Santiago's Sacrifice

“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

Throughout Santiago’s journey, he had several setbacks. As Santiago begins his journey to his treasure, he enters the continent of Africa and stops at a bar. Santiago then meets a man he thinks he can trust. After entrusting the entrusting the man with his money, Santiago gets robbed and never sees the man or his money again. After that experience, Santiago learns it is difficult to trust people. This was a the first of a few major setbacks for him. In Africa with no money, Santiago has to find a job. I think of that as a set back, it took Santiago an extra year to get to his treasure. Santiago worked for one year and when he gained enough money to continue his journey towards his treasure he moves on. Not too long after Santiago’s first

Death is the unavoidable force in the novella, the one fact that no living creature can escape. But death, Hemingway suggests, is never an end in itself: in death there is always the possibility of the most vigorous life. The reader notes that as Santiago slays the marlin, not only is the old man reinvigorated by the battle, but the fish also comes alive “with his death in him.” Life, the possibility of renewal, necessarily follows on the heels of death.

The Mirabal sisters’ death have been all over the news. Numerous articles, in honor of the sacrifices these women have given up to bring liberty to our country, are being sold to the public. The clouds have finally been cleared from all the tyrannical years of Trujillo’s regime. Everyone finally feels safe to walk freely down the main streets and not have to worry about what they say in public. And yet, there are some, including myself, who still question the justification of these extreme sacrifices. And as an answer to this question, I strongly believe that the sisters’ sacrifices, which include spending time in prison and orphaning their children, were not justified in that it hurt their close ones.

I wish I could feed the fish, he thought. He is my brother. But I must kill him and keep strong to do it. Slowly and conscientiously he ate all of the wedge-shaped strips of fish” (59). This relates to perseverance by showing how Santiago doesn’t really want to harm the fish, but he knows he has to in order to make a living. Santiago’s hand has cramped up, yet he feels sorry for the fish, not himself. He has caught a few small fish to eat raw. He wishes he could feed the

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 .

Throughout the whole book Santiago shows many signs of courage. In the beginning, Santiago gets in his boat and sails out into the sea. He usually stays near shore, like all the other boats. However, today “He elects to risk all by reaching beyond man’s reach by going ‘too far out”’ (a readers guide 192).   He is not a man with a lot of strength. He is very old and has to have someone help him do certain tasks. His hands are very brittle and there is times where he can not rely on them. They bleed and get stuck in the fist position when he does too much manual labor. Often times his left hand is what gives him the most trouble.  However, none of this ever stops him from doing what he believes in. Hemingway uses this quote to show readers that Santiago can still do anything he wants, “I will handle him with the right arm alone” (16). While his left hand is not much use, Santiago does not let that stop him from holding onto the line with only his right hand. In the end, after the fish dies he is finally on his way back home. With him being such full of courage “he did not need a compass to tell him where Southeast was. He only needed the feel of the trade winds” (Hemingway 27). He is not scared at all about getting lost. He knows exactly how to get himself home. He does not need anyone or anything telling him which direction he needs to travel. As he was relying on the trade winds he finally makes it back

He was seventeen and looking for a better life. He was headed straight for South America in search of work and a future. South America had not been his first choice. Tales of cannibal savages steered him clear away. He would’ve much rather go to New England, but tough times and cheaper boat tickets had forced him to reconsider. It wasn’t that bad though; before she died, his Spaniard mother had taught him how to speak Spanish, so at least he would know the language. Santiago would have liked to have her by his side as he faced this unfamiliar horizon. He missed her terribly every single day.

Santiago was the true meaning of courage,he was able to know the rights and wrongs that he went through and he still stood up for what he believed in. Hemingway wrote “But a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” Santiago never gave up even with the challenges the marlin put him through or the bate the he was able to catch at times but the sharks stole from him. Santiago just keeps trying without one complaint and never gave up so easily. Santiago was never beaten by the marlin he will just accept the loss that he just had but will go back out to sea and try again until he gets what he wants.

Within the book, strong and enduring Santiago battles the marlin for days, although he has nothing but his hands to hold the line, and, then, fights against the fish with his knife and his old hands. When the Mako shark comes and eats the flesh of the marlin that is tied to the side of the boat, Santiago continues to fight for the marlin; however, the shark takes much flesh from the marlin. The sharks symbolize destruction in Santiago’s life; however, The Old man perseveres as Hemingway pulls out his thoughts, “But I killed the shark that hit my fish, he thought. And he was the biggest dentuso that I have ever seen. And God knows that I have seen big ones.”(pg103) Here, Hemingway exemplifies that even when the Old Man has experienced destruction, he overcomes

Neither is exempt from the cruelties’ and hardships of nature, as nature is indifferent to both man and fish. Santiago recognizes that they are both going through hell when he says, “"You’re feeling it now, fish," he said. "And so, God knows, am I" (56). Santiago is in a sense suffering exactly as a fish in this scenario. Nature has no special treatment for him just because he is a human, there is no hierarchy that places him above the fish in the sea’s eyes. Santiago acknowledges this when he sees a bird, saying, "Take a good rest, small bird," he said. "Then go in and take your chance like any man or bird or fish" (55). Santiago understands that in the world of nature life is no easier for a bird or any other creature than it is for man, and sometimes it comes down to a matter of luck. The struggle of life engages more than just human nature. As humans, we have a tendency to believe that our suffering is incomparable to any other creature’s suffering, that being a human is the hardest feat of all. People often look at animals and wish they could be them in a sense, as they believe it would provide freedom from all of the pain thrust upon them by life. This novel proves this simply isn’t the case. If you are alive, you suffer. To suffer, is to be alive. When engaged in a battle of killing it is easy to forget that you are dealing with a life form, but Santiago acknowledges the feelings and pain of the fish,

There is tension between Santiago and the marlin throughout the entire novel. The old man finds kinship with the fish against a common enemy. “‘Half fish,’ he said. ‘Fish that you were. I am sorry that I went too far out. I ruined us both. But we have killed many sharks, you and I, and ruined many others. How many did you ever kill, old fish? You do not have that spear on your head for nothing’” (Hemingway 115). Although he does not recognize it himself, the stakes of the battle with the marlin are so high thanks to

He tries to reel it in but he can't. Instead the fish is pulling the boat! He struggles and struggles with the fish for hours. After a while fatigue takes it's toll as his hands clamp up, and his back aches from the line tied around it. The fish surfaces and Santiago realizes that it is longer than the boat he is on! An unexpected jerk leaves a gash in his hand only to add to his pain. After a very long while Santiago shortens the line to harpoon it. He latches the fish to the side of the boat and begind to tow it back to shore triumphant. Then a mako shark approaches and takes a large bite out of the marlin. Santiago kills it with a harpoon. Only later did he realize that the sharks blood would attract more sharks. As more sharks approached Santiago fought with all his might to save his fish but there was too many sharks. By the time he got to shore, he had nothing more than a skeleton. Santiago collapses from exhaustion on the shore but is found by Manolin and calls for help. The community marveled at the size of the skeleton that is still attached to the boat. Manolin takes care of the old man and vows to return to him as an apprentice. Santiago finally gets the repect from his community.

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