I read The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago. Set in the ocean off the coast of Cuba, the old man had struggled for what seemed like forever until one day he finds himself battling a giant marlin in the middle of the ocean. While alone, Santiago finds strength in the face of adversity and never gives up. After several days of the fierce battle, Santiago comes out triumphant. The novel recounts his hardships with nature as well as with himself. In addition, Santiago builds a strong relationship with a young boy who is forced to leave his boat because of Santiago’s deplorable luck.
Ernest Hemingway uses very straight-forward wording throughout the book. It is easy
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Manolin is a young boy who enjoys fishing and spending time with Santiago. Santiago acts as a perfect mentor for Manolin since Santiago has vast knowledge of fishing and of life in general. It is this mentor-mentee relationship that I personally can relate to. As a high school student, I do not possess nearly as much knowledge as my parents. I am always absorbing new knowledge when I am around them. In the book, Santiago acts as a fatherly figure in Manolin’s life. Moreover, Manolin looks up to Santiago in a similar way that I look up to my …show more content…
This theme is present throughout the entire book and is also frequently brought up. From the first page it is clear that Santiago’s life is reliant on faith. He goes fishing every day off the coast of Cuba, hoping he will catch a fish. Even though the old man has gone through extensive periods of time without any luck, he does not lose faith. Every day he has a renewed sense of faith and truly believes that the present day will be his day. The man uses his incredibly strong mental attitude to guide him through conflict. This is seen when the old man is facing the immense strength and endurance of the giant marlin. Santiago frequently reminds himself that he cannot give up and to keep fighting. His hope never
...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.
but not defeated.” (Hemingway 80) Santiago, an old, scarred fisherman, lives in a hut and fishes in a battered and torn skiff with a sail that was, “patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.” (Hemingway 3) His terrible circumstances and misfortune made him an object of mockery in the eyes of young fishermen and a man to pity for old fishermen, but Santiago knows that with skill, perseverance and commitment, he will prevail. “The lines went straight down... He kept them straighter than anyone did, so that at each level in the darkness of the stream there would be a bait waiting exactly where he wished it to be for any fish that swam there.” (Hemingway 21-22) Santiago was a skillful fisherman. While Santiago is fighting to lure ...
In the end, Santiago realizes that his heart really lied at Andalusia, his one true home. Santiago’s journey really outlined the idea of following your dreams, and to always persevere and never give up. It is important that you follow your heart and succeed, but at the same time, never forget where you
He is poor, skinny, lives in a hut, sleeps on newspapers, and does not have a fishing rod. He is struggling in life and he has no job. His only job is fishing and that is what he does to make money. He has not caught a fish in 84 days. "You are killing me fish", the old man thought, "but you have the right to" (Hemingway 92). The old man was very happy. He dreamed about lions running on beaches so he was never upset or sad. This quotes meaning is showing how Santiago is struggling with himself and his life, in general. Santiago struggled within himself about his lifestyle and his lack of money. Another quote that shows man vs self is: "Nothing, he said. I went out too far" (Hemingway 120). Santiago second guessed himself on his journey in the sea. He should have stayed closer to the land and not venture out so far. He struggled with choice in going further into the sea, and he lost
The relationship between the young boy and Santiago continuously model a master-disciple relationship, founded in Manolin’s faith and admiration of the old man. This connection is founded in the great record of three weeks of successful fishing, symbolic of the three years of Jesus’ successful and admired ministry (Wilson
To start, one of the most important lessons Santiago learned was from his father which was to learn and make his own decisions. When Santiago was supported by his father to be a shepherd even though his parents wanted him to be a priest the narrator points out,
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. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself.
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. Defeat, according to the Larousse Chambers English Dictionary, is when you are overthrown in a battle, you lose a game and therefore you don’t win: you don’t gain or reach your goal. As we can see Santiago, in spite of the fact that he persevered and struggled, starving, for three days lost the battle.
The constant struggle makes Santiago realize that he is no longer as young as he thinks he is and
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 is a novella about an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago, and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin fish. Throughout the novella, Santiago is portrayed in different perspectives. He is tough and refuses to give up at any time. He withholds the will to continue and the courage to overcome what is believed to be the impossible. His persistence and confidence, his absolute determination and his unique way of accepting the reality makes him a noble hero.
Santiago can be compared to a Christ figure on the basis of his relationships with other characters in the novel. People look up to Santiago, as would a follower to Christ, hereby setting up a comparison between the two. (transition) Since the age of five, Manolin has aided the old man by working alongside him as an apprentice. Manolin is loyal to Santiago and looks up to him as if Santiago was his real father. According to Delbert Wylder, "Santiago has, in a sense been the boy’s spiritual father" ( 219). Manolin is in awe of the old man, who the town recognizes as an honorable fisherman. The boy states, "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you." Like Santiago, Christ was also a spiritual father to his town; the town of Bethlehem. He performed miracles to heal the sick, and fed thousands of starving people. As Jim Auer says, "This demonstrates Santiago’s relation to Christ. They are both extremely unique, and were father figures in their communities" (15). ?The people of Bethlehem looked up to Christ as a father figure, and they had love and admiration towards him.? Likewise, "The love of Manolin for Santiago is that of a discipline for a master in the arts of fishing, it is also the love of a son for an adopted father" (Wagner-Martin 307). Through Manolin’s caring of the old man, he shows his love for Santiago. Even though Santiago is not Manolin’s biological father, he cares for him as though he was. "The old man was asleep in the chair and the sun was down. The boy took the old army blanket off the bed and spread it over the back of the chair and over the old man’s shoulders… and when he woke up he fed him supper" (...
Hemingway has a way of making his readers believe that the feats and strengths that his characters obtain in his novels are actually possible. Although this statement may be too critical, and maybe there is a man out there, somewhere on the coast of Cuba who at this very moment is setting out to the open sea to catch a marlin of his own. The struggle many readers have is believing the story of Santiago’s physical powers and his strength against temptation bring forward the question of whether or not The Old Man and the Sea is worthy to be called a classic. Hemingway’s Santiago brought Faulkner and millions of other readers on their knees, while to some, believed Hemingway had swung his third strike. As we look further into Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, we can analyze the criticism and complications of the character Santiago. He is portrayed as a faulty Jesus, an unrealistic and inhuman man, and again still a hero to those who cannot find happiness in their life.
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.
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 life, filled with passion and purpose .... ... middle of paper ...