In the book, The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway tells a story of an old fisherman. The old man, named Santiago, had gone for eighty-four days without catching a fish. Santiago feels that the following day would be a good day because eighty-five is his lucky number. The following day he gets up before dawn and sets out for a day of fishing. He had set one bait at forty fathoms, the second at seventy-five fathoms, and the third and forth were at one hundred and one hundred and twenty-five fathoms. While Santiago is fishing he sees a bird trying to get a flying fish that was being chased by tuna. The old man tries to put his boat over the school of tuna in hope of getting a catch. Suddenly something hooked itself on the bait that was …show more content…
The old man had caught a huge marlin that was now pulling him out to sea. The fish continued to pull the old man out to sea for about 3 days. The old man survived by putting one of his other lines out so that he could catch fish and eat them in order to keep his strength. On the third day he finally caught the fish. He had pulled the fish in slowly and then threw his harpoon at the fish's heart killing it instantly. The old man tied the fish to the side of his skiff and began to sail home. As he was sailing a shark took a large bite out of the fish he had caught. The old man harpooned the shark in his brain, and as the shark rolled off of the fish it took the old man's harpoon with it. The old man knew that there would be other sharks that would follow the scent of the fish's blood. He tied his knife to the butt of one of his oars. Two more sharks came and the old man killed them both. The second shark broke the blade as it rolled off the fish. Desperate, the old man waited for the other sharks. All he had left was a club, and he was going to use it. More sharks came, but this time in a …show more content…
In the end the sharks had eaten the fish down to the bone leaving the old man nothing. The old man noticed that his skiff sailed faster without the huge fish tied on to the side of his boat. When the old man got home he took all his belongings up to his shack where he rested. The old man dreamed about lions, and he was happy. The first, and main character in the book The Old Man and the Sea is in fact the old man, Santiago. The old man, Santiago, is a tough, persevering man with fishing in his blood. Santiago just wants to fish because that is what he lives to do. The old man constantly asks himself, "What would the great DiMaggio do in a situation like this?" This leads us to say that Santiago looks up to this base ball player whom he addresses as "The Great DiMaggio" constantly. I like the old man because he was a strong old man, and he was confident too. Even through the toughest tasks Santiago perseveres. The old man improvises and never gives up, just like when his fish was attacked by sharks. "But there was nothing to be done now. 'Yes there is,' he said aloud. 'I can lash my knife to the butt of one of the oars." Even in his darkest hours he kept on striving to protect his
The quote, “Nothing happened. The fish just moved away slowly and the old man could not raise him an inch. His line was strong and made for heavy fish and he held it against his back until it was so taut that beads of water were jumping from it. Then it began to make a slow hissing sound in the water and he still held it, bracing himself against the thwart and leaning back against the pull. The boat began to move slowly off toward the north-west.”(44) creates in depth meaning into how the old man is strong because the fish possesses a determination equal in magnitude to Santiago’s. Santiago has a large amount of endurance, and is using it in the midst of following the fish. Another example of Santiago’s endurance throughout the novel is his strength with the physical pain he feels. For example, the old man has a lot of back pain while following the fish, and catching it, especially. “...”( ).........The old man also experiences physical pain when his hand is cramping and when it gets cut. The author states, “The old man would have liked to keep his hand in the salt water longer but he was afraid of another sudden lurch by the fish and he stood up and braced himself and
This is exemplified through Santiago’s determination to catch the marlin. Before Santiago begins his journey, he is filled with optimism due to the “erosions in [his] fishless desert” (Hemingway 10). He takes all the suffering and loss that he has experienced and turns it into determination. He no longer wants to be the ‘runt of the litter’. The other fishermen come in on their boats with numerous fancy catches and Santiago no longer wants to be the one who comes in with nothing. Thus, when Santiago catches the marlin he is optimistic, but the marlin is not happy to be caught. He is stubborn and makes Santiago work for his goal. After five days the marlin is finally brought into the boat, but “it was an hour before the first shark” (Hemingway 100). The sharks are meant to take away the marlin that Santiago has worked so hard for. Their harshness towards Santiago “work[s] powerfully and elegantly to represent life as it is” (Walsh). They want Santiago to realize that life does not work out perfectly, and doesn’t always go as planned. Consequently, Hemingway is urging everyone to be appreciative of these signs such as supernatural occurrences. When he was younger, Hemingway wanted to work on a farm and to not have to be able to rely on anything. He had no desire “to be a millionaire or a rich man” (Ernest Hemingway: A Storyteller’s Legacy). Hemingway does not like rich
In Hemingway’s The old man and the sea, Santiago was a “code hero” who exemplified the admirable quality of perseverance through his actions. Santiago was an example of perseverance when he fights the marlin for three days. Santiago went out to the sea as far as he could to catch a big fish. On his first day, he adjusts the line on his fishing pole so everything is perfect. Then, he sees a dolphin and a bird compete for food. Next, Santiago feels something pulling on the line, and he knows it is a big fish. The fish starts to pull the boat against the current. Santiago wishes the boy was with him to help him and so he can teach him how to catch a fish. On the first night, the marlin pulls the boat very far and Santiago can’t see land
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.]
He is forced to face reality when he realizes how hard it will be to catch the biggest fish ever to get caught on his line. Santiago believed that complaining will not make things better worse. Even though this was the “tiredest that I have ever been” (89) he seldom complained or showed weakness. He endured pain that people should never have to face and showed courage when things are difficult. Self-pity did not exist in his world because he knew that although he could do some things I can do,”There are plenty of things I can do” (45). Unlike others Santiago was not blessed with a “lucky boat or having enough to eat but he did not complain or make trouble for others. The old man created meaning in his life through fishing, when the fish is mauled by the sharks after its
Santiago, a strange old man, has gone 84 days without catching a fish and wants to catch one last big fish. People in his village have began to view him as Salao, or unlucky, and his best friend, a young boy named Manolin, has even began to stop fishing with him because his parents say he won't catch a fish with him. Santiago wants to break this long streak so he goes fishing very far out in his skiff and sees a large man of war bird and goes to it because he knows that it is catching fish and wants to go see what its getting. He then catches a Tuna. Then he continues to go out and hooks a huge fish. He then gets ready to pull it in and it does not budge, this is when he realizes he in for a long journey. The fish, or the Marlin, begin to
Who set out to sea for eighty four consecutive days and has returned empty handed. On the eighty fifth day he sets out further than he usually does belong the shallow coastal waters around the island and into the gulf stream. Once there he drops his line about one hundred fathoms down where the old man hooks the monster fish at noon, being the seasoned fisherman he is he knew that it was a marlin. Afraid to tie the line to the boat because he didn 't want it to break he beard the pain of the line with is back, shoulders, and hands. The fish pulled the boat for two days and two nights; the entire time Santiago is enduring the pain of the fishing line. On the third day the marlin tires and finally gives Santiago a shot with the harpoon and he gets it! Santiago was ecstatic that he got the fish in and couldn 't wait for the money he would make for the fish, but he was worried that the people who eat it will not be appreciative of the beauty, power and magnificence of the fish. As he sails towards home the dead marlin, he has worked so hard to catch, leaves a blood trail so distinct and thick that it attracts many sharks. The first shark that attacked the fish was a huge mako shark. Santiago managed to kill it with a harpoon but lost a needed amount of rope and a harpoon. Now he has very little way to defend the marlin from other sharks.
After failing to catch any good fish for 84 days and being shunned by his fellow fishermen because of it, Santiago thinks that he’s made his lucky break when he hooks a gigantic marlin, but little did he know just how much pain him and that one marlin would bring to each other. During the three days that this fish dragged Santiago across the sea, they both had no company or support whatsoever which only made this whole experience more dreadful for both of them. In the end of this relentless battle, the old man had at last vanquished the great marlin, but only to end up having sharks come and take all that he had worked for, leaving all Santiago’s effort and the death of the marlin both in
Obtaining a goal can bring success to one’s outer “world” and to one’s inner spirit, the mind and soul. An achievement may bring recognition and respect from surrounding peers. It can also encourage one’s self esteem as well as give them more courage. In Ernest Hemmingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago receives outer, material formed success by earning the respect of his fellow peers and by attaining more physical strength. He also receives inner, spiritual formed success by gaining more self esteem.
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...
Reading through the novel The Old Man and the Sea one, as a reader, can perceive several themes in the book. Hemingway suggests certain subjects for discussion which built up the whole plot, therefore giving us options to choose the one we believe is the main one. In the past weeks we have been discussing, in a debate, which is that main theme. My group’s theme was “Man Defeated” and although it is hard to affirm that this theme was the prevailing one of the book, we firmly defend it. Various arguments were established. Some argued that the novel’s theme was Santiago’s struggle, the friendship with the fish and other characters; Santiago’s perseverance and that he really ended up as a triumphant man. But to argue that those were also the main themes of the book is also a difficult thing to do. Even though Santiago fought and kept on with his struggle to catch the fish, he was defeated because he lost it at the end.
After reading this novel, "The Old Man and the Sea," by Ernest Hemingway, I was confused about something the old man kept repeating. During the course of the book, the old man, Santiago, refers to having gone out to far to catch the fish. To me, this sounds as though he is making excuses for himself as to why he could not bring the fish in. On the other hand, he may have realized that he should not have gone out so far because it was not worth it for everything he puts himself and the fish through. I reread over these parts and came to a conclusion about this problem. We know that Santiago sets out on the eighty-fifth day earlier than normal to get a head start on what he believes to be the day he will catch something. He does catch something and it just happens to be the biggest fish he has ever seen in his life. He does everything he can to hook the fish and once hooked; the fish carries him out to sea, moving further and further away from land. The man knows he is not prepared for what is to come but does not let this discourage him and keeps on trying. This tells me that Santiago is courageously devoted to his life of fishing After three days at sea, managing the marlin, and more importantly hunger, he brings the fish in and attaches it to the side of his boat. When the first of the sharks come, he does everything in order to defend himself, but as unprepared as he was, his actions are almost useless. This is when he first says to himself and the marlin beside him, "I shouldn't have gone out so far, fish. Neither for you nor me. I'm sorry fish" (110). The old man had considered the fish his friend and also a brother the entire time he had been trying to kill it. To me, this asse...
Life is a dramatic subject that many writers choose as a topic. Life is not only an ocean of melancholy but also offers real joy. Earnest Hemingway successfully won a Nobel Prize on this theme by writing The Old Man and the Sea. The old man, Santiago, was the main character of the story. During his lonely journey out at sea, he learned that life offered him an undeniable joy, plus frustration. Honor, heroism, and struggle were obstacles Santiago encountered which provided him courage and faith.
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.
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...