learned in the book.