In many great literary works, there are powerful conflicts that significantly affect the plot and the actions of the main character. In many of these conflicts, there are forces or obstacles that the main character needs to confront. Such is the case in Ernest Hemingway’s, The Old Man and the Sea. This is a novella about the rigorous journey of an 84-year old man and his struggle with catching a marlin at sea. The old man, Santiago, is faced with a variety of conflicts that test him both mentally and physically. In order to show the labor-intensive job of catching a large fish, such as a marlin, Hemingway explicitly describes Santiago’s internal struggles, and he describes his struggles with nature, as well.
In Santiago’s epic battle with the great marlin, he is affected by fatigue. Santiago is an octogenarian, alone on the open ocean. He is attempting to use his wealth of knowledge of the sea to catch a 1,000-pound fish. While he may be able to outsmart the fish, the fish at some point wears Santiago down. In the novella, Santiago is so exhausted that he almost feels as if the fish is slowly wearing him down to the point of death. “You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who” (92). Santiago feels there is no possible way for either the marlin or him to come out of the ordeal unscathed. He knows it is very likely that at least one of them will be hurt or possibly killed. Santiago’s energy fades very quickly because the fish is such a strong creature. Because of Santiago’s fatigue, his ability to catch the prized fish is significantly hindered.
Another one of Santiago’s struggles is an internal battle with himself. Fishing is the only thing Santiago lives for and he feels that if he fails, he might as well be dead. Although he is exhausted, he still has an internal drive to catch the giant marlin. He is attempting to prove to himself that even though he is an elderly man, he still has the ability to conquer such a massive fish. “I’m tireder than I have ever been, he thought, and now the trade wind is rising. But that will be good to take him in with. I need that badly” (89). Although Santiago does not come back with what he is expecting, he returns with a reward much greater than the fish could ever represent. He proves to himself that he can still actively pursue such a prized animal.
Throughout the entire novella, Santiago struggles with the lack of sufficient equipment needed to capture the marlin. He uses very simple fishing tools, rather than larger devices meant for this type of fish. The fishing line Santiago uses is very thin and not as strong as he would like. Because of this, he is compelled to use his hands to hold on to the line in order to make sure it does not break. This eventually puts severe lacerations on Santiago’s hands and makes one of his hands cramp up so badly that he is unable to use it any further. “The bird had flown up when the line jerked and the old man had not even seen him go. He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding” (55-56). Due to not having the proper equipment for the job, Santiago is forced to create makeshift weapons to ward off attacking sharks. Santiago attaches his knife to the end of an oar and uses it as a spear to kill one of the sharks. He beat another shark by using the boat’s tiller. Santiago’s ingenuity and wisdom help him ward off would-be attackers.
The Old Man and the Sea is a very rich and deep story replete with many hidden messages. It is a story about life and the mental and physical struggles many people encounter. On one hand, Santiago wants to capture the prized fish, and yet he struggles with his connection to the sea and to the marlin itself. While he has an enormous love for fishing, he also has an internal drive that he does not want extinguished. Although he is an aged man, Santiago refuses to let the fish defeat him either mentally or physically. All of the conflicts mentioned make Santiago a wise man that continually internally battles with himself and with the forces of nature. In the end, Santiago is victorious because his desire for fishing continues.
In Santiago’s epic battle with the great marlin, he is affected by fatigue. Santiago is an octogenarian, alone on the open ocean. He is attempting to use his wealth of knowledge of the sea to catch a 1,000-pound fish. While he may be able to outsmart the fish, the fish at some point wears Santiago down. In the novella, Santiago is so exhausted that he almost feels as if the fish is slowly wearing him down to the point of death. “You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who” (92). Santiago feels there is no possible way for either the marlin or him to come out of the ordeal unscathed. He knows it is very likely that at least one of them will be hurt or possibly killed. Santiago’s energy fades very quickly because the fish is such a strong creature. Because of Santiago’s fatigue, his ability to catch the prized fish is significantly hindered.
Another one of Santiago’s struggles is an internal battle with himself. Fishing is the only thing Santiago lives for and he feels that if he fails, he might as well be dead. Although he is exhausted, he still has an internal drive to catch the giant marlin. He is attempting to prove to himself that even though he is an elderly man, he still has the ability to conquer such a massive fish. “I’m tireder than I have ever been, he thought, and now the trade wind is rising. But that will be good to take him in with. I need that badly” (89). Although Santiago does not come back with what he is expecting, he returns with a reward much greater than the fish could ever represent. He proves to himself that he can still actively pursue such a prized animal.
Throughout the entire novella, Santiago struggles with the lack of sufficient equipment needed to capture the marlin. He uses very simple fishing tools, rather than larger devices meant for this type of fish. The fishing line Santiago uses is very thin and not as strong as he would like. Because of this, he is compelled to use his hands to hold on to the line in order to make sure it does not break. This eventually puts severe lacerations on Santiago’s hands and makes one of his hands cramp up so badly that he is unable to use it any further. “The bird had flown up when the line jerked and the old man had not even seen him go. He felt the line carefully with his right hand and noticed his hand was bleeding” (55-56). Due to not having the proper equipment for the job, Santiago is forced to create makeshift weapons to ward off attacking sharks. Santiago attaches his knife to the end of an oar and uses it as a spear to kill one of the sharks. He beat another shark by using the boat’s tiller. Santiago’s ingenuity and wisdom help him ward off would-be attackers.
The Old Man and the Sea is a very rich and deep story replete with many hidden messages. It is a story about life and the mental and physical struggles many people encounter. On one hand, Santiago wants to capture the prized fish, and yet he struggles with his connection to the sea and to the marlin itself. While he has an enormous love for fishing, he also has an internal drive that he does not want extinguished. Although he is an aged man, Santiago refuses to let the fish defeat him either mentally or physically. All of the conflicts mentioned make Santiago a wise man that continually internally battles with himself and with the forces of nature. In the end, Santiago is victorious because his desire for fishing continues.
5 comments:
Well sean this is a very good story. I felt the thesis was very well described and was clear. My favorite quote is about it doesnt matter who kills who. I like it because it shows the old mans respect for just a fish. This essay has very good organization as well as descriptions. Next essay you write i would suggest trying to tell more about the plot because if you dont know about the story then you would kind of be lost at points.
Sean, the story is well written and like i you used the same question. I have some simular points that you had in your essay. Your was put together well and explained all of the criteria.
The quotations you used were great for the points you were trying to prove it. They gave me a backround on what was really happening.
I thought that this essay was well written. I thought your thesis statement was clear and focused on Santiago’s physical and mental struggles that he goes through. I think the first quote you have in your essay is very good and I think this shows how much Santiago is willing to sacrifice in order to catch the fish. I also thought your word choice was enticing and made we want to keep reading what you had to write on this great novella. I don’t think you have much to work on the next time you right an essay similar to this, but I think you need to introduce Santiago more in the story and know how his life is like and what he has gone through
I thought the essay was pretty enticing...Plot could of used more description but overall it was a nice piece of writing. I also like the quote-"It doesn't matter who kills who." It shows that no matter what the man will always have respect for the fish. For the next piece of writing I would suggest more plot description.
J
Sean this story is really good. I thought it was really easy to read and i understood what you were saying because or your details you used. It was very good witting and explained well. Yours quotes were really good and were the right ones to use for your essay.
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