...Monserrat Solis English III J. Rogers 20 March 2014 Old Man and the Sea There are plenty of tales of tales about the big fish that got away. However, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is not one of those exaggerated stories of a huge fish that cannot be proven to have ever been caught. In fact, Santiago, the protagonist, truly hooks and kills the biggest marlin he’s ever seen, one that is well over 1000 pounds. Unfortunately, after winning the fiercest fishing battle in his career, this poor Cuban fisherman loses marketable parts of the fish to hungry sharks on his way back to shore. Three major themes in this novel are determination, pride, and friendship. There are many themes or lessons one can learn throughout the novel The Old Man and the Sea. Determination is one of the most important character traits Santiago portrays in this novel. It has been 84 days, and the protagonist has not caught a marketable fish that he can sell. Santiago depends on this because he is a poor man who does not have much. Despite the fact people in the town are now starting to lose hope in Santiago he does not give up. Santiago is determined to catch a fish no matter what it may take. Since Santiago has went to fish near shore he begins to think he will have more luck if he goes out further. As he takes a new route Santiago finally finds a fish but it is very hard to catch so he is struggling to kill it. As he waits for a perfect time to launch an attack to kill it he says “I’ll...
Words: 1026 - Pages: 5
...The Old Man and the Sea is a story about an old fisherman who has not caught a fish for eighty four days, but gets a hook in the mouth of the greatest fish he has ever caught. This fish takes the old man on a journey that he will never forget. At the beginning of the novel, Santiago has been fishing for eighty-four days and has not caught a fish. This symbolizes defeat in Santiago’s life. Santiago does not intend on giving up, but instead he has determination and tells himself that he will go fishing every day until he finally catches a fish. Santiago has a lot of pride in himself, and I find this to be a very rare trait, especially in today’s world. The theme of The Old Man and the Sea is to never give up in any circumstance, because you never know what might happen next. Santiago never gave up and went fishing every day until he hooked the marlin, and he stayed with that marlin until he was able to kill it. When the sharks began to attack Santiago’s boat so they could eat the marlin, Santiago knew it was hopeless and that he would lose the fish, but he still fought them off as long as he could. Even though Santiago was defeated in his fishing trip, he emerged as a hero to not only himself, but to all the people around him as well. The Old Man and the Sea has a few characters. First, there is Santiago who is a fisherman that has not caught a fish in over eighty days but refuses to give up. Santiago is the “Old Man” in the story’s title and knows more than most people about...
Words: 1081 - Pages: 5
...I’m Maria Alexandrea D. Seraspe, 16 years old, Paranaque City. I love to sing, to draw, to paint and to dance. I dislike reading fictional stories. I prefer non-fictional stories because I find it more interesting. Yes, I’m not good in writing essays but I love writing essays. ------------------------------------------------- THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA Ernest Hemingway “ There was an old man that goes by the name Santiago. Santiago had been labeled as a "Salao" or the worst form of being unlucky. Because he had gone eighty-four days without catching a fish and that his companion, Manolin, was forbidden by his parents to sail with the old man and had been tasked to go with other blossoming fisherman but the boy disobeys his parents and visits the old man each night. Santiago tells Manolin that he will set far out into the Gulf Stream, north of Cuba and Straits of Florida to fish. Santiago was convinced that his fate will change. On the eighty fifth day, he sat out alone to Gulf Stream. By noon, a Marlin takes his bait. The marlin was too colossal for him so he was unable to pull it up to his boat. Santiago waited while his body was throbbing and aching. Two days and two nights passed, still he was unable to pull it out. On the third day, Santiago releases the strength left in him to pull the Marlin out and stabs the giant with a harpoon and ends the battle. He heads home while daydreaming about the high price the fish is about to bring him. The blood trail of the Marlin...
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and the movie The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger have many similarities in the main characters. The main similarities that Santiago and Billy Tyne share are their pride, the losses they both have, and how they are both treated throughout their days of being a fisherman. Santiago is the main character in the novella, The Old Man and the Sea. He is an older man who is a fisherman where recently he has not caught any fish for eighty-four days. His pride is to keep fishing and trying to catch something so people in his village would stop laughing at him because he has not caught a single fish for a long time. Even though he has not caught anything for that amount of time and listens...
Words: 544 - Pages: 3
...In Act I of The Old Man and the Sea the reader is introduced to Santiago, an old man who loves fishing. Also in act one, the reader is introduced Manolin, a boy who is not related to the old man, but was taught to fish by Santiago. Santiago has not caught a fish for eighty-four days and it is bothering him. The other fishermen call him unlucky and make fun of him. Santiago ignores all of the comments and remains unfazed, but the question whether he is too old to catch a fish arises. The boy goes to buy some sardines for Santiago. Afterwards, they discuss fishing for the next day and baseball. They later go to Santiago’s house which is a small hut. They talk about their non-existent dinner and baseball. Santiago also mentions that his longest streak of not catching a fish is eighty-seven days and he cannot deal with going that long again. Santiago falls asleep and dreams of Africa and lions on the beach. When he awakes Manolin has gotten dinner for them from Martin. They say they must pay him back when they catch their big fish. Act II begins with the duo heading down to the docks in the morning, but the moon is still outside. Manolin gives Santiago the sardines and he casts out to sea. Santiago pasts by flying fish and birds and make a comment about how the “can be so cruel” (29). Before light hits, Santiago casts out his lure. As Santiago was fishing, he notices Portuguese man of war being eating by turtles. He catches some tuna so that he can eats. Then he gets a pull on...
Words: 745 - Pages: 3
...In The Old Man and the Sea, it states that, “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (Hemingway 93) This statement can be seen woven throughout the novel in many different forms. It is expressed mostly in the old man whose name is, Santiago. Many look upon him and merely see an old man who is not worth much. However, despite his age and appearance, Santiago refuses to accept destruction in his life. He believes that a man may be defeated by outside influences, but is only destroyed when he truly gives up on himself. The definition of defeat is to have a victory over an event whereas the definition of destruction is to put an end to something entirely. For eighty-four days the hopeful fisherman continuously returns to port empty handed. Even though he is going through trials and hardships, his mind is as sharp as iron and refuses to be destroyed. When it seems like all hope is lost, Santiago holds his head high and refuses to be brought down by outside influences. He clings to the knowledge that he is an honest man and a good fisherman who is simply trying to survive. He has a humble pride about him that is only displayed in the strongest of men. He does not boast of his great deeds, but his pride refuses to allow his soul be...
Words: 786 - Pages: 4
...Consequence in‘The Old Man and the Sea’ and ‘The Pearl’. Summary of stories: Steinbeck’s touchingly simple novella ‘The Pearl’ was written in 1945, and explores the destructive effect of capitalism on a traditional Mexican village, around the turn of the century. It tells the story of Kino, an Indian pearl diver who discovers a massive, beautiful, and extremely valuable pearl. The pearl fills Kino with a new desire to abandon his simple, idyllic life in favor of dreams of material and social advancement, dreams to give his son and wife everything they desire, but dreams that are oppressed by the social hierarchy of Kino’s village. Although Kino has discovered this beautiful pearl worth more than anything he has found before, it only leads to death and destruction and eventually leaves Kino and his wife with nothing, and their beloved son dead. ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ is another novella, the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. Written in 1952 by Ernest Hemingway, it was the last major work of the author before his suicide, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. It is the tale of a fruitless and ancient fisherman named Santiago. Santiago had spent eighty-four days without a catch, and, confident that his unproductive streak will come to an end, sets sail farther out than usual. He places his bait deep into the water and a few hours later an enormous marlin takes the bait, however the old man cannot reel...
Words: 1886 - Pages: 8
...ability to choose his own actions, and therefore must be responsible for their consequences. Of course, the others in this ‘personal hell’ may have physically or mentally injured us; but that does not mean that we should, in this, result living in hell, but can rather choose to live in paradise. Take injustice, the easiest way to allow our lives to turn into sheer nightmare. Inequality, or discrimination happens in our society, purely because that one is of a different nationality, different status, different abilities and talents; to the point even when appearance could be taken in and laughed at. Injustice is everywhere, and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it entirely; as Kino from The Pearl (Stein) and Santiago from The Old Man and The Sea (Hem), the two protagonists from the respective novellas experiences. The former lives in poverty, right next to palaces; and the other has not, being a fisherman, caught any fish for a continuous eighty four days. These unfortunate events, however, is only the basis for their undeserved discrimination. Such happenings contribute to creating a ‘living hell’ towards the both men; it is only a place among internal conflict, pain and hardship that makes the protagonists who they are in the end. Both Kino and Santiago, strive for self respect to break the injustice that society forces onto them creating an illusion of a “living hell” while still coping with their struggle between internal and external conflicts. ...
Words: 3301 - Pages: 14
...significant to occur. Every person experiences hope at least once a day. In the Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago was desperately trying to catch a marlin. This marlin represents hope. The marlin represents hope because it is the one thing that Santiago will not let go, it gives Santiago strength, and in the end, is mostly lost. The marlin, which represents hope, is one thing that Santiago will not let go. When the tug loosens on the fishing line Santiago exclaims, “‘He can’t be gone’ he said, ‘Christ knows he can’t have gone’” (Hemingway 42). Santiago keeps holding the marlin for strength and will not give up. He was so hopeful that the fish was there that there was no way in his mind that he could give up. “You work now, fish...I’ll take you at the turn” (Hemingway 89). Santiago will not let go of this fish. The marlin is everything to him and once that is gone he is left with nothing but himself. He has calculated every move so that he will catch the fish. Nothing is able to stop him. When Santiago does have the marlin on his line, than he is filled with both hope and strength. The marlin that Santiago is trying to catch...
Words: 728 - Pages: 3
...1.Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to Chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14....
Words: 534 - Pages: 3
...Old man Anders was the oldest crankiest person living on the block whom nobody dared to anger as it was said he could move as swift as the wind and was twice as strong. Well, all exempt Ronny the troublemaker of the community you see Ronny came from a dysfunctional home with a drug addict as a mother and drunk as a father so he never had anyone teacher him control and manners. One day something possessed Ronny to vandalize Mr.Anders car perhaps it was one of his hoodlum friends or maybe it was something he saw on tv but at the end, Ronny put thin strips of bologna of Anders s Anders car in the dead of night. The cars beautiful paint was ruined and when Misters Anders saw what happened the next morning he went ballistic. “What in the hell happened to my car” Mr. Anders yelled. He caused such a ruckus that the entire neighborhood came to see what had...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
...Autobiographical Self-representation in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea Twentieth Century American Fiction ¬¬¬¬ Art and Literature has its origin in man’s desire for immortality. This desire for eternal remembrance prompted primitive men to carve figures of himself and his surroundings in his dwelling places. As art developed and languages formed, the same desire enflamed and that became an impetus for literature. Early literature must have been a recording of real life events with strong and highly fictional additions. Thus, every literature is a product of this human desire to make oneself immortal through the recording of one’s own philosophy, imaginations and real life events. Even in the modern age this subconscious desire results in the inclusion of autobiographical elements of the author into his writings. Ernest Hemingway, America’s most celebrated novelist-cum -short story writer of the twentieth century is said to derive the impetus for his fiction from his own real life experiences or very rarely from the experiences of others who have went through agonies in life just like him. The Old Man and the Sea, one of his greatest and most widely read work is certainly filled with many allusions to his own life, and ideals. The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of an old fisherman named Santiago who fishes in the gulf stream. The man is having some bad time with fishing and has gone without fish for eighty five days. He is very poor and...
Words: 3346 - Pages: 14
...In What Is Man? By Mark Twain, I would side with the Old Man as far as who has the better argument for many reasons. One reason I feel that the Old Man had the better argument is because he was correct that outside influences are what ultimately determine the thoughts and feelings. For example, the Old Man states “Whatsoever a man is, is due to his make, and to the influences brought to bear upon it by his heredities, his habitat, his associations” (Twain, 6). The Old Man has point with this because in a world where we have so much outside influences it's difficult to believe Man fully develops ideas without prior influences. Another example of the Old Mans argument happens in the section that discusses training. For instance, the Old Man states:...
Words: 617 - Pages: 3
...the Bible, David was a young man who, using only a slingshot and five rocks struck down the giant Goliath and saved his people. David has been a symbolic figure in art throughout history. Two men who lived nearly a hundred years apart both sculptured the famous biblical figure of David through the lens of his own times but they were both influenced by many of the same things. Michelangelo showed David as a symbol of courage in the face of the enemy while Donatello depicted David as a symbol what can be accomplished by even the smallest entity. His character and story have been interpreted and re-interpreted by many artists in different mediums. Donatello was was born in Florence in 1386. He was an early Renaissance artist who lived at the end of the Dark Ages. He is known as the artist whose work officially began the Italian Renaissance (“David”). Donatello was first introduced to Roman sculpture when he visited Rome with his master, Brunelleschi (“Donatello”). It was there that he carefully studied classical Roman sculptures. The studies he preformed in Rome greatly influenced him the rest of his life. He is known for making the first sculptures with classical influence after the Dark Ages. The influence of his Roman studies is shown in the natural flow of the statue, something which is not seen in any art of the Dark Ages. Michelangelo was born to a middle class banking family on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy. When he was still a young man, his mother become deathly...
Words: 1947 - Pages: 8
...Terrible Old Man Age is a precious thing, leaving us weak when we are young and old. Yet for an old man in Kingsport, strength and age are nothing, and some are curious why. I think; how awful it must be, not to be able to die. "The Terrible Old Man" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, written on January 28, 1920, and first published in the Tryout, an amateur press publication, in July 1921. It's notable as the first story to make use of Lovecraft's imaginary New England setting, introducing the fictional town of Kingsport. The story is of an old man who at one point was a sailor but he is now a feeble old man. He is an old man, whom some say is so old, no one can remember him when he was young. With no name except the “terrible old man” the old man keeps to himself and is left alone for the most of the time. No one pays a visit or calls upon the aged fellow, all except for devilish little boys who throw rocks at the man’s house, and curious folk who have seen the old man talking to bottles aligned on a shelf in his house. Inside the bottles, pieces of lead are suspended like a pendulum, and are all given strange names like Scar-Face, Long Tom, and Mate Ellis. He also was having conversation whit the named bottles. Sometimes more curious are the gold and silver Spanish coins that the old man buys food with, that are centuries old. In the story it’s mentioned that the old man was once believed to be a captain of an old Pirate ship in his old days. Having heard of the old man’s...
Words: 828 - Pages: 4
