I'm amazed at Hemmingway's ability to pack so much into such a short book! I know his writing style is very much an "you either love it or you hate it" situation, but I must say I love it! I like the simplicity and how he is able to convey emotion by telling us what's happening and Santiago's thoughts. But he never tells us how Santiago is feeling emotionally. You as the reader get to fill that in yourself. There are many themes running throughout this book what spoke loudest to me was the theme of aging, but dedication was a huge part of the story as well as loss.