"A man can be destroyed but not defeated." - Hemingway 《The old man and the sea 》“What does not kill me, makes me stronger.” -Nietzsche《Ecce Homo》Ernest Miller Hemingway is one of the most famous novelists of the 20th century. The old man and the sea is his representative work. The author himself speaks highly of the book, as do the rest of the world. I have just finished it, and because of my lack of experience，which may lead to i can not absorb the essence of this book，so I would like to make some superficial views.1、the sea In ancient and modern time,there are many legends about the sea ,,which have the character both“beautiful ” and“cruel”at the same time. NO doubt ,the sea is calm and beautiful, like a woman, but when she is angry she can killed thousands of lives instantly . In my opinion , the sea is equal to nature, equal to the fate of man. At this period of time in my life, I am ready to face my destiny, whatever it may be,just like the old man facing the sea.2、the fishermanSince my family is in the plains of China, the fishing life in mind is completely unknown. What impresses me in this book most is the scars on the fisherman's hands, a pair of hands that have been wrestling with the wind and waves for years. At a younger age, my own image about the life as a fisherman was inevitably romantic and adventurous,but when I grew up,i know that just like the peasants in the farming lifestyle, the fishermen were the people who lived at the lowest class, the people who knew the most about the hardships of life. However, as described in this book, I hope that one day I will have the chance to meet a real fisherman, to see his lifestyle, or to experience the days of fishing at sea myself.3、the pirateThe Disney once produced a cartoon called Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Jake sparrow--who has two completely opposite qualities such as justice and evil,cunning and lovely --is the hero of the story,at the same time , he is also the typical image of pirates in my heart.It's quite different from the legendary. Obviously ,the biggest difference between them and the fishermen is that they initiate the challenge to the sea, the fate of their own.Would you rather be a fisherman or a pirate?