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Lessons of Life Essay
Lessons of Life Essay
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[A Lesson Learned from an Old Man and a Fish]
[In Ernest Hemmingway’s peaceful tale “The Old Man and the Sea”, he develops the theme of failure vs. success by showing that in some cases what seems to be a failure can just be a miner set back, and not a complete and utter failure. Success is a reward that the old man received after his long period of failure and his long time determination. It seemed like a failure when the reward was stripped of flesh, on the contrary, it was just a small setback. Surprisingly, the old man gains respect from the remains. That showed that what seemed to be a failure, turned out to be a success.
The main character had determination, and the success of catching the Marlin was a reward for all the trouble that he had been through. He seemed desperate to make the catch to break the streak; ““He can’t have gone,” he said. “Christ knows he can’t have gone. He’s making a turn. Maybe he has been hooked before and he remembers something of it.” Then he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy.” This catch brought the old man joy and happiness; thus, showing that it indeed was a success. The old man was had been working with determination for long. The hard work that was involved in this strenuous work had been intensified by the power of the fish and the age of the old man. ““Keep my head clear” he said against the wood of the bow. “I am a tired old man. But I have killed this fish which is my brother and now must do the slave work.” The lesson it teaches is that hard work pays off, that “pay off” is in other words a success. Hard work and determination is to be rewarded with success.
Success is not always apparent, but can sometimes take time to be seen, and this applies to climax of the old ma...
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...nd a setback making it seem like a failure, but when analyzed it becomes clear that it was a success.
In conclusion, the inspiring and thought-provoking story of “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway teaches that failure is giving up and is a complete loss, but the old man’s experience was not failure, it was, in fact, a small setback. It is important to know that the difference between failure and success. Success is what the old man had received for hard work, repeated failure, and determination, failure is giving in surrendering and loosing hope, which the old man didn’t do. At the climax of the story, when the sharks ate the Marlin, it showed sometimes what seemed to be a failure can actually be a success, which was hidden. The Main character gained much respect form the catching of the Marlin, which made it a success and not a failure.]
and commitment. His faith clearly follows and reflects that of the author, Ernest Hemingway. His pride was challenged and broken into humility. This simple story of an unlucky fisherman remains a classic today because it provides us with a clearer image of Hemingway’s view of man and our struggle against nature and our own shortcomings. Adversity and failure are only wasted to those who refuse to learn from hard-fought battles whether goals are reached or snatched by defeat.
Covered in sweat and desperation, the boy pulled back his aching arms and casted the reel, again. Under the huffing of his breath, one could hear his hushed swears. Glazed over eyes and blistered hands, made up what was left of him. His mind boggled at what could happen if he failed once more. His parched throat leads him to remembering his jug of water in the corner of the dinghy. Perhaps he could reach over and grab the water; however, he had his eyes set on the bait and just as he nearly glanced away, the bait jerked under the water. His eyes engulfed in tears as he reeled in his prize, a 6 pound ilish fish. Now he could drink his water in triumph and pride, one day further from famine. Many individuals struggle with reeling in fish to save themselves from hunger, but if they are determined to catch what they desire most, almost nothing can get in their way, even if their conditions are harder than others, like when the boy that was fishing had to conquer hunger or in The Lacuna. Accordingly, perseverance is essential in many situations, whether these situations seem easy to overcome, or not. Likewise, the best theme of The Lacuna is: it is imperative to use persistence in order to achieve one’s goals, due to the struggles Harrison Shepard has to overcome in order to surpass his obstacles, similar to the fishing boy.
So, Santiago went out into the sea with some fishing supplies such as a harpoon, knife, and a rope. That day, he caught a fish or two that he used as bait. That same day, something hooked on his line that he never saw before. It was enormous in size! It was not a shark nor whale, and it jumped out of the water really quickly. What was it? It was the great marlin! Santiago stated, "I will lash the two oars together across the stern and that will slow him in the night, he said, he's good for the night and so am I"( Hemingway 73). Santiago strained to keep this massive marlin, but tried his best to fight and keep the beast on his line. Santiago wanted to keep this marlin alive, yet he knew what he was up against. After the long and painful days of trying to keep the marlin alive, Santiago said, "I killed him in self defense, the old man aloud and I killed him well"(Hemingway 106). Santiago did not truly want to kill the marlin, he wanted to bring him back to his village. Unfortunately, the sea and sharks got the best of the marlin and ate it. Santiago had to fight the sharks off, so he had something left of the marlin to show the people. These actions taken by Santiago was a true struggle between himself and
To begin with, the old man is determined just as the fish is. When Santiago first hooks the fish, he states, “‘Fish,’ he said softly, aloud, ‘I’ll stay with you until I am dead’” (Hemingway 52). This shows how he will risk his life to prove that he can catch this marlin. Santiago was fixed on catching this fish and ending his bad luck streak. And, as the marlin doesn’t have much of a choice, he will fight until he dies as well. They are both very
After reading Failure is Not an Option by Nathan Wallace, we ponder whether failure is beneficial or not. However, after reading the passage, we stumble upon a quote where Wallace says “Failure is always an option. Failure can lead to great learning and progress when a specific failure is analyzed through the lens of a growth mindset.”
First, the old man receives outer success by earning the respect and appreciation of the boy and the other fishermen. The boy is speaking to the old man in his shack after the old man’s long journey, “You must get well fast for there is much that I can learn and you can teach me everything” (Hemmingway 126). The boy appreciates the fact that the old man spends time to teach him about fishing. He respects him a great deal for he knows that the old man is very wise and is a magnificent fisherman. The fellow fishermen also show respect towards the old man as they note the size of the fish after the old man returns home, “What a fish it was, there has never been such a fish” (123). The men admire the fact that the old man has caught the biggest fish that they have seen. Many fishermen resented Santiago at first, however their opinion changed once they realized what the old man has gone through. Being admired by others plays a major role in improving one’s morale.
For example, failing a test or quiz, could be seen as a success or failure, it just depends on how you personally view successes and failures
At the end of the novel, after the marlin has been destroyed by numerous sharks, the old man views the marlin as a beautiful creature he brought ruin to by going “too far” (Hemingway 115). Santiago goes on to say that he loved the marlin “when he was alive” and he loved him “after” (Hemingway 105). He question whether it was a “sin to kill the fish” (Hemingway 105) and apologizes for hooking the marlin in the first place, saying that doing so “made everything wrong” (Hemingway
When he returns to shore, only the carcass of the fish remains. The old man conquers his doubt due to his overwhelming belief of faith in his ability to catch the
The fish withholds a great part in this book. The Old Man and the Sea is a book that’s about a small town where the residents revolve their lives around fishing. The fish is a symbol of beauty and it is a greatly admired creature to these people. An example from the book is on page 49. Santiago has been fishing for 84 days and decides not to return home without a fish on the 85th day. On the 85th day, alone in the boat, he manages to hook an enormous marlin, the biggest fish he's ever seen in all his life. The fish is larger and stronger than Santiago. Santiago's experienced fishing skills and his will to catch and survive push him to pursue the fish for many days and many miles out to sea.
The Old Man and the Sea is a heroic tale of man’s strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the “Old Man and the Sea” strives to teach important life lessons to the reader.
The premise of the story is simple yet captivating, as anybody who has ever gone fishing knows, for there is a strange allure in capturing and besting creatures as wondrous and intimidating as those who reside in the mysterious depths of the ocean. It is a work so masterful and timeless that it won the Pulitzer Prize and helped its author win the Nobel Prize, “The Old Man and The Sea” did not reach such lofty heights by mere luck. In creating the epic struggle between a monstrous Marlin and an old Cuban fisherman, Ernest Hemingway crafted an intricate web replete with symbols and allusions to Cuban culture, a country that served as his home for some time and the place where the novel was written. In order to properly understand and appreciate the depth of this tale, one must comprehend these most prominent of symbols and how they relate to the culture of the characters in the story: Baseball and Joe DiMaggio, the lions, the skiff’s mast, the marlin, and the sharks.
The Old Man and the Sea is novella written by Ernest Hemingway in 1952. It tells the epic journey and struggles of the old fisherman, Santiago, and his younger fishing partner, Manolin. The story goes into detail the day to day life struggles that a fisherman off the coast of Africa endures. The majority of the story focuses on one particular trip out sea. In life, one will go through a number of stages in life. Infancy, Youth , Adulthood, and Old Age are all key stages. As one grows, they mature through these various stages. When one reaches old age, there is often a lot of doubt surrounding their lives. Serenity, and independence are often the two most questioned. These are some questions that Santiago has to ask himself as well.
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, pits his strength against forces he cannot control. We learn from Santiago's struggles how to face insurmountable odds with bravery and courage. Though we find an indifferent and hostile universe as Santiago's stage, his unwillingness to give in to these forces demonstrate a reverence for life's struggles. Santiago's struggle is for dignity and meaning in the face of insurmountable odds. His warrior-like spirit fights off the sharks full-well knowing the fate of his marlin. Santiago loses his marlin in the end, but his struggle to keep it represent a victory because of the dignity and heroism with which he carries out his mission. However, as Santiago acknowledges, he is almost sorry he caught the marlin because he knows the animal and he have a great deal in common as fellow beings in nature. However, he only caught the marlin "through trickery" (Hemingway 99). Santi...
For three long days, the boat is alternating pushes and towed by the huge fish in an almost dream-like state. Only the killing os the fish and the attacking of the sharks interrupt the monotony. The monotony becomes one of the pressures that the old man must endure in order to maintain his grace. However, because Santiago never gives in to the monotony or the depression, he becomes the hero in the story against innumerable odds. His tenacious determination leads him to a sense of hope amongst the monotony and depression.