I’ve written a letter sharing the emotions and insights I felt after reading The Old Man and the Sea. I’m sharing the lingering impact of this novel, which captures the old man’s struggle and hope.
Hello? I was wondering how to cheer you on, and I decided to write a letter with all my heart. I hope this letter becomes an encouraging boost for you, so I’ll jot down a few words.
They say the terms used to describe the younger generation are a mirror of their times. When I went to university, we were called the “3-give-up generation” who gave up on romance, marriage, and childbirth. But not long after, a generation emerged that gave up on five things: owning a home and human relationships. Now, a generation that gives up seven things—including dreams and hopes—has appeared. The current generation has it tough, doesn’t it? When we were young, we were taught to go to school every day, listen carefully to our teachers, and study hard… So everyone did just that, but no one takes responsibility for the results afterward. The knowledge we learned in school seems largely useless in today’s reality. No one teaches you how to get back up and find your way again when you fall behind, stumble, or lose your direction. This letter might seem presumptuous, but please bear with me as I share a book that helped me through tough times.
There’s a legend that “a swan never cries throughout its life, but just before death, it cries out with the most beautiful sound.” That’s why artists’ final works are often called their ‘swan song’. ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ feels like American novelist Hemingway’s swan song. It’s simply astonishing how Hemingway, whom I consider the greatest writer of the 20th century, crafted a monologue unfolding on the vast, deep sea—featuring an old man, a boy, the ocean, a marlin, and the stars—into a single book. But the reason I want to recommend this book is less about its literary value and more about wanting to talk about ‘Hemingway’s life’.
While reading this book, I imagined the old man struggling alone on the vast ocean. And I thought of the current generation, who, despite striving hard, are battling anxiety about the future and the overwhelming uncertainty of not knowing what to do. The image of us, driven into the sea of fierce competition, fighting each other amidst fear with no end in sight, didn’t seem so different from the old man’s lonely struggle at sea. It feels like we’re racing endlessly, without coordinates or promise, not knowing who our enemy is or how long we must fight. We fight and steal from each other to claim the prize of the ‘blue marlin,’ even being driven to extreme choices.
Reading ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ made me think deeply. What did the old man ultimately gain? Is the old man, who lost the blue marlin, a loser? I believe the old man in the novel is the winner. Though his prize was taken, he never gave up and fought to the end. Even in a seemingly hopeless situation, he gazed at the stars and dreamed, always holding onto hope for tomorrow. Above all, he returned safely and left behind an asset for future generations: the young boy. Yet, the old man in the novel and the old man in reality were different. “I am lonely like a light bulb whose current has stopped and whose filament has burned out,” he wrote in his suicide note. Hemingway ended his own life. Despite winning the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize in Literature, possessing genius-level talent, fame, wealth, and four loves, why did he make such an extreme choice? I believe it was because he had no ‘dream’ in his later years. If he had had a dream, I believe he would have changed many people’s lives for the better. I also feel that I, too, might have changed for the better through his works.
Long ago, in my naive youth, I was only taught to strive hard and win in competition. But as time passed and I gained experience, my perspective shifted. I realized that in our society, resources are limited, and there are things that selfishness and greed alone cannot fill. And that ordinary, weak people are also essential to this society, precious to someone. Through this book, I too was reminded that I am an ordinary, vulnerable being. The old man in the novel fought alone for 84 long days on the vast ocean. Of course, there’s no need to find comfort in him or compare yourself to him, but what matters is that he fought through hardship day after day, dreaming.
There seems to be no single right answer when choosing a career. However, if the work I’m preparing for now brings me joy and makes my heart race, I believe the journey itself will be a happy one. I’ll conclude by hoping that you, reading this letter, might feel the same emotions I once felt long ago, and wonder what dreams the old man in the novel held during those 84 days.
