“Que va,” the boy said, “It is what a man must do.” “Success” is all too often assumed to be the indicator of the value of a man. But success, in and of itself, merely speaks to a particular status and may have nothing to do with the journey that the man took to get there, or whether or not he retained his integrity along the way. Among the many aspects of the story, it is the idea of redefining success and victory that makes The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway’s classic novella, so profound.

It is a seemingly simple story: Santiago is an old, experienced fisherman who hasn’t brought in a catch for months. On the 85th day of this dry spell, he heads far out into the Gulf of Mexico where he hooks a giant marlin. Unable to pull the fish into his skiff, he holds onto the line for three days before killing it with a harpoon. After lashing the fish to his boat, Santiago heads home with his hard-won prize. But along the way, sharks reduce the fish to bones, and the old man returns to port as he left–empty-handed. [...]

Related posts:

1. 3 Knots Every Fisherman Should Know
2. Lessons in Manliness from It’s a Wonderful Life
3. 10 Basics Every Man Should Have in His Fishing Tackle Box
4. Lessons in Unmanliness: Willy Loman

Continue reading at The Art of Manliness.

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