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character development introduction
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1. Describe Santiago’s character in regard to the adversity he faces. What political or historical person could you compare him to? Explain.
Santiago faces many adversities in the novel but the main one that makes up the plot is Santiago being shunned as a fisherman in his village by all of the people because he can not catch one fish. A political person that compares to Santiago is Elizabeth Anne Seton. She fought for women’s right to vote and did not care what people called her and what men thought of her.
2. Draw three parallels between Santiago and the marlin. Choose one quality both share and discuss in detail the impact of this quality on the fate of both the man and the fish.
Three parallels between Santiago and the marlin are they are both decisive about what they want. Santiago refuses to stop fishing even though the people of the village are very discouraging, and the marlin will not stop fighting Santiago when he is trying to capture him. Another parallel is that Santiago and the marlin are both old and weak. The last is that there is a lack of faith. Santiago has not caught a fish a very long time and people think the marlin is a legend and it could never exist.
3. Explain why Hemingway would make the game of baseball and baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio, such important components of a novel about fishing.
Hemingway makes the game of baseball and the baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio such important components of the novel because DiMaggio had the attitude of a hero. Also, it was set that when DiMaggio lost his streak in baseball that Santiago set of to go fish and find the marlin.
4. What is the role of Manolin? Why would Hemingway choose to portray this character as a child rather than an adult?
The role of Manolin is one of a caretaker. He is always there for Santiago even though Santiago never asks for help. Hemingway chooses to show Manolin as a child to show how immature the people in the village are, and also to show that children of all ages can be just as respectful and responsible as adults.
5. List three conflicts presented in the novel. Which one do you think is the most significant? Why?
Three conflicts that are present in the novel are Santiago verses society, Santiago verses the fish and Santiago verses himself. The most important conflict though is Santiago verses society because with their lack of faith in him to fish, Santiago sets out for an adventure that tests his strength and confidence.
2) What is the main conflict in the book? Is it external or internal? How is this conflict resolved throughout the course of the book?
What makes a hero be a hero? A hero has to have certain characteristics, such as; bravery, wisdom, etc. No matter what characteristics are pointed out, every story has a hero, or an archetypal hero. From a short stories to really long novels, you will have some type of hero. In the novel The Alchemist, the main character Santiago is a hero. The book is about how everyone should live their dreams and never give up on them. It follows a young man named Santiago who is following his own dream, or his own “Personal Legend”. It follows him and his struggles to achieve said Personal Legend. Santiago is a hero because he is wise, kind, and brave; He is also a hero because he displays characteristics of an archetypal hero..
Ernest Hemingway believed in his “Code Hero”, and Santiago as the main character demonstrated that through bravery, grit and comradeship. Santiago went through a lot and yet, he didn’t lose his way. Santiago really is a “Code Hero” because he showed courage. Santiago perfectly demonstrated courage, when he was leaving the docks by himself. He didn’t bring Manolin along for the trip. He was showing courage, and not giving in to his fears of being alone. Santiago didn’t violate Manolin’s father’s wishes. Santiago did what was needed to do and he didn’t want to deep down but he had to and he did. He wasn’t a coward and think about himself.Santiago really is a “Code Hero” because of his endurance. Santiago didn’t give up when he was fighting the
Santiago’s psychological processes in Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea are exceptionally eloquent and cultivated and reach deep levels of pride and self respect that he refuses to abandon. For example, the old man advocates not catching the fish by claiming that the fish has not been in the correct position to be caught. Santiago is overwhelmingly prideful which can ultimately affect his means of survival. The old man’s sense of deep self preservation just about crosses the line between having too much pride and coming off to others as arrogance. The old man refuses to accept help from anyone but the boy that he had taught how to fish years before, which even then he is hesitant to accept help. The million dollar question to ask is why
The constant struggle makes Santiago realize that he is no longer as young as he thinks he is and
Conflicts: Name the five literary conflicts and give an example of each from the novel.
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,
... the character of Santiago. He is not as determined as Ahab when it comes to his own nature. He is able to accept that humility and love do not take away his pride and in fact they are life sustaining. Ahab cannot give up the only thing he knows, his passions. Knowledge does not come in the face of a world that remains as mysterious and evil when we leave it as it was when we entered it. For Santiago, there is some measure of relief from the indifferent universe through the interdependence of human beings. Ahab never finds this measure of relief. Yet, they both retain some measure of dignity because they know they cannot conquer the universe but they do not let it conquer them either.
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" (...
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.
The great stories behind The Old Man and the Sea are what make it so wonderful. Because of this novels success released in 1952, it helped Hemingway ring in the Nobel Prize for 1954 for Hemingway (Hurse). He had a way of writing a good hearted, high spirited hero, who seemed in many ways to be at one with nature and himself. It is believed that Hemingway conjured up the character Santiago from a 92 year old man who crossed to Florida with other Cuban refugees (Baker 910). This makes sense considering Santiago is the main character, who is of old age. His characters although having many great qualities, still had struggles. Santiago is the man of hour, when speaking of The Old Man and the Sea. H...
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.
Hemingway uses simplicity language to convey the strength of emotions in his novel. “The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him,” (10) Manolin is the devoted pupil of Santiago.Hehas learned the art of fishing from Santigo. He has been with him since the afe of five. The boy is fully attached to Santigo. He loves the old fisherman sincerely and selflessly. Not only the disciple-teacher relationship exists, but the sone-father relation between them. “There are many good fisherman and sam great ones. But there is only you.” (23) In this dialogue, it is shows how much the old man means to Manolin and proves he respects
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...