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The Old Man And The Sea

Good Essays

Both The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and “To Build a Fire” by Jack London both explore the literary conflict of man verses nature. Both main characters share many similarities; however, they also have various differences that set them apart as well. In The Old Man and the Sea the story is about Santiago, an old fisherman who sets out one day and catches the fish of a lifetime. Santiago then spends multiple days fighting the fish in the middle of the ocean. “To Build a Fire” is about a nameless traveler who goes hiking on a trail out in the Yukon with his dog to make it to his base camp. He hikes in fifty below weather and have literally walked on thin ice to make it to his destination safely. Despite being from different stories in different settings, both men share similarities while they also share many differences that ultimately caused the men to suffer different fates.
Santiago and the traveler share many similarities in their character and the positions they are placed in their respective stories. Santiago is alone when he is out on his skiff for several days. While he is alone, he is forced to talk to himself, the birds, and the fish, he expresses in innermost thoughts and it lets the reader understand his process of securing his catch. Santiago, the old man as the book calls him, is well into life. In his age Santiago has a lot of experience and was even born to fish he uses his knowledge to handle the situation at hand in a calm orderly manner. After

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