Santiago's Quest

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

The epic journey of “The Old Man and the Sea” describes struggle, discipline and manhood. The main characters relationships exemplify how faith and skill overcome man’s adversity during life on the sea. Santiago’s growing relationship with the boy idealizes his statute as a father figure and develops his integrity and values towards the boy. Hemmingway shows us how an old fisherman’s will to overcome the sea’s obstacles proves his manhood to himself and the young boy. His skills and knowledge of the sea provide a positive influence for the young boy to become a great fisherman someday.

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

In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is an unlucky fisherman who has not caught anything in 84 days.  Yet he sets out alone on the 85th day to try again.  For three days he struggles with a large marlin which he finally kills; but, despite his best efforts, he loses the fish to repeated shark attacks.

While talking to the boy before his embarkation, Manolin describes Santiago to be stronger than any other fish or fisherman, but Santiago knows that he is not as strong as he once was: “I may not be as strong as I think,’ the old man said. ‘But I know many tricks and I have resolution” (23). Even though Santiago knows within himself, that he is not capable of doing everything he used to be able to do, he knows that he has an advantage over any fish, and that is his intelligence. Santiago is honest enough with himself to know that he is not invincible, but that is not a reason for him to stop fishing, and shows how he lives according to his integrity and

The protagonist of Hemingway’s short story, Santiago, is a man with much pride. The reader learns that he has gone eighty-four days without any luck catching a fish. Fellow fishermen taunt him, and the parents of his former apprentice, Manolin, refer to him as,” …definitely and finally salao,” meaning the worst form of unlucky. Nevertheless, the man has undefeated eyes. Determination and his prideful heart drive him to his goal of setting out farther to sea than usual, where the big fish are, despite his fruitless streak.

In Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago was a Code Hero” who exemplified the admirable quality of Perseverance through his actions. Santiago was an example of perseverance when he has the battle with the fish. His battle with the fish was not a battle of strength, but battle of determination. Despite the old man’s age he was willing to go through hunger, physical pain, and isolation from the rest. Patience became a way we connected the old man and the fish he fights, as they share a determination that, in its greatness, separates them from other people and creatures of the world. This demonstrates Santiago's perseverance because even though he had cuts on his hand and face also his own pain and tiredness. He works out discipline and

The boy came back to Santiago with supper given to him by the owner, Martin, and Santiago replies, "I must give him something more than the belly meat then. He is very thoughtful for us" (20). Hemingway thus reveals the Old Man is not too proud to accept help from others. The Old Man clearly has relatable human qualities to the everyday reader. Although Santiago takes much pride, he humbles himself when the boy utters, ‘“And the best fisherman is you …’ Santiago replies, ‘No. I know others better”’ (23). The author thus demonstrates Santiago is humble about his abilities. He still acknowledges that there is better fisherman than he is, illustrating he has control of any potential hubris. After killing the fish, Santiago thinks to himself about the boy; “The boy keeps me alive…. I must not deceive myself too much” (106). Hemingway thus emphasizes Santiago is not too proud to admit he is dependent on the boy. The Old Man knows he is dependent on the boy and that he would most likely not be alive if it were not for him. He is clearly not ungrateful. After the sharks destroy the Marlin, Santiago notes, “Nothing . . . I went out too far” (120). Hemingway thus implies Santiago views the Marlin as a worthy opponent. Hemingway also reveals that Santiago is aware that his pride led to his downfall. Santiago knew he went too far out, but he still made the irrational decision because he wanted to have pride after

Santiago is a successful fisherman because he brought proof of his capture to everyone. During his voyage to catch a fish, Santiago hooked a giant Marlin and fought against that fish for three days. Although his captured Marlin was eaten by sharks, the skeleton of the fish was the necessary proof needed to show the other fishermen that Santiago was a success. In the novel a fishermen measured the skeleton of the Marlin and called out, “He was eighteen feet from nose to tail” (Hemingway 122). This quote gives proof that Santiago caught a fish, stunning the other fishermen, and providing proof he is still a successful fisherman.

In this moment, Santiago is experiencing true oneness with nature. He is understanding how he acts in the context of nature and is stopping to appreciate the beauty of his surroundings, much like Thoreau did at Walden Pond. Santiago also embodies Thoreau’s ideologies when facing the fish. Though most people see the fish as prizes or less than human, Santiago recognizes the fish as an intelligent creature, even as his brother and equal, which shows his respect for and connection with

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

The Old Man and the Sea , by Ernest Hemingway, is a classic novel about a man named Santiago and his five day fishing journey to change his luck around and get the catch of a lifetime. However, this adventure quickly becomes one of pain and suffering, both physically and mentally, when his endurance and pride get tested. By carefully researching literary criticism, one can come to certain conclusions about how Hemingway’s novel was actually an autobiography about the battles within his own life.

In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway shows that through hard work and trial, great things take place. This concept is shown many times throughout the book. At one point, when Santiago the fisherman is out at sea, his hand cramps. This inconveniences him for quite some time, for he is no longer able to hold the rope as well as he wants without feeling pain. At a second point in the book, Santiago realizes how far out he is, but still chooses to not give up his fish. Finally, near the end, Santiago’s hard earned fish gets mauled by multiple groups of sharks on the way back home. But through all this misfortune and dedication, Santiago still has a happy ending. The other fishermen realize what a great fish it was that he caught, and Santiago gets the fame for the catch.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway structures itself upon a central component, the Hemingway Code Hero. Specifically, Hemingway uses the Code’s themes of self-reliance, personal competition, and courage most productively throughout the book. Santiago, a Cuban fisherman and the main character of The Old Man and the Sea, has gone 84 days without catching a fish, a disastrous circumstance for a fisherman who depends on the fish for food and money. In addition to food Santiago also wants to substantiate his claims that he is as competent a fisherman as the others. As Arvin R. Wells puts it, “The old fisherman fishes as much for a chance to prove himself as he does for a living, and, though he fails to bring the giant marlin to market, he wins the supreme chance to prove himself in the terms he best understands” (56). Santiago is a character who may at first appear to deny the code, but upon further inspection is a proponent of the code and everything for which it stands. Throughout his journey to prove himself, Santiago has to deal with numerous challenging situations, and despite this, he embodies the Hemingway Code and chooses to keep relying on himself, to keep competing against others, and to continue being courageous despite being put in situations where it is easy to abandon the Code.