The Old Man behind the Old Man Throughout the span of his life, Ernest Hemingway had adopted an ethos of bravado and machismo. He served in the Red Cross during the First World War as well as serving as a war correspondent in the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He was brought up on war crimes for breaking the Geneva conventions and was known to hunt German submarines with hand grenades from his fishing boat. As a sports angler, he was known to kill sharks with a machine gun to prevent them from stealing his catch. He set the world record for the most marlin caught in one day. Hemingway’s other interests included big game hunting, boxing, bullfighting, horse riding, flying planes, and motor racing (Hotchner). Hemingway was also found to …show more content…
Hemingway himself said, “There isn't any symbolysm [sic]. The sea is the sea. The old man is an old man. The boy is a boy and the fish is a fish. The sharks are all sharks no better and no worse. All the symbolism that people say is shit. What goes beyond is what you see beyond when you know (Letters).” Obviously, he was mistaken though, while he may not have intentionally added any symbolism; his personal insecurities, fears, and anxieties bled into his work. It was no coincidence that the protagonist Santiago was long in the tooth nor was it happenstance that the old man overcomes a challenge designed for the young and virile, despite his …show more content…
I believe the sharks represent the various challenges of growing older; some are forceful and violent while others sneak up on you and steal little bits of you. The desperate battle Santiago fights, against the sharks, is his way of saying he will not quietly accept infirmity. Even though the fish is destroyed and beyond use, Santiago brings the skeleton into port regardless. It is a point of pride, a means of proving to the village what he proved to himself, while out at sea, that he is still capable of greatness (Hemingway
“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
The Terrible Old Man is a short story written in 1920 by H.P. Lovecraft, who was a famous author of sciene fiction, fantasy and last but not least horrer. I will, by analysing the characters, the setting and the ending, try to interpret and find the main theme of this story.
Christian symbolism, especially images that refer to the crucifixion of Christ, is present throughout The Old Man and the Sea. During the old man’s battle with the marlin, his palms are cut by his fishing cable. Given Santiago’s suffering and willingness to sacrifice his life, the wounds are suggestive of Christ’s stigmata, and Hemingway goes on to portray the old man as a Christ-like martyr. As soon as the sharks arrive, Santiago makes a noise one would make “feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood.” And the old man’s struggle up the hill to his village with his mast across his shoulders is evocative of Christ’s march toward Calvary. Even the position in which
“The term ‘aging out’ refers to children within a state’s foster care system who are still in the system upon reaching the age of majority or when they have graduated from high school” (Craft, 2017, Aging Out). Many of these children “have not found permanency with an adoptive family … or they have not been able to return to their biological parents” (Craft, 2017, Aging Out). A child typically ages out at 18 years, “but some states have extended services beyond this age because so many young adults are just not ready to be thrust out into the world on their own at such a young age” (Craft, 2017, Aging Out). If a foster parent chooses to continue parenting the foster child once they have aged out of the system, they are able to as long as the foster youth is okay with this. If an individual continues fostering a child, they will no longer receive money from the state.
Racism is the belief that one certain race is superior to another considering that race to be less than them, and are therefore are discriminated, stereotyped, and antagonized against. Racism has been known and experienced all throughout history. It has been a constant battle, and unfortunately it is still very current in today’s times. Recently in the world today, there have been several stories regarding racism and shootings, and in the article “Feds fault San Francisco police for violence against minorities and recommend 272 reforms” it strongly focuses on this issue. It’s a tragic thing for cops to be considered racist when they are supposed to be the protectors of our nation. In the article, it states how federal officials made 272 separate recommendation for reform, which would help train and advice the officers on their duties. These recommendations are taken daily by the San Francisco Police Department in
It foreshadows in the beginning of the book, ” But are you strong enough now for a truly big fish. ”(14). Throughout the whole book Santiago’s resolution drove him to beat the fish, even if he had to die with him. It was his legacy to catch a huge fish and once he hooked the 18 foot marlin he knew what must be done.
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.
Still, Santiago returns to his small fishing village with the skeleton of the fish. He achieves a spiritual victory instead of a material one, surviving the ordeal of battle, and arriving with proof of his struggle strapped to his boat-the skeleton of the fish. Rather than a huge profit from such a large fish, he gains the admiration of the town for his valorous fight. Violence and disorder prevail, but Santiago honorably defends his catch in the midst of what will be a losing battle. Oscar Wilde once said, "Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you" (n. pag.). Santiago finds fulfillment by proving his manhood and his worth to both the town and Manolin, a local boy who admires him greatly.
My 73 year old father, who moved-in with us on July 2013, has Type II Diabetes and severe Glaucoma in both eyes. He consequently requires an escort and guardian to assist with his medical and personal care we are all pleased to have him with us, because no one is going to take care of him or love him more than we will. We need him, possibly just as much as he needs us. My father is proud of his only son, he lets me know every day how much he loves me. I repect and adore my father very
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.
As a 25-year-old adult, consider myself on the younger spectrum as far as biological age. However, I am being reminded daily that I am getting older. I no longer can recover from a workout as rapidly as I used to, I require more sleep after a night of staying up late, there are no more “all nighters”, and I have recently developed pain in my joints and spine. As you may have noticed, all the reasons I have listed above seem obviously negative. This is exactly what I am hoping to get out of this class. A positive perspective of the aging process. I have noticed when I pay attention to the physical aging process my body undergoes; my brain is focused on the negative changes and instead should be focusing on what my age has given me over the years. I am hoping, through taking this class, I will expand my knowledge tremendously on the aging process and begin to switch my way of thinking to a more positive one and begin living a better quality of life as the years pass.
After catching the marlin and attaching it to the side of the boat Santiago saw that sharks smelled blood from the fish and were chasing him so he had to figure out a way to kill them with items on the ship. “The line showed clearly on the top of his brown head and back where the brain joined the spinal cord and the old man drove the knife on the oar into the juncture, withdrew it, and drove it in again into the shark’s yellow cat-like eyes. The shark let go of the fish and slid down, swallowing what he had taken as he died” (Hemingway, 2003, p. 108). The old man tied his knife to his boat’s oar to stab the sharks that were quickly coming for the fish. His method worked, however, his “weapon” eventually broke and he had to use another object to kill other sharks. Santiago killed sharks before they took his fish and killed him, thus making him successful because he accomplished
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
The movie Last Vegas (2013) thoroughly presented the concept of the embodied aging and experience by creating a storyline based on the character, Billy, shared the good news of him finally proposing to his much younger girlfriend with his dearest friends and wanted them to be supportive in his decision-making. All four friends decided to escape from their daily lives a couple of days in order to throw a bachelor party together for Billy in Las Vegas (Last Vegas, 2013). They have been best friends since childhood, yet have experienced a different aging journey (Last Vegas, 2013). In the film, seniors are perceived as dominant and powerful characters because of their life experiences and wisdom.
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