Santiago's Obstacles by Jon P.

Over the course of Hemingway’s novella The Old Man and the Sea many obstacles were created which affected Santiago in numerous and important ways. While some of these obstacles were easy to recognize (like the sharks), others, like his old age, solitude, and lack of supplies, had a more subtle effect on the story. Although Santiago fought admirably and bravely under these conditions, I believe that the Old Man’s trip would have been a complete success had he been with another person, in his youth, or had better or modern tools.

Although Santiago’s friend Manolin had often accompanied Santiago fishing in the past, the Old Man’s run of bad luck caused Manolin’s parents to put him on a luckier boat. If Manolin had been with Santiago, he would have been able to catch the fish without almost killing himself, which would have given him more energy to defeat the sharks. Even Santiago seems to know this, as evidenced in his repeated wishing for Manolin’s company. “If [Manolin] were here he would wet the coils of line, he thought.”(83). Even in the midst of his life-threatening struggle with the fish, Santiago wishes for the boy’s assistance.

Often during his fishing the Old Man would dream of his younger days, sailing around Africa and arm-wrestling people. If Santiago had been in the prime of his youth, it would have been far easier for him to defeat the giant fish. Although he was far from being in bad shape for an 80-some-year-old, Santiago would have had much more stamina if he was the Young Man, and he was still the strongest fisherman in his town. While he is fishing the Old Man gains confidence by thinking about when he “was not the Old Man… but was Santiago El Campeón” (70). This Santiago, the Champion, would have been able to bring back the fish.

Perhaps the most crucial factor in Santiago’s journey is his equipment. In the end, this may have been the cause of the Old Man’s partial failure. After his 80-day run of bad luck the Old Man was too poor to afford equipment, or even food for dinner. This proved to be a problem when he faced many sharks, as he was not well-prepared. He expressed his annoyance at this after fighting vicious Galano sharks. “You should have brought many things, [the Old Man] thought. But you did not bring them, old man.” (110). Imagine if Santiago had had a motorboat and all the equipment a modern fisherman has. Those sharks would have stood no chance.

The Old Man was in a sense more victorious in the book because he did not have these things. He faced all the obstacles thrown at him alone and without the benefit of any unnecessary tools. However, I think that the Old Man could have caught the fish and gotten money for it if he was just a little bit better prepared. A companion, some supplies, or a younger Santiago might have produced a happier ending to this story.