In the novella Old Man and the Sea, the author, Ernest Hemingway, depicts the special relationship between Santiago and Manolin. The relationship takes many forms as with father to son, friend to friend, and master to apprentice. This relationship shows one of the strong compassions Santiago has beside the love for the sea. Santiago and Manolin have a distinct affection for each other which is shown through their common interest in baseball and their mutual love for the sea. I think without Santiago’s relationship to Manolin the story would be much different. I believe he would not have had the motivation to return home during his struggle with Marlin and his struggle with the sharks if he did not have Manolin waiting for him.
Throughout the story, Santiago occasionally comments on how he wishes Manolin was there. A quote that signifies the necessity of Manolin to Santiago and how he might just not need Manolin for help in towing the fish but also he wants Manolin there for morale support; Santiago says “I wish I had the boy… I’m being towed by a fish and I’m towing the bitt.” ( 45). I believe he wants Manolin just to see a fish the size as that of the Marlin and the majesty of it, or learn about catching a fish that large instead of Santiago just needing assistance in catching the marlin. Santiago feels the need to teach Manolin due to the fact that he needs to pass on his knowledge before he dies.
I believe Santiago feels he needs to teach the boy because he is trying to live vicariously through him. Santiago sees himself in Manolin as he viewed himself when he was a young boy. These visions of Santiago as a boy are vaguely portrayed through his dreams. An impacting quote of Santiago’s childhood is “He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy.”( 25). Since Santiago has no children of his own, and cannot due to the fact that his wife is dead, he feels he must pass down his legacy through Manolin.
Even though Santiago and Manolin’s relationship can be seen as an adult to child relationship it can also be viewed as a peer to peer relationship. This is seen visibly through their nonchalant talk about sports and how they keep their “small talk” isolated from their conversation of work. The way they talk to each other after work is similar to the way school students talk to each other after class. An example of their conversation after work said by Manolin is “The Yankees cannot lose… But I fear the Indians of Cleveland.” (17)
Throughout the story, Manolin and Santiago seem to gravitate towards each other through the trials they face such as poverty, separation and defeat. The society in which Manolin and Santiago live is a very poor one; they use each other for morale support in such a bad situation. Even though Manolin is taken off of Santiago’s ship and put on a different fishing boat they still maintain a great relationship on shore as well. An aspect in which Santiago relies on Manolin is when he returns to shore with a skeleton of his once prized catch. This is an overall theme of how through desperate times in life the relationship between Manolin and Santiago grows stronger and perseveres.
Throughout the story, Santiago occasionally comments on how he wishes Manolin was there. A quote that signifies the necessity of Manolin to Santiago and how he might just not need Manolin for help in towing the fish but also he wants Manolin there for morale support; Santiago says “I wish I had the boy… I’m being towed by a fish and I’m towing the bitt.” ( 45). I believe he wants Manolin just to see a fish the size as that of the Marlin and the majesty of it, or learn about catching a fish that large instead of Santiago just needing assistance in catching the marlin. Santiago feels the need to teach Manolin due to the fact that he needs to pass on his knowledge before he dies.
I believe Santiago feels he needs to teach the boy because he is trying to live vicariously through him. Santiago sees himself in Manolin as he viewed himself when he was a young boy. These visions of Santiago as a boy are vaguely portrayed through his dreams. An impacting quote of Santiago’s childhood is “He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them as he loved the boy.”( 25). Since Santiago has no children of his own, and cannot due to the fact that his wife is dead, he feels he must pass down his legacy through Manolin.
Even though Santiago and Manolin’s relationship can be seen as an adult to child relationship it can also be viewed as a peer to peer relationship. This is seen visibly through their nonchalant talk about sports and how they keep their “small talk” isolated from their conversation of work. The way they talk to each other after work is similar to the way school students talk to each other after class. An example of their conversation after work said by Manolin is “The Yankees cannot lose… But I fear the Indians of Cleveland.” (17)
Throughout the story, Manolin and Santiago seem to gravitate towards each other through the trials they face such as poverty, separation and defeat. The society in which Manolin and Santiago live is a very poor one; they use each other for morale support in such a bad situation. Even though Manolin is taken off of Santiago’s ship and put on a different fishing boat they still maintain a great relationship on shore as well. An aspect in which Santiago relies on Manolin is when he returns to shore with a skeleton of his once prized catch. This is an overall theme of how through desperate times in life the relationship between Manolin and Santiago grows stronger and perseveres.
5 comments:
Jeff, honestly this is the best thesis I have read so far. It was clear, direct, definite, and quite original. No other essays I have read have responded to this prompt and regardless of that, had a response I could understand as well as I did yours.
My favourite quotation was the baseball one, comparing the peer to peer relationship, it gave an idea I had previously not thought of and connected it easily.
This essay was very well written and thought out. There were some great ideas in here.
There isn't much I would change. Your opinions maybe were slightly overtaking in the essay, but I wouldn't worry about that anyway, you made it work in my mind.
Jeff, I really liked the way you wrote your essay. I thought your introduction and thesis statement were great. You really engaged me in the essay. My favorite quote was the one that compared the lions with Manolin. That really helped influence the rest of your essay. I thought you used very good quotes and used some great words throughout your writing. Next time, I would recommend referencing your thesis statement more often throughout your essay. Overall, a very good job.
I liked the way you wrote your story and the thesis statement was very well written, and very clear. The first quote was a very good fit to that part of the story. And it really showed how he was feeling. I think that you used great word choice throughout your story.
Good job jeff. This is a very well writen story with a good developing first paragraph. At the end you tied it together really well. I liked your quote about baseball. Another good quote is the one about Mandolin and the lions. Again good job jeff.
Jeff,
I agree that your thesis statement about Santiago and Manolin's relationship is clear and well stated. "The relationship takes many forms as with father to son, friend to friend, and master to apprentice."
For each degree of the relationship, you provide a supporting quote to illustrate your thesis.
Crafty and insightful!
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