Books about ~100
pages
The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway
L
Leonardo Lessa
13/02/2026
↑ Recommended
This short novel, already a modern classic, is the superbly told, tragic story of a Cuban fisherman in the Gulf Stream and the giant Marlin he kills.
The Old Man and the Sea is the story of a fisherman named Santiago who catches a marlin, but unfortunately the fish is devoured by sharks on the way back, and old Santiago ends up just as he began—without fish and without money.
The story has been described as lacking symbolism by Ernest Hemingway himself, and I believe that. It is a great story, and it does not need symbolism—it already symbolizes something on its own. It is a story about determination, about someone giving everything he has to achieve something, and in the process reflecting on whether he himself should be killed so that the struggle might finally end.
The story is short and beautifully written. Every word matters.
Memorable Quotes
"A man can be destroyed but not defeated."
"You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?"