The reader is lost, adrift at sea: a brief critique of Ernest Hemingway's novella "The Old Man and the Sea"

I expected the novella "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway to move quickly to its conclusion. I was sorely disappointed. While the development of Santiago (the old man) and his young companion, Manolin, happened within the first two pages; the novella's overall theme was developed painstakingly slow over the remaining 125 pages.

The novella hopes to show that while we may be worn down and beaten by the harsh realities of life; the charity and humanity of those around us may be relied upon. This is a interesting idea that the novella bears out in the villagers forgiveness of the old man's inabilities and in Manolin's unending devotion. However, Hemingway mistakingly does not choose to focus on the interaction between Santiago and villagers; Hemingway choose to focus on Santiago's difficulty in capturing the marlin.

Santiago spends nearly 60 pages subduing the marlin. This is far too much time spent establishing that difficulty can be overcome only to have it eaten away in the final pages of the novella. While it is important to know that it was a noble struggle to catch the marlin, it is more important to know that in the twilight of our life, all our dignity and honor will be stripped away. Spending so much time on the struggle leaves little time for the conclusion that, though our abilities abandon us in old age, we are saved by the charity of our fellow man. Due to these choices the read is lost at sea as the old man struggles.