Unsung Heroes

Recently finished a book ‘The old man and the sea’ by Ernest Hemingway.

The protagonist, the old man – a fisherman, whose only care taker, well-wisher was ‘the boy’. Just two characters and then the other unusual ones – the Sea, the sharks, the fish, a bird for a small chit chat.

After being unlucky for straight 84 days, he again went to fish on 85^th day. This time ‘the boy’ couldn’t come as his parents didn’t agree to let him along with the old man.

The old man went sailing alone. Here it starts the main story. The tactfully putting the hooks, lines to catch the fish. The continuous waiting as despite the 85^th day gets over but nothing get caught.

The self-doubt of being really unlucky. Then start the continuous discussion of his with everything around him. Every time thinking of ‘if the boy were here’.

Somehow on the second day in the sea, he gets lucky, but the fish was so big, it’s difficult to catch hold of. It starts the wait and watch game between the fish and the old man.

It felt like, its there in-front of us but can’t get it. On third day, somehow he manages to catch the hunt. He respected the fish as a brother, but not forgot to tell that he will kill it.

In this struggle of getting the fish, he goes through a lot. His cramped left hand, the hallucinations, not able to differentiate whether he is dreaming or its actual life.

The unbearable pain, but the strong will of not giving up. Again thinking, ‘if the boy were here’, to see his struggles, help him in this difficult time and somewhere deep to show him, he is the one who still can get the things done.

On return journey, the fight with the sharks, who keep on taking bites of the dead fish. His struggle to keep those away and killing few of them away. The sad feeling of killing the sharks in order to save this fish.

After losing all the things he had in a fight with sharks, by the time he reached to the shore, only the head and tail of the fish remains.

He goes back to his shack, empty handed, broken.

He had a chance to show what exceptional catch he got, but then this time he was unlucky to get it back to home.

Only the God knew what he went through.

I think in similar way, there are many heroes around us, who are knowingly/unknowingly doing something for the betterment of their family, for the society.

Not everyone get success in their endeavors, many don’t even come in the picture, always unsurfaced.

But God knows them and their final interaction with Him and His watching him struggle is the only mark of his acknowledgement and achievement.

Vb