Santiago's Wisdom

683 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism in the old man and the sea

“What I will do if he decides to go down, I don’t know. What I’ll do if he sounds and dies I don’t know. But I’ll do something. There are plenty of things I can do,”(Hemmingway;78). In the novel, Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway, an elderly man by the name of Santiago is a fisherman who fails to catch a fish for 84 days, until he is rescued by his luck. There, on an odyssey that takes him far out into the sea, he encounters an ordeal of an agonizing battle with a giant marlin he catches in the face of triumph and defeat. The lack of his success does not demolish his strong spirit, it only strengths it. Through the wisdom and limits of his old age, his intelligence of the sea, his livelihood of spirit, and the suffering pain rescued …show more content…

Santiagodisplays this quality by his intelligence of the sea with his ability to identify even the smallest traits of the fish by the many years of his fishing. In addition, the author narrates,“He felt no strain nor weight and he held the line lightly. Then it came again. This time it was a tentative pull, not solid nor heavy, and he knew exactly what it was,” (Page 41). Judging from the tentative pull of one of his lines, he predicts that the fish must be a huge one, especially after his failing attempt to pull it in, but the fish does not budge. From the strength of the hook when he pulls it, Santiagocan immediately estimate the approximate size of the fish through the wisdom by the countless years he has been …show more content…

He faces the harsh pain from the cramp on his left hand that leaves Santiago in a continuous plea for the recovery. Santiago says, “It must uncramp. It is unworthy of it to be cramped,” and Hemmingway later narrates, “He was comfortable but suffering, although he did not admit the suffering at all,” (Page 64). Santiago becomes frustrated with the weakness of his body despite the fact he is a physically strong old man, but is even stronger mentally. When his body feels the pain and is on the verge of giving up, his mind keeps him from surrendering. Nonetheless, Santiago exceeded his limits of suffering by motivating himself with confidence from his

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between The Old Man And The Great Gatsby

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Santiago Dialectical Journal

    394 Words  | 1 Pages

    of weakness. The fearless fish circled the boat for hours. It was then that Santiago saw the size of

    Read More

  • Santiago Static Character

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    To summarize, Santiago has been placed in many strenuous trials, and throughout all of them, Hemingway has created him to become static in the outcome. In life, many people have different struggles other than reeling in a ginormous marlin. Hemingway has found a way to create a character that cannot only help people overcome their challenges, but he made him so genuine, that he does not to experience a change in his life. Santiago has stuck to his beliefs and instincts to help him overcome his multiple challenges, and due to the nonexistent change he has proven to many other that anything can be

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Santiago And The Marlin

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Success in The Old Man and the Sea

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Secondly, Santiago experiences material success because of the augmented physical strength he attains from the obstacles that he is forced to face. The old man is walking home to his shack after he returns from his strenuous journey, “He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack” (121). The old man is exhausted from his trip because he had spent so much energy catching the fish. Plenty of strength must have been gained from the exertion of this much energy. During the shark attacks, Santiago is optimistic about what good the bleeding from his hands will bring. “The bleeding may keep the left from cramping” (111). The old man is so strong that he uses the bleeding pain to suffocate a different source of pain. Not only that, but just the fact of keeping a positive attitude about a situation like this is a great accomplishment which can only be obtained from strength.

    Read More

  • Who Is Santiago A Hero

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Santiago’s fellow fishermen also have a newfound sense of respect for the old man. Once they see the size of the skeleton they are in shock as they admit that “There has never been such a fish…” (123). The fishermen, knowing the amount of work it takes to catch a fish half of that size, are even more amazed at the fact Santiago is able to hook and kill the beast. Although Santiago did not bring the marlin back the way he hoped, his hard work and desire were able to earn him respect from those he cared

    Read More

  • Who Is Santiago A Hero

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Santiago dreaming about being in Africa and seeing lions on the beach represent inspiration, as this is one of Santiago’s happiest memories. He dreams about this vacation constantly at night as he considers it a wonderful memory and as something that inspires him. Santiago also gets inspiration from his idol, Yankees baseball player Joe DiMaggio, who played extremely well in his career even though he had a bone spur in his heel. Santiago relates to DiMaggio as he sees his own struggles as a poor and aging man similar to DiMaggio’s foot injury. Santiago states, “But I must have confidence and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel” (Hemingway 68).

    Read More

  • Ernest Hemingway: Passage Analysis

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    This event foreshadows what is to come. Santiago spends 24 hours full of suffering and pain trying to catch the Marlin. The quote “He took all his pain and what was left of his strength and his long gone pride”(Hemingway,p103), is almost an exact replica of the quote about the wrestling match. His hands were cut and cramped, yet he pushed through the pain both times in order to reach his

    Read More

  • Santiago's Defeat

    592 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book “The Old Man and the Sea” written by Hemingway in 1951, Santiago says “A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (Pg.93). It had to do with the persistence of the man in achieving what he wanted to do despite him facing all misfortune, taunts and hardships in life. In order to turn defeat into victory and to overcome life’s problems with dignity, decency and pride, one should have powerful human spirits. A man can be killed, but as long as he does not quit, he cannot be defeated. We are placed into the critical situations in life where people were more inclined to give up than pursue but if we tend to have self-determination, pride, perseverance and dignity like the old man, Santiago, and then we are never defeated.

    Read More

  • Themes in The Old Man and the Sea

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although Santiago has had many troubles, he perseveres.

    Read More

  • The Old Man And The Sea and Moby Dick

    1367 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Santiago in "The Old Man and the Sea"

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    His persistence and confidence was clearly demonstrated at the beginning of the novella. At the beginning of the novella, Santiago seems to run out of luck: he has been unable to catch a fish for eighty four days. As a professional fisherman, eight four days without catching a single fish would be shameful, especially for an old man. However, he never once ga...

    Read More

  • The Character Santiago in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea

    1899 Words  | 4 Pages

    ... minds of many with the great strength and patience: the passion that Santiago has for life, for nature, and for the harsh judgement of fellow fisherman.

    Read More

  • Father Son Relationship In The Old Man And The Sea

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

More about Santiago's Wisdom

Open Document