The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

A boy is a friend with an old fisherman in Cuba. The fisherman has been down on his luck. The fisherman then goes out on a fishing trip where he meets a giant fish. He spends time getting dragged by it before finally killing it. Then he starts heading back. On the way back, sharks attack. He survives the shark attacks, but by the time he returns, he only has the skeleton of fish. He fought and survived. People know he is not a loser, but he still doesn't have a live fish to show. It is s story of perseverance and personal victories even if it is not visible to the world. 

A Farewell to Arms

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

An American is fighting for the Italian army in Italy. He deals with different conflicts and challenges as a foreigner. He gets injured and spends time recuperating. There is a girl. She gets pregnant. They flee via boat to Switzerland. There they make up some lies on the spot and say they are there for winter sport and end up fine. She goes to have the baby. Things don't go well, so they try a C-section. The baby dies. She has complications and she dies. The story is set in a war, but deals primarily with the human challenges that are fairly independent of war. Even the military aspects can be more "human", such as not trusting others that are "different", even if they appear to be officers.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories

The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories by Ernest Hemingway

This collection has a few of Hemingway's short stories. I had trouble keeping focus. It was mostly set in century-ago time. There is bits about hunting,travel and the War experience.