In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway describes an old fisherman and the unfortunate trials he faces as his "luck" runs out.
Through the novel, the fisherman, Santiago, replicates Hemingway's ideal man, a noble hero. Hemingway had a Code of Behavior that he himself followed. He had morals that were strict and an appreciation for instinct and human nature. He had a specific way of living life and an understanding of time.
He believed in taking risks and acting upon instinct. He believed that a person who followed his Code of Behavior was a noble hero. In Hemingway's
Code of Behavior, a noble hero is a master craftsman. This means that he is not dependent on other people or on technology. It also means that he is a master at his art and he keeps practicing it in order to better himself. The second characteristic of a noble hero is that he struggles in order to remain undefeated. This means that he does anything possible to reach his goal. He struggles and suffers in order to perfect his art and therefore, himself, "No matter what kind of suffering and trial he has to go
Kapadia 2 through he has to fulfill his destiny…"(Harada 270). The third characteristic of Hemingway's noble hero is that he accepts defeat. Once he is defeated, once he can better himself no more, he should stop trying because, "He lives in time. And the goal of time is death and destruction"(Harada 276). He should accept that he is no longer useful and that he has been defeated. These three characteristics define Hemingway's ideal man. In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago exemplifies Hemingway's Code of Behavior for a noble hero.
In the novel, Santiago is a master craftsman. He is only dependent on himself. While the other fishermen use motor boats, Santiago uses his skiff.
While the other men have many workers and helpers who hold several lines,
Santiago has three lines all operated by his own hand. He is an expert,
"…the old man goes much farther out than the other fishermen and casts bait in much deeper water"(Gurko 66). Because he knows the waters and the movements of the fish, he has a better chance of catching the fish. Although he is taking a greater risk by going out deeper, he has a better chance of catching the bigger fish. Another thing that makes Santiago a master craftsman is his experience. He has bee...
... middle of paper ...
... craft to the task
Kapadia 5 of playing the fish well"(Rovit 86). He knows tricks and occupies himself with bettering his ability to fish. He struggles and suffers in order to stay undefeated. He beats all odds and fights all battles with the thought that he can and will win. And so he does. He goes far out and acts on what he thinks is right. He does not fear his actions nor does he regret them.
He fights every battle as if it is his last and therefore comes out on top.
Third, he accepts defeat. This is the most honorable characteristic. No matter how hard he has fought, once it is over, he does not look back wishing he could have acted differently. He accepts his mistakes and recognizes that, "He has overstepped the boundary of man's finite and limited nature"(Harada 275). He went out too far and this is what he gets. In these ways he is much like Hemingway, a noble hero. His actions and the consequences of them are easily notable and should not be look down upon. In the long run, Santiago answered his calling, fought his battles, and when he was finally defeated by his own pride, he recognized it and accepted it.
This makes Santiago a noble hero.
felt about fighting their first battle, he says that he will run if he sees
of getting what he wanted no matter how long or how hard he had to
when he knows that what he has done is wrong, he continues to do it
he has accomplished, he tries to ignore what he has done and denies all of
In the book, the Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the Old man describes many sea animals that reveal how Hemingway views on humankind values and morality. The Old man saw different aspects of humanity n every sea creature. Three sea creatures that Ernest Hemingway described were the jellyfish, sea turtle, and the mako shark. The jellyfish is like a disguised beauty, a sea turtle is very stron, and the mako shark is like a thief.
The title of this book is The Old Man and the Sea . The number of pages is 127. Copyright date is 1952(re-newel date is 1980). The type of book is fiction. This book takes place in the Gulf Stream, and its time is in the past.
For example, even through the toughest times his strength shone through because “Boxer never faltered”(37). This shows that Boxer possessed great strength and motivation through hard times. Furthermore, this also illustrates that no matter what he faces, he will try his hardest to do what needs to be done, as well as pushing through when hard times hit. Another example that Boxer was very hard working is that when Boxer was pulling the rucks up to the windmill, rumors were spread that, “... nothing kept him on his feet except his will to continue”(37).This shows that his need to completely finish the windmill is so strong that he practically has nothing left to live for except this particular project. Moreover, this shows that most of his inner self is gone except the part of him that wants to complete the windmill . His hardworking attitude, loyalty, and straightforwardness allows him to continue through with a project, even when it becomes a monotonous task and he has grown tired of
Hemingway’s use of symbols and the metaphors beyond the symbols is phenomenal. Metaphors are an implied analogy that has an ideal that is being expressed and it also has an image by which that idea is conveyed. Establishing the similarities between the following dissimilarities is what helps to identify the metaphors behind the symbols in Hemingway’s writings. He uses things as symbols to help express the old man’s deep feelings in his journey through life.
Obtaining a goal can bring success to one’s outer “world” and to one’s inner spirit, the mind and soul. An achievement may bring recognition and respect from surrounding peers. It can also encourage one’s self esteem as well as give them more courage. In Ernest Hemmingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago receives outer, material formed success by earning the respect of his fellow peers and by attaining more physical strength. He also receives inner, spiritual formed success by gaining more self esteem.
One might say we are presented with two fish stories in looking at Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, a marlin in the former and a whale in the latter. However, both of these animals are symbolic of the struggle their hunters face to find dignity and meaning in the face of a nihilistic universe in Hemingway and a fatalistic one in Melville. While both men will be unable to conquer the forces of the universe against them, neither will either man be conquered by them because of their refusal to yield to these insurmountable forces. However, Santiago gains a measure of peace and understanding about existence from his struggles, while Ahab leaves the world as he found it without any greater insight.
Reading through the novel The Old Man and the Sea one, as a reader, can perceive several themes in the book. Hemingway suggests certain subjects for discussion which built up the whole plot, therefore giving us options to choose the one we believe is the main one. In the past weeks we have been discussing, in a debate, which is that main theme. My group’s theme was “Man Defeated” and although it is hard to affirm that this theme was the prevailing one of the book, we firmly defend it. Various arguments were established. Some argued that the novel’s theme was Santiago’s struggle, the friendship with the fish and other characters; Santiago’s perseverance and that he really ended up as a triumphant man. But to argue that those were also the main themes of the book is also a difficult thing to do. Even though Santiago fought and kept on with his struggle to catch the fish, he was defeated because he lost it at the end.
Themes in The Old Man and the Sea & nbsp; The Old Man and the Sea is a heroic tale of man’s strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes: friendship, bravery, and Christianity, the “Old Man and the Sea” strives to teach important life lessons to the reader. The relationship between the old man and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an incredible amount of respect and loyalty for each other.
The Old Man and the Sea, was written by Ernest Hemingway. In the novella, the old man, Santigo and the young boy Manolin has a relationship that goes dar beyond friendship. They have a soul bonding relationship. The boy needs the old man as a teacher and the old man needs the boy was family. Hemingway creates a very powerful, poignant relationship between the old man and the young boy throughout his novella using dialogues.