Old Man and the Sea – Choices by Kyle L.

In the Old Man and the Sea, Santiago makes many choices that will affect whether or not he will ever catch another fish, or the giant marlin. When Santiago is out fishing, and catches the giant marlin on his line, he decides to stay with it and not give in. Although this really tires Santiago and he is almost powerless against this massive beast-of-a-fish, he feels he must catch this fish, which is the one he has been waiting for. This greatly affects Santiago’s physical health. He becomes weaker and the weaker he gets, the farther away his dream of catching the marlin gets.

One of the first important choices Santiago makes is to keep trying to reel in the giant marlin once he hooks it. He thinks that he has a chance at landing this behemoth. “What a fish, he has it sideways in his mouth now and he is moving off with it. Then he will turn and swallow it.” (43). Santiago chooses to stay and catch this fish, even though he has exhausted his food supply. This quote shows clearly how quick the old man was to assume he had the power and ability to catch this marlin. He knew the risks at stake and despite the odds; he decided to take them and the marlin on none the less.

The worst problem that faces Santiago when he chooses to continue out to sea is evidently the pain and suffering he has with his hands. While Santiago was trying to land this giant marlin, he sliced one of his hands. His hands are also very tired from all of the tugging and pulling of the fishing rope, but Santiago trusts his hands to guide him and reward him with the bounty of the marlin. “How does it go Hand? Or is it too early to know?” (59). Here, the old man is actually talking to his hand, the one he cut open while fighting the marlin. This tells a reader how much faith and trust Santiago has in his hands to actually be talking to them to ask if they are feeling better. He thinks of his hands as equal beings, not just another feature of his body that he takes for granted. This, I believe, helps Santiago mentally to have the will to continue on.

Besides physical pain, when Santiago is out in the dead middle of the Gulf of Mexico, he is mentally weakening. He has been fighting this enormous marlin for so long and I believe that underneath, the old man is starting to feel that he might not be able to accomplish this task. “But you have not slept yet, old man.” (77). Through Santiago’s lack of sleep and food, he is not only physically becoming weaker, his brain is not functioning as well as it could be. And that could ultimately decide whether or not Santiago makes it through this adventure alive.

When Santiago made the decision to keep on with the marlin, it might not have been the right decision in the eyes of others. But to Santiago, even though (we can assume) he dies at the end of his trip, and looses the marlin to a group of sharks, he made it to shore alive. He braved the viscous sea and overpowering marlin, he accomplished something that almost nobody his age could. Santiago may not have made the sane choice, he may not have accomplished exactly what he wanted to, but he proved to the marlin that he wouldn’t give in. No matter what.