The Old Man In The Sea(the Relationship Between The Old Man And The Bo

711 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What makes hemingways point of view effective in the old man and the sea

Under close inspection, people have had a hard time agreeing what to make of Santiago's adventure in The Old Man and the Sea. Is it just a good fish tale? One brave man, one big fish, sounds Biblical, but is it? Are we dealing with allegory, or parable, or fable? If so, what is the parallel narrative, or message, or moral? Different people have arrived at different answers, But I believe that Hemmingway is trying to show the relationship between Manolin and Santiago. How that to the world Manolin can only be one person yet to the world Manolin can mean everything.
The act of catching the fish is bound to the act of losing the fish—the red blood released by the mortal blow is the green light for the sharks. Whether he catches the fish or whether the fish snaps the line and escapes, the old man will not be able to bring the meat home. The fish is lost, either way. But the two scenarios are not equal. The man is welcomed back into the esteem of the fishermen, into Manolin's company on the fishing boat, into society, solely because he broke with society and went out "too far", out beyond all others. He gains only by losing. This old man will never again chase marlin for days on end. He won't have to, because for the rest of his days he will have Manolin with him not only physically but mentally because of the fact that he knows Manolin will stick with him no matter what. Even if the odds are against him, and the two of them will catch big, but not giant-sized, marlin with the relative ease known as teamwork.
One could also make a case that the old man has neither gained nor learned anything. He did not care when the other fishermen mocked him so why should he care if they praise him? He had Manolin's love before and he has it still, and the love and support of that one special person can mean so much to someone, and give them the confidence to go on. He had been a champion before, as an arm-wrestler, and knew he could be a champion again, as a fisherman even though in Manolin’s eyes he was always a champion. He was right, and has the skeleton to prove it. He had bad luck before he hooked the marlin, and he has bad luck after he kills the marlin.

Show More
Related

  • 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

  • Analysis Of The Boat By Alistair Macleod

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was through the wrath of the mother who ridiculed the father and her daughters for reading. But despite the father’s desire to attend university and his resentment of the sea, he abandons his dream and becomes a fisherman in order to satisfy his wife’s hate against education and her love for the sea. When the narrator realizes the motive that drives the father to become a fisherman he realizes “then there came into my heart a very great love for my father and I thought it was very much braver to spend a life doing what you really do not want rather than selfishly following forever your own dreams and inclinations” (pg 10). For the rest of the father’s life, if he is not out fishing, he retreats into his room and reads books all day. The boat that the father fishes from symbolises the will of the wife where the father has slaved throughout his life. Ultimately by conforming to the mother’s demands, the father dies during a tragic storm while he is out fishing. Hence, it eventually cost the father his life trying to satisfy his wife. The father was unable to achieve his goals and lived the rest of his life in misery. In this scenario, by following the dreams of his wife, it led the father a life of unhappiness, and eventually led to his death. Therefore, self-sacrifice does not always lead to happiness but also a life of

    Read More

  • Biblical Influence and Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea

    653 Words  | 2 Pages

    The characters in The Old Man and the Sea are in actuality, major figures in the New Testament.  Santiago is an old man, yet he had young eyes.  No matter how defeated he was, he would never show it and he would look on the brighter side of things.  In my mind, these traits make Santiago a god-like figure.  Manolin, which translates into Messiah, is Jesus (Stoltzfus qtd in CLC 13:280).  Santiago is the "father" who teaches his symbolic son and disciple, Manolin.  After catching the largest marlin, Manolin will leave his parents in order to follow the teachings of Santiago, his master, just as Jesus did (Stoltzfus qtd in CLC 13:280).  Pedrico is actually Saint Peter, Jesus' closest apostle and a great fisherman (Wilson 50).  Peter helped Jesus fish for souls as Pedrico helped Manolin fish for food.  Santiago gives Pedrico the head of the mutilated marlin which symbolizes Saint Peter as head of the Christian church and the first Pope (Stoltzfus CLC 280).

    Read More

  • Brief Summary Alchemist

    356 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Success in The Old Man and the Sea

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, the old man receives outer success by earning the respect and appreciation of the boy and the other fishermen. The boy is speaking to the old man in his shack after the old man’s long journey, “You must get well fast for there is much that I can learn and you can teach me everything” (Hemmingway 126). The boy appreciates the fact that the old man spends time to teach him about fishing. He respects him a great deal for he knows that the old man is very wise and is a magnificent fisherman. The fellow fishermen also show respect towards the old man as they note the size of the fish after the old man returns home, “What a fish it was, there has never been such a fish” (123). The men admire the fact that the old man has caught the biggest fish that they have seen. Many fishermen resented Santiago at first, however their opinion changed once they realized what the old man has gone through. Being admired by others plays a major role in improving one’s morale.

    Read More

  • Santiago Marlin Quotes

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    The marlin’s blood has reached two ravenous shovel-nosed sharks who are more than insistent on getting a taste of the marlin. Santiago manages to kill these two as well, but in doing so loses his knife, which had been his only weapon. Once the shovel-nosed shark are gone, Santiago has a brief window of time during which he goes back to mourning the fish. Due to these attacks, Santiago now further laments the marlin’s death, for he believes, had the marlin been alive, he would of been able to easily defend himself against the savage sharks. The old man goes on to say that he no longer likes to “look at the fish” for he has been “mutilated” (Hemingway 103). He also mentions that, “When the fish had been hit it was as though he himself [Santiago] were hit.” (Hemingway 103). This tells us that Santiago deeply valued the fish, not only as a source of pride but as a companion as well.

    Read More

  • The Old Man and the Sea

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    The fish withholds a great part in this book. The Old Man and the Sea is a book that’s about a small town where the residents revolve their lives around fishing. The fish is a symbol of beauty and it is a greatly admired creature to these people. An example from the book is on page 49. Santiago has been fishing for 84 days and decides not to return home without a fish on the 85th day. On the 85th day, alone in the boat, he manages to hook an enormous marlin, the biggest fish he's ever seen in all his life. The fish is larger and stronger than Santiago. Santiago's experienced fishing skills and his will to catch and survive push him to pursue the fish for many days and many miles out to sea.

    Read More

  • Themes in The Old Man and the Sea

    948 Words  | 2 Pages

    Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy, but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago’s feelings. He even offers to go against his parent’s wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore “unlucky”.

    Read More

  • The Old Man And The Sea: Man Defeated

    2041 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

    1637 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Old Man and the Sea is novella written by Ernest Hemingway in 1952. It tells the epic journey and struggles of the old fisherman, Santiago, and his younger fishing partner, Manolin. The story goes into detail the day to day life struggles that a fisherman off the coast of Africa endures. The majority of the story focuses on one particular trip out sea. In life, one will go through a number of stages in life. Infancy, Youth , Adulthood, and Old Age are all key stages. As one grows, they mature through these various stages. When one reaches old age, there is often a lot of doubt surrounding their lives. Serenity, and independence are often the two most questioned. These are some questions that Santiago has to ask himself as well.

    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

    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.

    Read More

  • Father Son Relationship In The Old Man And The Sea

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the opening of the novel, the entire town has turned against Santiago, because he is ”salao,” truly unlucky, Manolin still cares and believes in Santiago. Since he is the on;y boy who refers to the old man by name. This suggests that the by knows him in a way that few do. Manolin is an apprentice fisherman in a fishing

    Read More

  • The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Old Man and the Sea and Our Relationship with the Sea

    1477 Words  | 3 Pages

    The painting, Watson and the Shark and the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, are two examples of how human interaction is depicted with the sea. These two works have a similar theme and setting. They both describe life at sea off the coast of Havana, Cuba. They both portray relationships between humans and animals. The natural world portrayed in Watson and the Shark is a far better prediction of how humans view the world today than the novel, The Old Man and the Sea.

    Read More

More about The Old Man In The Sea(the Relationship Between The Old Man And The Bo

Open Document