Santiago’s psychological processes in Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea are exceptionally eloquent and cultivated and reach deep levels of pride and self respect that he refuses to abandon. For example, the old man advocates not catching the fish by claiming that the fish has not been in the correct position to be caught. Santiago is overwhelmingly prideful which can ultimately affect his means of survival. The old man’s sense of deep self preservation just about crosses the line between having too much pride and coming off to others as arrogance. The old man refuses to accept help from anyone but the boy that he had taught how to fish years before, which even then he is hesitant to accept help. The million dollar question to ask is why
is Santiago so firm on doing everything for himself? One possible reason why Santiago refuses assistance from anyone is for the sense of making his self worth personal. Santiago was on an 84 day streak of not catching a single fish. Naturally, people assume the poor old man is just unlucky, or salao. Subconsciously, Santiago goes out to sea to prove the supposed misanthropists wrong. It is also possible that Santiago went out to sea to prove something to himself. Santiago's natural sustentation kicks into full gear as he is told that he cannot catch any good fish. Perhaps the old man put himself in harms way to reassure himself that he can defy standards that the rest of society has set for him. Finally, it is conceivable that the old man has departed to sea to preserve his youth. Years ago, when Santiago overall had better fishing records, his self respect was on a personal high. If only Santiago could just feel that sense of self fulfillment just one more time, maybe it will fulfill Santiago’s soul enough to where all the hardship of 84 days of catching nothing will ware off. Either psychological or simply just for the memories, Santiago’s reasoning for casting himself out into sea stretches beyond logical reasoning and comes more into touch with his emotional side. Hemingway's web of Santiago’s intricate personality touches on every part of the soul intellectually and spiritually.
“Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, ‘Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write on true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know” (shmoop.com). Ernest Hemingway was an honest and noble man. His life was highlighted by his successful writing career that brought him fame, fortune, but ultimately loneliness. Ernest Hemingway fell into a hole of drinking and depression (lib.utexas.edu). It was odd for Hemingway to become so emotionally unstable after having a happy childhood, quality experiences, and a successful writing career.
To begin with, the old man is determined just as the fish is. When Santiago first hooks the fish, he states, “‘Fish,’ he said softly, aloud, ‘I’ll stay with you until I am dead’” (Hemingway 52). This shows how he will risk his life to prove that he can catch this marlin. Santiago was fixed on catching this fish and ending his bad luck streak. And, as the marlin doesn’t have much of a choice, he will fight until he dies as well. They are both very
Santiago has many noteworthy character traits. He possesses a very strong sense of pride that will not allow him to give up on fishing even after eighty-four days without a single fish. He is also virtuous in that no matter what happens to him, he will not make up excuses or false accounts in an attempt to cover up his bad luck. He is also very unselfish for the reason that he never looks down on the boy or treats him unfairly. Everything they accomplish together, Manolin is given credit for, which I found unusual because more often than not, old men will try to hoard their achievements to try and hold on to their glory days. Instead, Santiago is trying to...
The Old Man and the Sea is novella written by Ernest Hemingway in 1952. It tells the epic journey and struggles of the old fisherman, Santiago, and his younger fishing partner, Manolin. The story goes into detail the day to day life struggles that a fisherman off the coast of Africa endures. The majority of the story focuses on one particular trip out sea. In life, one will go through a number of stages in life. Infancy, Youth , Adulthood, and Old Age are all key stages. As one grows, they mature through these various stages. When one reaches old age, there is often a lot of doubt surrounding their lives. Serenity, and independence are often the two most questioned. These are some questions that Santiago has to ask himself as well.
Santiago is a brave, unbelievably optimistic, and prideful man. Nothing in his life will shake his morals and his integrities. Even facing death he is like a turtle swimming through poisonous waters (37). After being dragged through numerous encounters that should have taken his spirit completely, his heart still beats like a turtle’s heart after butchering. No one, apart from Santiago himself, can defeat his cheerful, uplifting spirit. However, the elderly fisherman’s state of mind is too stubborn and strong in his ways to allow defeating himself. This in itself keeps readers going and encourages anyone reading The Old Man and the Sea.
Moderation is fully evident in Hemingway’s characters. Santiago, the protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea, firmly balances two contrasting qualities - his humility and pride. Santiago reveals his humble nature when Manolin asserts that he is the best fisherman to which Santiago replies “No. I know others better.” (The Old Man and the Sea 23). Meanwhile Santiago’s attempt to capture the fish and prove that he is a capable man despite his old age signifies that he retains a certain level of pride for his masculinity. Humility is the antithesis of pride, yet, the old man has the ability to retain both through moderation. Emotions are not the only characteristics to be moderated; actions as well as speech must be balanced. In “Indian Camp”, the father explains a mature topic –the act of givin...
First, the old man receives outer success by earning the respect and appreciation of the boy and the other fishermen. The boy is speaking to the old man in his shack after the old man’s long journey, “You must get well fast for there is much that I can learn and you can teach me everything” (Hemmingway 126). The boy appreciates the fact that the old man spends time to teach him about fishing. He respects him a great deal for he knows that the old man is very wise and is a magnificent fisherman. The fellow fishermen also show respect towards the old man as they note the size of the fish after the old man returns home, “What a fish it was, there has never been such a fish” (123). The men admire the fact that the old man has caught the biggest fish that they have seen. Many fishermen resented Santiago at first, however their opinion changed once they realized what the old man has gone through. Being admired by others plays a major role in improving one’s morale.
The Old Man and the Sea is a beloved novel because of the style in which Hemingway writes, his idea of a hero, and how he applied it affectively. The code for his heroes way in which they act with courage, always strive to prove them selves one more time, not to complain about their suffering. The writing techniques brought the story in to full multimedia life by letting the reader see what is going on. Finally, the way it all just seems to fit together in the end.
Poignant circumstances surrounded the composition of this novel, which bring out many of the above points. It is widely recognized that Hemingway was possessed of a turbulent personality and suffered from emotional depression. This was despite the fact that he enjoyed much critical acclaim. The Old Man and the Sea was written after a ten-year hiatus of public and critical approval. This period saw much of his work receive negative criticism in literary and journalistic circles. This affected Hemingway adversely and very deeply (Carey 9). Therefore, Hemingway's personal battle with seeming failure in his life's work and society's attendant criticism parallel Santiago's stoic resolve in the face of his neighbors' disdain. The author's struggles symbolically match those of Santiago and set the stage for the writing of this novel.
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, pits his strength against forces he cannot control. We learn from Santiago's struggles how to face insurmountable odds with bravery and courage. Though we find an indifferent and hostile universe as Santiago's stage, his unwillingness to give in to these forces demonstrate a reverence for life's struggles. Santiago's struggle is for dignity and meaning in the face of insurmountable odds. His warrior-like spirit fights off the sharks full-well knowing the fate of his marlin. Santiago loses his marlin in the end, but his struggle to keep it represent a victory because of the dignity and heroism with which he carries out his mission. However, as Santiago acknowledges, he is almost sorry he caught the marlin because he knows the animal and he have a great deal in common as fellow beings in nature. However, he only caught the marlin "through trickery" (Hemingway 99). Santi...
In the story, Santiago’s bravery is unsurpassed, but it is not until he hooks the “great fish” that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago’s actions, Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless, a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his “luckiness” and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin, we also suspect that Santiago is a widower.
The great stories behind The Old Man and the Sea are what make it so wonderful. Because of this novels success released in 1952, it helped Hemingway ring in the Nobel Prize for 1954 for Hemingway (Hurse). He had a way of writing a good hearted, high spirited hero, who seemed in many ways to be at one with nature and himself. It is believed that Hemingway conjured up the character Santiago from a 92 year old man who crossed to Florida with other Cuban refugees (Baker 910). This makes sense considering Santiago is the main character, who is of old age. His characters although having many great qualities, still had struggles. Santiago is the man of hour, when speaking of The Old Man and the Sea. H...
In The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, author’s life background greatly influenced the way he wrote the novel. Hemingway’s experience as a journalist led him to write simple and short sentences. In addition, his struggle as a writer before writing this novel, and his failed relationships with women greatly influenced him to continue to make connections with Santiago and himself throughout the story. Therefore, it can be safely concluded that this great novel clearly reflects the life of Ernest Hemingway. (756 words)
The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most famous novel written by Ernest Hemingway. In this novel, Hemingway shows the world the story about the great Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who flight for his honor and pride. In the critical essay, Hemingway’s Tragic Vision of Man, Clinton S. Burhans,, Jr wrote how he and others authors interpreted this novel, and he took into account the following points: heroic individualism, interdependence, and Christian. I agree with Clinton’s essay. In the novel, Hemingway addresses the character of Santiago so properly that he inspires these points without doubt.
Hemingway’s heroic code can be described as: A man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage, and endurance in the world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful. Santiago shows manhood many times throughout this novel. First, Santiago shows manhood through his arm wrestling fight and not giving up. Next, he shows manhood by never giving up on the fish and fighting all the challenges it brought with it. Lastly, Santiago fought against his bad luck knowing that things could possibly not work out for him. Hence, Santiago embodies Hemingway’s ideals of manhood by persevering through the arm wrestling, the fish, and his bad luck.