“ But it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers. ”
Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea (1952). copy citation
| Author | Ernest Hemingway |
|---|---|
| Source | The Old Man and the Sea |
| Topic | life killing sea |
| Date | 1952 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/hemingwaye-oldmanandthesea/hemingwaye-oldman... |
Context
“How many people will he feed, he thought. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course not. There is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behaviour and his great dignity.
I do not understand these things, he thought. But it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers.
Now, he thought, I must think about the drag. It has its perils and its merits. I may lose so much line that I will lose him, if he makes his effort and the drag made by the oars is in place and the boat loses all her lightness.” source
I do not understand these things, he thought. But it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers.
Now, he thought, I must think about the drag. It has its perils and its merits. I may lose so much line that I will lose him, if he makes his effort and the drag made by the oars is in place and the boat loses all her lightness.” source
Meaning and analysis
