老人与海：毁灭不代表失败

ThefirstEnglishoriginalworkwhichIhadreadisthelittleprince.ItsauthorisFrench,anditiswritteninFrench.Inmyopinion,EnglishismuchsimilarasFrench,anditissofamousandsimplethatImakeitasmyfirstbookofEnglishoriginalworktoread.TheOldmanandtheseaisthesecondbook.Atfirst,Ithinkitisonlyalittleharderthanthelittleprince,butIamwrongafterIhadreadafewpages.TherearesomanynewwordsthatIdonotunderstand.EventhoughIunderstandthemeaningofnewwordsthroughadictionary,Idonotunderstandthemeaningofthesentences.Howeveritsstoryissimple,Icanunderstandthegeneralplot.

Theoldmanhadnotcaughtafishforeighty-fourdays,andhehadnowifeandnochild,onlyaboyaccompaniedhim.Hewasmockedbyotherfishers,andtheboywastoldnottostaywithhimbyhisparentsforthebadluck,buthedidnotcareandwentonfishing.Thistimehecaughtabigfishnamedmarlin,andhefoughtagainstthenexttwodays,finallykilleditwithaharpoon.Whilethejourneybackhome,hekeptfightingagainstthesharkswhichwantedtoeatthefish.Whenhearrivedattheharborfinally,onlythefishboneleft,meanwhilehedecidedtocontinuenextfishing.

Amancanbedestroyedbutnotdefeated.Inthebooktheoldmanmetatleastfourchallenges,firstlyhehadsobadluckthathadnotcaughtafishforeighty-fourdays,secondlythemarlinwastoobigtocatcheasily,thirdlysharksweresomanyandpowerfultodealwith,fourthlywhatapitytheoldgotnothingaftersomanyharddays.Eventhoughhardshipscameonebyone,hewasnotdefeatedandkeptfighting.Atlasthedidnotlosthopeandconfidence,tellingtotheboythathemustgotagoodkillinglanceandcontinuenextfishing.Thisisthemostexcitedmomentinthebook.

Thestoryisapaeanwhichpraisesthespritoffighting—nevergiveupeventhoughgetnothing.Aslikethelittleprince’sfantasticexperience,theoldman’sunbowedspirittouchesmyheart,andteachesmemeeteverydayactively.