The Old Man and the Sea tells a story of an old Cuban fisherman who finally caught a big fish by himself after catching no fish for eighty-four consecutive days. He fought with the big fish at sea for three days and finally killed it. However, he was attacked by sharks again on his way home. Finally, when he returned to the port, only the head, tail and a spine of the fish were left. Although this is a simple story, not a large piece of work, it is rich in meaning. It has become a must-read inspirational work for teenagers. Hemingway said, "e;I tried to describe a real old man, a real child, a real sea, a real fish and many real sharks. However, if I can write vividly enough, they can also represent many other things."e; The critics said, "e;This simple story is full of implications that are not intended to show off... As a neat "e;declarative"e; essay, it is unparalleled among all the works of Hemingway. Every word has its function and no word is redundant."e;
