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The theme of love in a farewell to arms
The theme of love in a farewell to arms
Analysis of Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
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Throughout the novel, Santiago’s sentiments toward the marlin go through several considerable changes. At first, the marlin is the catch Santiago has been waiting for. However, as the story progresses Santiago appears to become endeared toward the fish, even going as far as calling him his “brother” (Hemingway 59). Later, once Santiago has killed the great marlin, he even seems remorseful.
At the beginning of the novel, Santiago is very enthusiastic about his catch. He had not been able to catch anything in more than 80 days and now he has caught “a great fish” that will surely sell well “in the market if the flesh is good.” (Hemingway 49). Although Santiago recognizes the marlin’s magnificence he makes it very clear that he will still kill
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He begins to speak to its carcass as if it were a dear friend who had passed, which to him, it might have been. The old man says that his actions were wrongful, for he only beat the marlin “through trickery” (Hemingway 99). A few pages after this statement, Santiago’s grief over the marlin’s death is bound to grow, for an hour after capturing the marlin, a mako shark catches on to its scent. Santiago manages to defeat the “cruel and able and strong and intelligent” (Hemingway 103) mako shark, but not before it bites off a chunk of the marlin’s admittedly delicious meat. This creates an even bigger issue because, thanks to the mako sharks attack, the marlin’s blood has now been released into the ocean and will no doubt attracted other …show more content…
The marlin’s blood has reached two ravenous shovel-nosed sharks who are more than insistent on getting a taste of the marlin. Santiago manages to kill these two as well, but in doing so loses his knife, which had been his only weapon. Once the shovel-nosed shark are gone, Santiago has a brief window of time during which he goes back to mourning the fish. Due to these attacks, Santiago now further laments the marlin’s death, for he believes, had the marlin been alive, he would of been able to easily defend himself against the savage sharks. The old man goes on to say that he no longer likes to “look at the fish” for he has been “mutilated” (Hemingway 103). He also mentions that, “When the fish had been hit it was as though he himself [Santiago] were hit.” (Hemingway 103). This tells us that Santiago deeply valued the fish, not only as a source of pride but as a companion as well. 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
Santiago is an old fisherman who lives in a small coast town in Cuba. At the time that Hemingway wrote the story, he was also an elderly gentlemen and was such an avid fisherman throughout his life, that books such as "Ernest Hemingway, The Angler As Artist” were written on the sole subject of how this obsession influenced Hemingway's writing. Furthermore, he fished off the coast of Cuba so much that he decided to "buy the 'Finca Vigia' in Cuba, a substantial estate located about fifteen miles from downtown Havana . . .” For entertainment Santiago would "read the baseball." Meanwhile Hemingway often "relied on baseball analogies” in his writing, suggesting that he also loved the game. These similarities between Santiago's lifestyle and Hemingway's cannot be ignored or passed off as coincidence because they are much too precise. Already, from these prominent identical traits it is evident that Hemingway modeled the character of Santiago after his own person.
...that the old man survived those long days at sea, and even caught the marlin successfully. Santiago’s credibility as a fisherman and survivor are restored. In this way, he is resurrected as a new, respectable man.
Having the option to leave it, he chooses not to take that path because he is staying challenged with the fish and doesn’t want to fail at it. Through exhaustion, dehydration, and phlegm, he gathers the courage to stay with this fish that has continued such a battle for so long. Hemingway’s usage of dialogue between Santiago and the fish highlights their will to keep fighting. “I wonder why he jumped, the old man thought. He jumped almost as though to show me how big he was I know now, anyway, he thought. I wish I could show him what sort of man I am”(pg 63) The fish is trying to intimidate Santiago almost conveying that he will not give up without saying a word. Santiago senses this and wishes he could show the fish how “big” he is. “‘Fish,” he said softly, aloud, “I’ll stay with you until I am dead.’” (pg. 51) Santiago is declaring that he will not give up, not directly to the fish but more so to himself, reassuring that he will not give up. Both Santiago and the fish are determined to win their great battle but only one of them can be the
Santiago resolves to sail out further than ever before in order to break this unfortunate streak of barrenness. He sets sail on the eighty-fifth day of his unlucky streak. He travels out into the the Gulf streams and lets down the lines and nets in high hopes and that he would bring in a massive fish. At noon of the day he set sail, he catches a marlin, however his brittle bones cannot pull the huge creature in. The fish starts pulling the boat in which Santiago inhabits. After a long grueling battle with the fish, the pair finally make it to shore. However, Santiago’s prize possession is as lifeless as a cold stone. Many disagree on whether or not this act is for Santiago’s pride or to prove his endurance despite his pitiful circumstances. Santiago proved his endurance by continuing to fish despite the lack of success, continuing to work despite the lost of his helper, and fights through many battles during his long
Hemingway lived an interesting life, which allowed him to take past life experiences and tell them through novels. He does this exclusively through subtle symbolism in works like The Old Man and the Sea. As with all his other works, Hemingway incorporates a past experience into The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway does this in the largest scene in the book by using birds, the sharks Santiago fights off, the marlin itself, and the other fish in the sea as symbols. In the book, Hemingway uses the birds to represent his friends and mentors, the sharks being the critics of his book, the marlin being The Old Man and the Sea, and the other fish representing Hemingway's other works. Hemingway uses symbolism when he writes, “‘You are killing me, fish,’ the old man thought. ‘But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills wh...
In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, the character Santiago is able to be condemned and justified for his actions toward Manolin, however Jay Gatsby of the novel The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald is only able to be condemned for his illegal practices. In Hemingway’s acclaimed novel, the protagonist Santiago battles against a giant marlin for several days. The two are locked in a grueling rivalry that tests their physical and mental strength. Santiago eventually won the fight, but his victory was short-lived; sharks began to eat away at the marlin. But the sharks were not the true cause of the marlin’s death, but instead, it was Santiago’s pride that truly brought the fish’s life to end. He turned down the request of the boy who was willing to help him.
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
(Hemingway, 67). His thought shows that he accepts the death of anyone. Through the struggle with the marlin, Santiago accepts that either he will die or the marlin will die; both of which would be honorable. I like the part when Santiago regrets killing the marlin. First, he wonders, “Perhaps it was a sin to kill the fish.”
In the novella it is said that, ? He rested sitting on the unstopped mast and sail and tried not to think but only to endure?, (Pg.37). Rather than leaving the job of fishing, he goes out and tried a lot by himself every single day. The novella is devoted to the old man?s struggle with the Marlin. Not only Santiago hooked the Marlin for three days with hunger, thirst and sweat in the middle of sun, but also he bears the pain when the thread cuts his right palm.
In Ernest Hemingway's work of abstract brightness, The Old Man and The Sea, Santiago gets himself set against a marvel of nature – a monster according to man. At first look rising above the undertaking of killing the marlin is the thing that makes Santiago a legend, however all things considered there is a great deal more than basically murdering the bald-faced fish that characterizes Santiago's actual part as a chivalrous image. Through overcoming his contentions against the ocean, its occupants, and even himself, Santiago demonstrates that “a man can be destroyed but not defeated,” and ultimately cements his place as a unique hero in literature (103). Hemingway's novella works on different levels. It can be perused as a clear
He must fight through the weakness and pain to reverse his luck and restore his reputation. Santiago is a once great fisher down on his luck. He knows that he bag a great fish to restore his reputation. Santiago fights because he believes in the old ways of fishing and jas true skill; he feels pressured by the younger fishermen who “used buoys as floats for their lines and had motorboats” (Hemingway) and wants to catch a fish to prove that the old ways are better than the new fangled contraptions. Santiago refuses to believe that the effects of aging would prevent him from catching any great fish; he “had seen many [fish] that weighed more than a thousand pounds and had caught two of that size in his life, but never alone” (Hemingway) and never as an old man.
In the story, Santiago’s bravery is unsurpassed, but it is not until he hooks the “great fish” that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago’s actions, Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless, a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his “luckiness” and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin, we also suspect that Santiago is a widower.
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...
The Old Man and the Sea focuses its plot mainly on Santiago’s struggle against the marlin. Existentialism makes its appearance when Santiago chooses to pursue the marlin, stay with it the entire way, and fight tooth and nail at the end. “My choice was to go there to find him beyond all people,” is how Santiago explains his actions to challenge the fish (Hemingway 50). He mentions how he was born to be a fisherman, and by chasing the marlin, he will give his life the meaning for existence. Santiago also insists on staying with the fish until one of them is dead, which exemplifies his will to fulfill his goals in life. He endures obstacles such as nausea, cramps, and sleep deprivation because he does not want to give up and surrender his fate. When it comes down to the final struggle, Santiago pits all of the pain, strength, and pride he has left against the fish in order to bring it down. Despair begins to creep in when Santiago finds it hard to pull in the marlin, but he overcomes it with every ounce of will he has. He knows that it is up to him to create this important moment in his li...
The relationship between animal and human in this text shows as a relationship of appreciation and respect. Santiago loves everything about being a fisherman. He is lonely at sea and his sea friends are his companions. He has great respect for the sea as well as the inhabitants that swim and live in it. He does not love all creatures of the deep, blue sea, however, does show respect for each one. Santiago has a particular relationship with the marlin. He comments that the marlin is “wonderful”, “strange”, “strong”, “wise”, and “that is fight has no panic to it” (Hemingway 48 -49). Based on his description of the marlin, Santiago loves and respects him as a worthy opponent and brother, “Now we are joined together and have been since noon” (Hemingway 50). Santiago is not only literally linked to the marlin, but also figuratively because the outcome of this battle will determine both their fates. The old man says, “The fish is my friend too,” he said aloud. “I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars” (Hemingway 75). He starts to imagine impossible feats like killing the moon or the sun and feels lucky that his task, in relative terms, is much simpler. Although he is sad to kill the fis...