Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow was an American philosopher who was born in the early 1990 's in Brooklyn, New York. He was one of the leading theorists that promoted humanistic psychology during his era. Maslow sought to understand what motivates and inspires individuals. He theorized that individuals possess and hold a group of motivation and incentive systems not related to plunder or insensible desires. Maslow declared that people are motivated and provoked to attain certain needs. When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfill the next one, and so on. The earliest version of Maslow 's hierarchy of needs includes five motivational needs, often viewed as hierarchical levels inside a pyramid. The five stage representation can be separated into basic needs and growth needs. The deficiency or basic needs are said to motivate and stimulate individuals when they are unmet and not fully attained. Also, the desire to fulfill and accomplish such wants and needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. Once these needs have been relatively satisfied, an individual may be capable of reaching the highest level of the pyramid called self-actualization. Maslow though that self actualization is a state that exists when an individual is acting in harmony with his or her full capabilities. In Cormac McCarthy 's novel, The Road, we will examine the character 's physical journey towards self-actualization on Maslow

Not once does Santiago give in to fear or hunger. He does not complain about his bad luck, he doesn’t complain about his hand, which temporarily cramps up, the fish who challenges his strength, or the sharks who destroy his catch. Instead, he does his best with the tools, and dilemmas presented to him. Every step of the way, Santiago honors the fish for its dignity, and tries to protect it against the sharks, which would soon destroy it. To Santiago, it doesn’t take any courage to strike the sharks with his harpoon, or his oar.

Although the young man is advised by his parents to not to engage with Santiago, he is aware of the knowledge and drive that Santiago possesses. Although the Old Man is unsuccessful, Manolin recognizes the tenacity of the experienced fisherman. Due to Manolin's respect of Santiago, he truly believes that the Old Man is deserving of a successful day at sea. Furthermore, Hemingway accentuates the importance of Santiago’s three-day fishing trip far in the sea and how his actions represent his devotion. His purpose for wanting to catch a fish is not only to achieve success, but to gain respect from his town, who sees him as an unfortunate individual, before it is too late. The author characterizes Santiago as someone who never gives up and keeps fighting until he reaches his goal. He never lets anyone discourage him throughout his life and he manages to keep his head held high. Even in his existence, the old man is proud of his accomplishments thus far. One day, Santiago faces risks by sailing "too far out." At such an old age, he has little time to make something of his life and complete a valuable milestone. Santiago says to himself, saying "Now is the time to think of

“He did not truly feel good because the pain from the cord across his back had almost passed pain and into dullness that he mistrusted.”(74) Once both the fish and Santiago had reached the breaking point of conflict the story seemed to slow down in time to exemplify the adverse conditions that both characters were suffering from. The old man proves himself worthy of personal suffering with the cuts and scars on his hands and back along with all of the pulling and slipping the cords had upon his fragile body. Hemmingway shows in a big way how an out of proportioned conflict with an old fisherman and an 18 foot long marlin helps to magnify the significance of Santiago searching for his rebirth to manhood. With constant abstraction describing the fish and the sea in relation to brotherhood create interesting questions for Santiago to ponder. His rationalization for his fishing is that he was born to do it. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (103) Hemmingway proves that this fish represents all of Santiago’s built up tension to total the size of a gigantic marlin that is perceived as devastating but not unconquerable. The old man’s hopes and aspirations can overcome the adversity of the marlin’s size, along with the conditions of the old, hungry, and exhausted fisherman. Through outright suffering Santiago achieves a goal above his previous manhood by combating pain and

Ernest Hemingway uses the characters in The Old Man and the Sea to demonstrate how perseverance is necessary for survival. After battling with the fish for several days, Santiago wishes the circumstances could be different: “‘Be patient, hand,’ he said. ‘I do this for you.’

His expertise in fishing proves that he has earned this trying experience with the Marlin. Santiago is not a man going against nature, but he is a part of nature himself, and accepts that every living thing will eventually die. The solitude, pain and brotherhood he holds for the sea and more specifically the Marlin, creates for a Christ-like comparison. Manolin, who looks up to the man, can be compared to a disciple of Christ. Through Manolin, Santiago’s wise knowledge of the sea will outlive him, and Manolin himself is willing to sacrifice his parent’s approval to be taught under

Despite his failures, he sets out in his boat after having caught no fish for eighty-four days. Nevertheless, Santiago never loses his confidence in his fishing abilities. Hemingway describes the humble Old Man with, “His hope and confidence had never gone.”(pg 13) Ernest Hemingway goes on to say, “He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.” (pg 13)

“But man is not made for defeat," he said. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated. (Hemingway 103).” This quote, written by Ernest Hemingway in the short story The Old Man and the Sea, captures the theme perseverance in numerous ways. This quote describes when the old man Santiago was struck down physically, with the injuries of his hands and the pain of staying awake for a number of days. However, he mentally kept pushing forward, leading to his ultimate survival and his arrival home. Ernest Hemingway wanted the readers of this story to learn about the rewards of perseverance because of the hardship Santiago and the marlin had to endure, rather than themes such as luck, pride, and suffering.

It is ambiguous whether the old man succeeds or fails. At first, it seems that if Santiago has failed. “He sailed lightly now and he had no thoughts nor any feelings of any kind” (Hemingway 119). It is almost like he has lost everything that he has worked for. The old man accepts defeat as is, without mourning or grief Fortunately, after all the damage has been taken, he keeps fishing. He built some sort of relationship with the marlin, but was later broken. He has since moved on.

The nobility of character of the old man prevents him from feel hate and rancor toward the other fishermen. Despite the taunts of the other fishermen, Santiago is quiet and admits having a bad streak of luck. This makes him an honorable man, which avoids any conflict and is able to recognize his flaws as a fisherman. Although the sea has given him several bitter drinks, he is able to keeping on loving it. “A man is honest when he acts honestly, he is humble when he acts humbly, he loves when he is loving or being loved.” (Waldmeir 165). Perhaps, the crowning act of humility in Santiago is when he is forced to recognize that by his own forces he will not be enough to grab the fish, and decides to carry out prayers to the Almighty. At the end of the hunting of the big animal, Santiago does not become conceited. His simple and humble soul thanks with a prayer for the outcome of his effort. Although the fighting has been severe and bloody, the old man was not self-styled "hero”. Santiago humbly considers himself as one fisherman more, and the categorization as a hero depends on the readers. “It is the knowledge that a simple man is capable of such decency, dignity, and even heroism, and that his struggle can be seen in heroic terms, that largely distinguishes this book.” (Young 131). The evident relation between his humility and dignity helps to place Santiago as a perfect

Over and over again he is remarked to be a strange old man, and he himself is the one to glorify that. He seems to struggle with the fact that he must prove himself to the other fisherman who mock him and believe him to be a fallen hero. He sets off to sea in his boat one day, but what he does not know that it will be the three most tiring days of his life. He first catches a smaller fish and instead of turning back, he decides to go farther out into the ocean to see what he can catch with that fish. He soon is dragged all over and back by a shiny purple marlin, that is two feet longer than his skiff. The response to Santiago’s poor decision or lack of creativity to harpoon the marlin instead of try to kill it another was as to not attract mako sharks was confusing. He is shown to be a man of intelligence and greatness, yet his decision to kill the marlin in this manner knowing what could happen proves that he had a distinct motive for harpooning the fish. By the words of Gery Brenner, “that motive is self validation-the need to prove himself”(Brenner 55). In the end, after the three day struggle, when Santiago returns to the dock, he is told by Manolin later that he was said to be lost at sea, and everyone was completely taken away by the length of the mangled carcass that he brought in. The take many get from Hemingway’s novel is

While santiago is in land he is a fragile old man and depends on the boy. “The boy took the old army blanket off the bed and spread it over the back of the chair of the old man’s shoulder”.When santiago is at sea he has no one to depend on and works really hard in order to accomplish his goal of catching the marlin. “He held the line tight in his right hand and then pushed

Disregarding the numerous themes found in this short novel, written by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago’s battle with his emotions versus nature is significant because this book mainly focuses on life’s personal defeats and triumphs. Santiago deliberately reconsiders his options of either freeing the marlin or capturing it and breaking his salao streak, the worst form of unlucky. He is torn as he declares to the marlin, “I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends”(54). His love and respect for the fish is masked underneath his duties as a fisherman, but his worries and sorrows for the marlin is further complicated as he battles between his love for nature and his duties. Another example of Santiago’s struggle between his profession and his emotions includes when he consoles to himself that, “The fish is my friend too,” he said aloud. “I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him”(75). Likewise, his love for the sea and nature obscures with his

His endurance represents his boundless patience and his ability to withstand hardships, while his perseverance shows his courage and determination. Subsequently, his knowledge reveals his potentiality and his experience in fishing. Hemingway presents Santiago as an example of a hero as he subdues his conflicts and trials with dignity and faith. Hemingway’s story about Santiago is a vivid example of how we shouldn’t let small or big restrictions dishearten us on our way to achieving our

One of the predominate dreams that Santiago has during the book takes place on the coast of Africa with lions playing around with each other. The book tells us this is the only dream he has and the dream connect Santiago with memories of his childhood. Like the lions, Santiago is a hunter at heart with him being a fisher. But since his dream depicts the lions playing instead of hunting, the dream serves as a break from the real world.In the Old Man of the Sea, one of the main themes in the book is modernism. One of the characteristics of modernism found in the book is when Santiago is stuck on the boat while he is fishing. It is only him and his thoughts and the readers get to read everything. Through his thoughts we are able to understand how he feels. Despite the the fish Santiago