Old Man and The Sea

Crain did not simply retell a story, but by sharing the struggles with each character he sought to portray the theme of an inner struggle with nature by using the literary devices of personification of nature, symbolism of the boat, and iron... ... middle of paper ... ...held him in the sea that swirled him out and safely over the boat to water in which he could touch. The surviving men were thankful to have survived, but learned that they really had no control over their lives. One of the most important lessons the correspondent took from the experience was, “… that “in the ignorance of the grave-edge” every man is in the same boat, which is not much more substantial than the ten-foot open dinghy on a rough sea” (Buitenhuis, web). Having survived the experience the cook, the correspondent, and the captain each believed that they could be interpreters for the sea. Crane gave each man a voice in “The Open Boat” that is uniquely theirs, but at the same time shared a common bond and struggle with nature for survival.

By starting the story from the group’s perspective first and than transitioning into a singular, more detailed perspective, the narrator includes himself in the brotherhood. Allowing the reader to know their most intimate thoughts, he partakes of their fear and anxiety. He says, “no one said that it was so. No one mentioned it. But it dwelt in the boat, and each man felt it warm him” (205).

When he is out at sea his hands cramp, and it looks as if he has to give up the fish, but he decides to stick with it in a hope that he may strive through the area of difficulty. His hands finally free up and he continues on his mission, just glad that he did not give up. Sharks attack the marlin on his voyage back to his small town, he works his hardest to keep them away. Santiago finds unique ways to keep them away.

When the correspondent thinks that he is the only person awake on the boat, and he sees and hears the shark in the water, the narrator says, “Nevertheless, it is true that he did not want to be alone with the thing. He wished one of his companions to awaken by chance and keep him company with it” (Crane 212). In reference to this scene, Shulman remarks that “the central theme of community [is] touchingly rendered here because the correspondent does not awaken his exhausted companions” (451). Nobody makes any statements about the bond that the men develop, but it is evident in small things like this, where the correspondent lets the other men sleep

Other details Hemingway uses are to show Santiago's loneliness. He creates an image that the ocean is practically the old man's home.

This kills the crew’s optimism about the wind blowing ashore. The oiler and the correspondent continue to row switching off when the other is tired. (4) The captain then spots a lighthouse on the horizon, like a small dot. The captain decides to use his jacket and an oar to make a sail to let the men rest. No one spots the boat and they find it curious, assuming that no one must be looking out the window out to the sea.

And lastly, with hearing: "...He heard the trembling sound as the flying fish left the water"(Hemingway, 28). This use of different imagery helps create a description of the sea and all its power. The novel... ... middle of paper ... ...with Manolin because of his lack of luck, the boy says he will bring the luck. In the last sentence of the novella, "the old man was dreaming of lions, (Hemingway, 127)" which is a symbol of strength to show Santiago still has some fight in him. After this whole trial Santiago, remains the same unsuccessful fisherman but undefeated just like before.

They hover around the boat and when they finally fly away, the men feel relieved. In a critique of "The Open Boat", Donald Gibson explains that "as observers we know the sea is in fact not hostile, that the sea gulls are not actually gruesome and ominous. But the men in the boat have this to lea... ... middle of paper ... ...cult situation, such as a shipwreck, enables us to comprehend the world around us. Thus, a story such as this can only be written after the fact. At the beginning of the story, Crane tells us that the men did not even know the color of the sky.

I think Hemmingway used this to fill in the parts of the story where the old man is simply at a stalemate with the fish, when he is just sitting there being pulled around the ocean. The one thing I didn't understand about this one sided conversation was the constant reference to Joe DiMaggio. I don't know if this was simply a tribute to a great ball player, or some kind of historical reference that I just didn't get. The pace and general flow of the story was good. There were a few times during the struggle where the action all but disappeared, but on the whole there was almost always something happening.

He can’t do this forever. But four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea, towing the skiff, and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back” (Hemingway 45). It is quite evident from this thought that Santiago is tired and does not want to deal with this fish much longer, but despite this Santiago is still at it four hours later. In the Hemingway Code, under self-reliance, it states that one must be skilled in a particular area. In this quote, Santiago shows his skill when he doesn't give up knowing from all of his experience that he must finish the job.