The Old Man and the Sea
The virtues that define if a man is successful may vary from person to person. First off, Santiago (the old man) has a career of a fisherman, who has not caught a single fish in quite some time. Next the old man has very few friends through his career as a fisherman, but still has some very good ones. Finally, Being a fisherman can lead to many interesting encounters, either through people who share his interest or with other creatures at sea, which we identify multiple times throughout The Old Man and the Sea. Overall, to judge whether or not Santiago is successful, his career, relationships, and experiences must be analyzed throughout the book. The first thing that determines if a man is successful is his career and wealth. Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea is a poverty-stricken fisherman who is on an eighty-four day no fish streak, making no money in quite some time. “He was an old man who had fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish” (Hemingway, 1952, pg. 9). This shows us that Santiago is a fisherman that fishes alone all day and doesn’t catch a single fish. Money is basically an essential in today’s day and age to get the things to provide for you and your family, which Santiago didn’t really have, and since he doesn’t have any money he isn’t very successful in this aspect. Primarily, Santiago is not successful in his career of being a fisherman. Next, we must overview Santiago’s
In the novel, “The Old Man and the Sea”, Santiago’s fatal flaw is his pride. Despite struggling with age, poverty and a series of streaks of misfortune, Santiago’s pride prevents him from relying on others for assistance. However, this pride serves as a righteous feature for Santiago since his pride is a combination of his passion for fishing and trying to retain his identity and dignity in an unjust society. “You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for
Many people say they can see Christ through every little thing or situation. Many of those times it is really stretching although it is not directly referenced in Ernest Hemingway's book “The Old Man In The Sea,” one can find many illusions as to how Santiago and Jesus Christ mirrored each other in many ways. Many similar actions could be seen to take place along the way as well as variously related words or thoughts, and wounds inflicted upon oneself.
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.
Even though he is an adolescent boy, Manolin loves spending time with Santiago. He loves to go out fishing with him but, his parents no longer will let him. The reason for this is because Santiago has not caught a fish for eighty-four days. As a result of this unfortunate occurrence, others deem Santiago the term salao, or the worst kind of unlucky. Knowing the struggle Santiago is facing, Manolin tries to help him in as many ways as possible. Manolin brings Santiago drinks, food and the newspaper so they can talk about baseball and the great Joe DiMaggio. In spending all this time with the old man, Manolin develops a form of respect for him. He comes to understand that despite the recent unlucky situations, Santiago remains hopeful as well as prideful. This is why Manolin looks up to the old man so much. “Santiago… I could go with you again. We have made some money. The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him” (Hemingway 10). Along with just loving Santiago for himself, Manolin also looks up to him because Santiago taught him how to fish. Manolin understands that he is a large part of Santiago’s life and feels honored and
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.
Santiago’s attitude seems to be that although he faces difficulties, he finds the strength inside of him to be able to overcome them. Once he hooked the marlin, Santiago comes to a realization that he cannot kill the fish quickly. Though he is faced with a problem, the old man is able to find the best of the situation. He begins to form a bond with the marlin, as he repeatedly
When an old man named Santiago sets out to sea nothing seems to be biting that day until one afternoon, far away from shore. He feels a great tug on his line, and the struggle for dominance begins. The author shows us the old man's perseverance and strength, which becomes even more evident in his epic struggle to capture the titian of all fishes. Marlins grow but the one Santiago catches is colossal. The man respects the fish, and the fish respects the man, and together they fight for two whole days, until one can no longer go on. Santiago struggles for dominance for days while he tries to conquer and tame
Santiago is a man who surely has shown his dedication to his craft of fishing, which also shows his persistence. Throughout the entire novel he fights the overcome the various circumstances in his life and yet uses these struggles to grow as a person. Ultimately, Santiago is a great example in literature of perseverance no matter the circumstances.
There is never a simple key to any writer worth much attention, but in the case of Hemingway there is something that looks so like a key… that it cannot escape any informed and thoughtful reader’s notice" (O’Conner 153). Ernest Hemingway was one such author. Very rarely did he summarize statements, therefore the only way to solve his puzzle was to take it apart and examine each components. One of the hidden elements that the reader must analyzie closely is the parallel between Santiago and Jesus Christ. In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway creates connections between Santiago and Jesus Christ that adds religious coloration to the story.
The Old Man and The Sea is a story about Santiago, the Old Man. He is seen as a salao, an unlucky person. He loses his partner, a young boy named Manolin, because the boy’s parents want him to catch fish to earn money. The young boy still helps out the Old Man however he can, even though he is on another boat. The Old Man stays optimistic even though it has been 84 days without a fish. He feels as though the 85th day is the lucky one. The boy helps him catch sardines for bait the night before, then they sleep. In the morning the Old Man wakes the boy, the boy helps him prepare for his voyage. The boy wishes him the best of luck. The Old Man is only in a small boat called a skiff, but he still does farther out than most fishermen go even in
Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea is the quintessential “Hemingway Hero”-a type of fictional character created by Hemingway in all of his books whose basic response to life appealed very strongly to the readers. The Old Man begins the narrative with all the elements of such a hero despite his senescence and poverty. He shows strength, determination, and dedication to himself despite his struggles. Santiago relates back to readers as a strong failure who picks himself up repeatedly.
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 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