Santiago And The Old Man

Another important aspect of Santiago’s personality is his optimism and resilience. Although not associated with all transcendentalists, the ability to view events in a positive light is very important for a Transcendentalist to possess. Thoreau describes this attribute as being the way in which we see the beauty all around us, by taking the bad and viewing it in a positive manner. Santiago does exactly this by always accepting the hand he is dealt. After days out at sea in a very painful position, he states, “He did not truly feel good because the pain from the cord across his back had almost passed pain and gone into a dullness that he mistrusted. But I have had worse things than that, he thought. My hand is only cut a little and the cramp is gone from the other. My legs are all right. Also now I have gained on him in the question of sustenance.” (Hemingway 74). Santiago feels that his injuries are not important, as he has experienced worse pain and what is more important to him at the time is catching the fish. Later in the book, after he finally catches the huge fish, it gets eaten by sharks on his way back to shore. Unlike a typical

He is an old fisherman who has “gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.”(9) He has been deemed “unlucky” by others in the community. Santiago’s is described on pages 9-14:

Throughout the constant struggle between Santiago and the fish, he is forced to prove his skills as a fisherman and conduct his discipline to retain his

Santiago was very honorable in what he did. He wouldn’t even let himself borrow money, in fear that he would soon beg for it after that. In everything he did he respected his opponent and the challenge. He gave up arm wrestling out of respect for his hand and for his profession. It’s honorable to respect the world around you and your part in it, something Santiago did very well. Santiago goes eighty-four days without catching a fish, but he still gets up every morning and gives it his all. He never gives up, and persevering through trials is a very honorable quality. Even when defeat is imminent he fights on, killing many sharks. The sharks eat his whole fish, and he defends it every bite of the way.

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

It is believable that Santiago is dead at the end of The Old Man and the Sea. This conclusion can be deduced from the various hints Hemingway used throughout the novel. The foreshadowing of Santiago’s death, his comparison to Christ, and his bad luck helps one decipher that the death of the old man took place at the end of the book.

The author uses the struggle for dominance to represent and prove many things. For example, the author uses the struggle to prove to the boy and everyone else that even though he is old he is not helpless, and he can still catch the Marlin. Also, Santiago suffers terribly throughout The Old Man and the Sea. In the opening pages of the book, he has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish and has become the laughingstock of his small village. He then endures a long and grueling struggle with the marlin only to see his trophy catch destroyed by sharks. Yet, the destruction enables the old man to undergo a remarkable transformation, and he rests triumph and renewed life from his seeming defeat. After all, Santiago is an old man whose physical existence is almost over, but the reader is assured that Santiago will persist

“You’re better than that! I am always gonna love you, no matter what. No matter what happens. You’re the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, you ain't gonna have a life” ( Sylvester Stallone,Rocky Balboa). He was an old man that lived in Havana, Cuba in 1940’s near the Gulf of Mexico. He lived in a small shack. Santiago was the best fisherman but then there came a time where he did not catch one fish. This ended up ruining his reputation.But he did l not allow that to happen he went out deep into the sea. Marlin was Santiago’s best friend. He is like a son to him. Marlin Pampered the old man. Marlins parents end up taking Marlin away from Santiago. Santiago felt so empty in his life the only person that gave

Another comparison that parallels Santiago to Christ is the notion that Santiago is Christ. As Sheldon Grebstein notes, "The writer cannot refrain from emphasizing a correspondence between his noble fisherman and Jesus Christ" (91). An example of this is when Santiago sees the first of two sharks and says, "Ay," "There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just a noise such a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood" (Hemingway 99). This is a reference to the crucified Christ, when the nails pierced his hands on the Cross. Both men allude to the fear of suffering. In the case of Santiago, the sight of the sharks frighten him because he knows they can cause harm. For Christ, after he is nailed to the Cross, he knows there is more agony to endure. Subsequent to the sight of sharks, Santiago completes his voyage on the sea and returns to land. Darkness approaches and this is more than simple lack of sunlight. As John’s Gospel notes, when Judas leaves to set in

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)

The definition of successful, according to Google, is accomplishing an aim or purpose. Santiago was successful because he achieved his goals and he was proud of them. Santiago spent a really long time without catching any fish and when he finally did the wait was worth it. Santiago had to fight off sharks that were attacking the marlin that he caught and he killed every single one that came close. In the story, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago was successful because he caught a marlin, he killed many sharks, and he stayed strong when he was in pain.

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

Hemingway has a way of making his readers believe that the feats and strengths that his characters obtain in his novels are actually possible. Although this statement may be too critical, and maybe there is a man out there, somewhere on the coast of Cuba who at this very moment is setting out to the open sea to catch a marlin of his own. The struggle many readers have is believing the story of Santiago’s physical powers and his strength against temptation bring forward the question of whether or not The Old Man and the Sea is worthy to be called a classic. Hemingway’s Santiago brought Faulkner and millions of other readers on their knees, while to some, believed Hemingway

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

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