Santiago And The Marlin

Hemingway’s character Santiago from The Old Man and the Sea is an example of a transcendentalist that takes Thoreau’s ideologies about nature and transcendentalism to heart. Santiago is an old man who’s life revolves around going out to fish on the open sea every day. The character that Hemingway created

Sometimes people have to do sacrifices, which appears in the rising action of the book. “‘Fish,’ he said, ‘I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before the day ends’” (Hemingway 54). Why did he have to kill it? Why couldn’t he hold on a little longer? Santiago sacrifices the fish for his self interest. In spite of the fact that he respects the fish, the old man’s determination reflects his belief that his purpose in life is to be a fisherman, and that comes first. As well, Santiago advises himself that he doesn't have Manolin, his beloved companion, with him and must battle against the fish by himself. It has been four struggling days of being pulled by the huge marlin, Santiago decided that that was enough. Even though

A Wall of Stone The Old Man and the Sea elucidates the story of an old fisherman who has not caught a fish for eighty-four days. He no longer has his fishing partner (Manolin) with him, due to his unluckiness. On the eighty-fifth day, this man Santiago embarks on what will become a three-day trial that takes everything he has, and it is an ordeal he must face alone. Straightaway, he hooks an enormous marlin that he cannot pull out of the water. He and expects the fish will tire soon, but as time creeps on, Santiago’s own strength is tested. During this time he never holds any malice towards the marlin, and sees it as somewhat of an arm wrestle between him and the fish. That is to say, he will not give up, but sees the fish as an equal and

Disregarding the numerous themes found in this short novel, Santiago’s ethical battles against 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 profession. Another example of Santiago’s struggle between his job 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

Throughout The Old Man and the Sea , Santiago’s connection with nature is a favorable one . He considers his “principal friends” to be flying fish , refers to the marlin as brother , and is sympathetic towards the treatment of the turtles due to his feelings that they have similar hearts . However , this relationship does not stay consistently pleasant . His marlin is demolished by shovel-nosed sharks , who symbolize the aggressive side of nature . They counter the marlin , who Santiago felt was a worthy opponent , and are able to destroy his success . Yet they do provide a challenge that he again faces with resolution . Without the sharks , Santiago’s determined mindset of reaching his goal , even if it results in death , would not be reinforced .

The text leading up to the old man hooking the Marlin shows how much Santiago loves to fish. It is obvious that he is very skilled and that he takes it seriously. Santiago’s lines are always straight and he notices small things like the way a bird circles. He also takes the weather and sun’s position into account. These details show how significant fishing is to Santiago and how fishing is truly his profession. He is obviously a skilled fisherman and his bad luck seems very unjust. This also makes you understand Manolin’s respect for him and makes the old man seem more like a hero and less pity for him. Seeing fishing as a profession is different and intriguing for me, because I normally think of it as a recreational activity. The way it is

Santiago explains his determination to catch the marlin, thinking to himself, “But I will try it once more...I’ll try it again, the old man promised, although his hands were mushy now and he could only see well in flashes. He tried it again and it was the same...I will try it once again.”(93). Santiago continues to tell himself that it will be his last time trying to catch the marlin, yet he continues working time and time again. Clearly, the marlin is more than just a fish to Santiago. For him, it is a reflection of his hard work, the beauty of nature, and the important relationship that they

The shark attempts to hurt Santiago through Perseverance is a recurring trait in Santiago’s character and some of his prestige derives from his role model, Joe DiMaggio. According to the fisherman, “DiMaggio does all things perfectly even with the bone spur in his heel.” This helps the man realize that whatever troubles lurk within the depths of the dark sea, it is possible to triumph in the end. Santiago proves himself king of the sea when he constantly refers to himself as a “lion on the beaches of Africa.” If nothing else, he has pride; especially when his fellow fishermen ridicule him and he “is not angry.” The man’s strength is too prevalent to let these people tear down his dignity. The shark is similar to the fishermen in that he desires to break the man’s perseverance. Nevertheless, the courageous Santiago exudes his powerful might against his foe, the shark and kills it with “resolution and complete

Just by the way the marlin was introduced to the reader, it was clear that it was a force to be reckoned with. That and the several day battle between the two lead Santiago to respect the fish. In contrast to the sharks that leech off of the marlin’s carcass, the marlin was a true competitor; It put up a fight, which Santiago admired. In thought, he revealed “I wish I could feed the fish. He is my brother” (16). The term “brother” implies a degree of camaraderie and respect. The old man’s pursuit of the marlin was over the course of 3 days, but symbolized a struggle or goal—a light at the end of the tunnel. This was amplified by the fact that Santiago had been without a catch for over eighty-five days. It’s in my opinion that everyone has a marlin. For me and probably most, the marlin is their education. It’s a distant goal that is achieved with many failures that are made into successes. Also, an education isn’t something that can be easily dismissed and still achieved. Just like the marlin, it requires attentiveness and finesse. For these reasons, my marlin is my

The Old Man and the Sea is a novella written by Ernest Hemingway. It details the journey of an old fisherman who sails out to sea one day in an attempt to redeem himself after his 83 days of not catching any fish. His assistant, Manolin, has been forced to work for another fisherman that is more successful. Santiago, the fisherman, decides he’s going to try to finally catch a fish. He sails out too far and ends up in the Gulf Stream. This is where he engages in a 3-day long battle between himself and an 18-foot marlin. Santiago and the marlin are two of the most important characters in the book. At first glance, they seem completely different, but further reading reveals that the two are more alike than one would think. Santiago and the marlin

The story takes place in Cuba, were an old fisherman named Santiago has gone fishing for eighty four days and has come empty handed every time. He had an assistant, a young boy named Manolin. He taught him everything about fishing and was also very loyal to him, however due to the fact that he hasn’t caught any fish within eighty four days his parents forced him to join another boat because they thought the old man was unlucky. On the eighty fifth day he decided he would wake up early and set out farther out to the sea than usual,he set his lines, and by noon a marlin took the bait. Unable to pull in the fish he held on to the line determined to get it, this would go on for two days and two night.

The fish begins pulling him out to sea, and the old man has to figure out how to keep the line taut. Santiago eventually finds a way grip with his hands and brace his back against the mast to hold the line. This, however, resulted to his back becoming incredibly sore. His hands began to get cramped and when the fish would pull on the line, his right hand got sliced. Finally, after 2 days of fighting, the old man speared the fish as it jumped in the air. Another problem in itself was figuring out how to bring the fish in. As the fish was bigger than the skiff, the old man tied the fish to the side of the boat. The blood was oozing from the spear cut, calling the sharks for free food. The old man did a good job of fighting them off, but not before they bit off a chunk of the fish, making it bleed even more. More sharks came throughout the night, and the old man was too tired to fight them off. He lost everything but the head. While the old man lost his fish, he gained self-knowledge. The real reason for this trip was to prove himself. Santiago wanted to prove, to others and himself, that while he was an old man, he could still fight like the great Joe DiMaggio would have

Throughout the novel we come to know and love Santiago. An old fisherman that has to overcome many difficulties in his life. He portrays many different characteristics on and off sea. Santiago has to prove to himself and Manolin that he is worthy enough to do what he is lives for, fishing. The old man portrays pride and humility many times throughout the novel The Old Man in The Sea. Santiago shows pride in his work and his catching of the marlin but he also shows humility in times of trouble.

Hemingway presents himself in the marlin, making the fish a symbolic figure. The marlin is one of the most important characters in the story as he brings out the best in Santiago. The fish is encouraging the old man to prove the fisherman wrong who called him unlucky. The old man's ability to catch the marlin would take all his courage and strength. Hemingway’s struggle for survival and giving it your all

In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway utilizes symbolism to show, when one is determined and remains committed, they will be successful. Manolin is a very important figure in Santiago’s life, “The old man looked at him with his sun burned, confident, loving eyes” (13). The boy symbolizes Santiago’s determination; when he is out at sea, he is always thinking of him and wants to make him proud so he commits to his work in order to do that. “…hands had the deep scars. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert” (10). Hemingway uses Santiago’s scars to symbolize his past and how even after 84 days of not catching any fish, and 84 days of disappointment, he is still determined and dedicated to going out to the gulf every day to work