The Old Man and the Sea - Why it Became so Popular

The Old Man and the Sea is an American classic. Critically acclaimed and loved by millions all over the world this book has truly passed the test of time. One must wonder why this book has remained so popular throughout the world and through so much turmoil and change in the planet. In my opinion it is certainly not because of all the people who took the book at face value, which a book about a fish. Rather the fact that millions of the people who have read it chose to interpret the book in the way they best saw. As shown by all the varied opinions on the book no two people read in to it the exact same way. Some feel touched by the message others feel robbed of their time for reading it. In general it has become and stayed popular because of the fact that it lends itself to people translating the story message in to their own life. Sort of like a horoscope, the message is very general and the human mind draws the parallels to your current situation. So that it feels like the message was made specifically for you but in reality it is just a general message. Many people feel that The Old Man and the Sea represents their own life. Like the book was written just for them to help them deal with their own troubles. What is really happening is they so desperately want help with their own problems that they morph their own situation to fit with that of the book so hat they con feel the connection. I am not saying that every single person who reads this book is someone in dire need of a comparable situation. That case is the minority rather than the majority. Most people enjoy the book for the simple and easy to understand moral the story provides and how they believe that moral applies. This book will certainly be wowing generations of readers for years to come, if for no reason than our English teachers.