What is the meaning of life? Ernest Hemingway, combining the novel with his experience during the First World War, gave his unique answer in this immortal masterpiece, “The Old Man and the Sea”.

       The old man is Santiago, a Cuban fisherman who has spent his life fishing and has a young confidant. His recent fishing trip turned out to be a waste, and he is planning to sail into the deep waters for days; he leaves alone. On the ocean, a giant marlin catches his bait and begins to pull the boat. Santiago curls the line around his body, fearing that the marlin would cut the rope. The long battle between the marlin and Santiago lasts for three days before finally ending when Santiago stabs the fish to death with a harpoon. Santiago is exhausted and delirious, and the blood of the giant marlin attracts sharks, who eat the marlin. The old man, heavily wounded, finally makes it home with nothing but the marlin’s skeleton. He returns to his cabin and falls asleep.

       The novel, though short, is filled with a tone of nothingness. The plot does not move forward, and the words saunter around. It is, in my opinion, a reflection of Hemingway questioning the purpose of life. He had witnessed the terrors and demise of humankind during World War One and thus came to question the validity of life. This tone is perfectly shown by continuously describing meaningless things such as the ocean, the sky, and non-relevant creatures. Nevertheless, there is still some purpose in life to taste in the novel, as the struggle Santiago had.

       Some might be confused that Santiago’s young friend caught several fish every day on his lake. Why couldn’t Santiago simply fish where his friend did, and catch all the fish he wants? The answer lies in Hemingway’s vision of life. Santiago definitely knew how to get a fish easily, but he wouldn’t do it. To be called an experienced fisherman, one must suffer all that a fisherman should suffer and know all that a fisherman should know. Santiago, the experienced fisherman, is challenging his limits; life is meaningful only with breakthroughs, and his fight on the ocean is a vivid show of such struggle. He did not return with nothing: his reward lies in his journey and his courage. Thus, having tried his best, he quickly fell asleep.

       Hemingway’s message is that the purpose of life is none other than life itself.