Reading about a problem or a dilemma in a literary work can help us understand the background of that given problem through the author’s point of view which can be a real advantage because there is an opportunity to see the dilemma from a different angle.
Ernst Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea had a great influence on my life because there are numerous lessons to learn from the novel. To begin with, the story starts with Santiago, an old, experienced fisherman who hasn’t brought in a catch for months. On the eighty-fifth day of this dry spell, he heads out into the Gulf of Mexico where he hooks a giant marlin. He is unable to pull the fish into his skiff, but he holds onto the line for three days before killing it with a harpoon. After lashing the fish to his boat, Santiago heads home with his hard-won prize. But along the way, sharks reduce the fish to bones, and the old man returns to port empty-handed.
This story caught my eye because it seems to be a simple on the surface, but it has a much deeper message and a relevance that transcends time and place. It speaks about the universal struggles of humans, where pride, respect, endurance, and dreams encourage a man in his quest to thrive in the face of struggle. Santiago is a real symbol of an attitude towards life.
I had a worse period in my life when I first read the novel. I found it hard to get inspired and lost my belief in myself, I got upset all the time even when there was nothing to worry about. I found it hard not to give up everything that did not work for the first time. The book helped me to understand that there are people around me who are not necessarily my friends but are there to inspire me and to show an example.
For Santiago, it is “the great Joe DiMaggio” who inspires and motivates him. He has traits that reminds him that to be successful you must put all of yourself into a task and bear up under difficulty. Looking up to others provides us with examples to follow, the knowledge that others have overcome obstacles as well, and the assurance of the great possibilities of a human’s life.
In conclusion, I think reading about problems and difficulties has a huge influence on our lives in a good way because, as I experienced, it helps us understand the root of a problem and to find solutions for it in the real live as well, this is why I think that reading is advantageous from this point of view.