The Old Man and The Sea
Old Man and The Sea, a great book by Ernest Hemingway, is about a fisherman’s struggle to save his career. This book is very different than any other book that I have read. It is different because this book doesn’t have multiple events that happen in the story. Santiago, an old fisherman, goes out fishing and hooks a giant marlin. The book explains his struggle to kill the fish and bring it back home. The book symbolizes the struggle of the author to write a great book.
Santiago is an old man that wasn’t having much luck fishing. One day he decides to go fishing and hooks a marlin. The man struggles to kill the marlin and in the process he is pulled very far out into the ocean. Santiago becomes attached to the marlin and calls it his "brother". Santiago gains strength by thinking about the things he loves and has interests in such as Manolin, a young fisherman, and the New York Yankees(baseball team). Santiago fights the marlin for three days and finally kills the fish. Santiago goes through many of obstacles to achieve his goal of catching a big fish but when he finally gets it, it’s taken away from him by sharks that eat the marlin.
The young man, Manolin is the old man’s best friend. Santiago, taught him how to fish. Manolin use to fish with Santiago but then Santiago ran into a streak of bad luck. Manolin started fishing on another boat. Manolin is very attached to Santiago. They get along very well. Manolin understands why Santiago had to go on the 3-day trial fishing to test his luck and admires him for it. Manolin is the person that takes care of Santiago.
The marlin is a very noble, big and beautiful fish. Whatever it symbolizes, to the reader it's something worth fighting for since Santiago risks his life battling sharks in his attempt to save the marlin. The marlin is Santiago’s last shot at luck. Santiago knew that this fishing trip would be the last spark of luck he would have for the rest of his life. Although he doesn’t get the whole marlin to shore, he did bring luck with him because he survived. The marlin is also a sign of the author’s quest to write one good book. Like the fisherman wants to catch a great fish before he dies, Hemingway wants to write a good story.
The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, a very old fisherman, and his quest to catch a fish after eighty four days of failing to catch any fish at all. When his young apprentice, Manolin, is forced to abandon him by his parents, Santiago sets out farther than he has ever traveled at sea in hopes that larger fish will be available for catching. Not only does he spend several days fighting with a great marlin that he manages to hook before finally killing him, he also battles with hungry sharks, as well as his own body, which, at times, seems to be failing him.
Santiago resolves to sail out further than ever before in order to break this unfortunate streak of barrenness. He sets sail on the eighty-fifth day of his unlucky streak. He travels out into the the Gulf streams and lets down the lines and nets in high hopes and that he would bring in a massive fish. At noon of the day he set sail, he catches a marlin, however his brittle bones cannot pull the huge creature in. The fish starts pulling the boat in which Santiago inhabits. After a long grueling battle with the fish, the pair finally make it to shore. However, Santiago’s prize possession is as lifeless as a cold stone. Many disagree on whether or not this act is for Santiago’s pride or to prove his endurance despite his pitiful circumstances. Santiago proved his endurance by continuing to fish despite the lack of success, continuing to work despite the lost of his helper, and fights through many battles during his long
So, Santiago went out into the sea with some fishing supplies such as a harpoon, knife, and a rope. That day, he caught a fish or two that he used as bait. That same day, something hooked on his line that he never saw before. It was enormous in size! It was not a shark nor whale, and it jumped out of the water really quickly. What was it? It was the great marlin! Santiago stated, "I will lash the two oars together across the stern and that will slow him in the night, he said, he's good for the night and so am I"( Hemingway 73). Santiago strained to keep this massive marlin, but tried his best to fight and keep the beast on his line. Santiago wanted to keep this marlin alive, yet he knew what he was up against. After the long and painful days of trying to keep the marlin alive, Santiago said, "I killed him in self defense, the old man aloud and I killed him well"(Hemingway 106). Santiago did not truly want to kill the marlin, he wanted to bring him back to his village. Unfortunately, the sea and sharks got the best of the marlin and ate it. Santiago had to fight the sharks off, so he had something left of the marlin to show the people. These actions taken by Santiago was a true struggle between himself and
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
Throughout the novel, Santiago’s sentiments toward the marlin go through several considerable changes. At first, the marlin is the catch Santiago has been waiting for. However, as the story progresses Santiago appears to become endeared toward the fish, even going as far as calling him his “brother” (Hemingway 59). Later, once Santiago has killed the great marlin, he even seems remorseful.
Santiago is the protagonist of the novella. He is an old fisherman in Cuba who, when we meet him at the beginning of the book, has not caught anything for eighty-four days. The novella follows Santiago's quest for the great catch that will save his career. Santiago endures a great struggle with a uncommonly large and noble marlin only to lose the fish to rapacious sharks on his way back to land. Despite this loss, Santiago ends the novel with his spirit undefeated. Some have said that Santiago represents Hemingway himself, searching for his next great book, an Everyman, heroic in the face of human tragedy, or the Oedipal male unconscious trying to slay his fat...
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.
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.
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" (...
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...
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
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.
The relationship between animal and human in this text shows as a relationship of appreciation and respect. Santiago loves everything about being a fisherman. He is lonely at sea and his sea friends are his companions. He has great respect for the sea as well as the inhabitants that swim and live in it. He does not love all creatures of the deep, blue sea, however, does show respect for each one. Santiago has a particular relationship with the marlin. He comments that the marlin is “wonderful”, “strange”, “strong”, “wise”, and “that is fight has no panic to it” (Hemingway 48 -49). Based on his description of the marlin, Santiago loves and respects him as a worthy opponent and brother, “Now we are joined together and have been since noon” (Hemingway 50). Santiago is not only literally linked to the marlin, but also figuratively because the outcome of this battle will determine both their fates. The old man says, “The fish is my friend too,” he said aloud. “I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars” (Hemingway 75). He starts to imagine impossible feats like killing the moon or the sun and feels lucky that his task, in relative terms, is much simpler. Although he is sad to kill the fis...