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Dynamic Characters In The Old Man And The Sea And Jay Gatsby

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Every book has a character that the reader falls in love with. Whether that character is a minor character or a major one, most of them change. These dynamic characters are in every book, which includes Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea and Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Most characters experience their change after a major turning point or conflict. In both The Old Man and the Sea and The Great Gatsby, Santiago and Jay Gatsby go through an internal conflict, which proves them to be dynamic characters. In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago struggled whether he should lose his pride or raise his confidence. By Manolin on his boat, he would be down on himself for letting a young boy help a veteran fisher like himself. By not letting the boy on the boat, Santiago would feel more pride and confidence, given he catches a fish. Santiago’s confidence was at a low point when he and Manolin argued if Manolin would be allowed on the boat. “‘I could go with you again. We’ve made some money.’ The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him. ‘No,’ the old man said. ‘You’re with a lucky boat. Stay with them’” (Hemingway 1). Santiago isn’t too confident when he stops arguing with himself and tells Manolin to stay with the lucky boat. Once Santiago was out at sea, his perseverance helped raise his confidence, which then resulted in him feeling proud in his catch. Santiago told himself he would rest until he has the strength to pull this fish in. He had pain in his shoulder, hand, and legs, but did not give up. Santiago went a day and a half without sleep, to prove how much he wanted this fish. He told himself that he was capable of going without sleep, but it would be too dangerous. Santiago himself thought the fish had fallen asleep, but Santiago didn't want that. He wanted this fish dead (Hemingway 21). Santiago pushed through by himself, which raised his confidence, even if when he got back, the fish was skull and bones. This experience he went through helped him realize the decision he made to keep Manolin off his boat was worth it. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby struggles with himself over if he should pursue his dreams and win Daisy back, or let her go and give up on his dreams. While he

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