Having characters who relate to each other in a book is a great writing element to get your reader to think about similarities in book. An interesting example for this can be found in the story “The Old Man and The Sea”. While reading this book, you can see an obvious similarity between the main character, Santiago and a huge Marlin that he hooks while out fishing one day. The most notable similarities are their extreme determination, amount of pain they put each other through, and the fact that they are very fond of the sea. Easily the most noticeable shared trait between them is their knack for extreme determination. You can see the determination they posses just by how they managed to keep a struggle against one another for three whole days. This fight lasted until the fish finally died, and even as the fish was dying, it was still resisting up until the last flip its tail. Only through sheer will-power were they able to continue this fight day and night and hardly sleep an hours worth through it all. …show more content…
We can also see that in this story, Santiago and the marlin both had to push through a lot of pain despite not gaining much in the end.
After failing to catch any good fish for 84 days and being shunned by his fellow fishermen because of it, Santiago thinks that he’s made his lucky break when he hooks a gigantic marlin, but little did he know just how much pain him and that one marlin would bring to each other. During the three days that this fish dragged Santiago across the sea, they both had no company or support whatsoever which only made this whole experience more dreadful for both of them. In the end of this relentless battle, the old man had at last vanquished the great marlin, but only to end up having sharks come and take all that he had worked for, leaving all Santiago’s effort and the death of the marlin both in
vain. The final similarities that you can apply to both Santiago and the marlin is that they are both sea dwellers. Something that confirms this is just how much time the two of them both spend at sea. Santiago of course spends plenty of time there being a fisherman, and the fish just because he’s a fish. They both tend to feel at home when at sea. Although marlins don’t really tend to actually live anywhere, the whole sea pretty much becomes home to the marlin, and the old man being a fisherman for a living feels nearly as at home when he is actually at his house. Having good experience at sea also ties them both into the sea. Santiago simply knowing the ins and outs of fishing at sea, and the marlin knowing what necessary to survive. By the end of this book, you’ll have seen these similarities in action while they fight each other in the test of determination, suffering, and knowledge of the sea. If you dig deep enough, chances are you can find more matching qualities between the old man and the marlin. Same goes for many other stories. That is why similarities are such an interesting thing in literature.
Throughout the novel, Santiago’s sentiments toward the marlin go through several considerable changes. At first, the marlin is the catch Santiago has been waiting for. However, as the story progresses Santiago appears to become endeared toward the fish, even going as far as calling him his “brother” (Hemingway 59). Later, once Santiago has killed the great marlin, he even seems remorseful.
The quote, “Nothing happened. The fish just moved away slowly and the old man could not raise him an inch. His line was strong and made for heavy fish and he held it against his back until it was so taut that beads of water were jumping from it. Then it began to make a slow hissing sound in the water and he still held it, bracing himself against the thwart and leaning back against the pull. The boat began to move slowly off toward the north-west.”(44) creates in depth meaning into how the old man is strong because the fish possesses a determination equal in magnitude to Santiago’s. Santiago has a large amount of endurance, and is using it in the midst of following the fish. Another example of Santiago’s endurance throughout the novel is his strength with the physical pain he feels. For example, the old man has a lot of back pain while following the fish, and catching it, especially. “...”( ).........The old man also experiences physical pain when his hand is cramping and when it gets cut. The author states, “The old man would have liked to keep his hand in the salt water longer but he was afraid of another sudden lurch by the fish and he stood up and braced himself and
In the literary fiction book The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago is very alike to the marlin. They are both strong, determined, and great fighters. Even though they share these similarities, they are different, as they have different motivations to win the battle they are fighting.
During the pursuance their goals, trials and tribulations came upon Santiago and Atticus, and their ability to face them showed defining diligence. When Santiago set out determined to catch his fish, he knew the task at hand would prove strenuous and trying, yet he went anyway. After days of waiting, watching, and praying, Santiago finally secured the fish on his hook, but then the real trouble began. The days that followed consisted of anguish for Santiago as he braced against his rod trying to keep it in the right position, all while the fish pulled him into the vast sea far from land. Pain tore through his body and thirst and desire consumed him like a raging fire. But despite the gruesome problems that faced him, Santiago persisted in his quest and pushed his strength to the limit. When he finally managed to pull the colossal creature into the skiff, the obstacles did not cease. The luring scent of the fragrant fish drew malicious sharks in from every direction all throughout the days and nights in which Santiago tried to get home. Despite the fact that he fought with every ounce of strength he possessed, the vicious animals overtook Santiago and destroyed the fish he worked so hard to catch. With the feeling of defeat overwhelming him he returned home and shocked the people with the enormous beast he caught, even if all that remained was
A similarity between The Old Man and the Sea and “Shipwrecked Sailor” was their losses. In the “Shipwrecked Sailor”, “The sharks had made off with my prey” (Marques p.44). This event marked the loss of the man’s food supply. It wasn’t a very crucial part of the story, because the man had earlier devoured some raw meat, which had satiated him. In The Old Man and the Sea, “He did not want to look at the fish. He knew half of him had been destroyed” (Hemmingway p.144). This was a very similar method of loss, which the shipwrecked sailor had faced. This was a tragic loss and abasement to both Santiago and his pride. He was tenacious and worked so hard to obtain the fish, only to have it taken away by sharks. The old man lost the fish, even though he fought valiantly to fend off the attacking sharks.
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.
The Old Man and the Sea follows an old man, Santiago, in his relentless pursuit to catch a marlin in order to prove his capabilities in spite of his old age. His determination propels him throughout the novel despite the obstacles he faces such as physical pain, loneliness, and predators. In addition, his determination comments on the inner nature of human beings and the results one can gain from acting upon it. Hemingway uses Santiago’s determination to reveal that due to the difficulty of obtaining goals, people should be willing to persevere through the obstacles they face in order to gain results.
”(page 111). Santiago had plans for him already but failed to accomplish them. Some will argue that he won because he gained spiritual victory. This , in a way, is true; but fishing is his job and only way of living. If the case had been different and Santiago was only fishing for his personal entertainment, which wasn’t, it could be seen as a new experience or story to tell.
Santiago’s decision to go farther out into the sea displays an attempt to regain “his long gone pride”(93). As the old man is battling the marlin, the action of the fish circling around his boat is repeated constantly. Hemingway’s use of repetition emphasizes the difficulty of the battle. The repetitive use of the word circle describes how the fight between the two very stubborn enemies kept going on continuously, as if in a circle. Powered by his pride, the old man’s motivation remains unwavered throughout. He withstands the intense pa...
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 focuses its plot mainly on Santiago’s struggle against the marlin. Existentialism makes its appearance when Santiago chooses to pursue the marlin, stay with it the entire way, and fight tooth and nail at the end. “My choice was to go there to find him beyond all people,” is how Santiago explains his actions to challenge the fish (Hemingway 50). He mentions how he was born to be a fisherman, and by chasing the marlin, he will give his life the meaning for existence. Santiago also insists on staying with the fish until one of them is dead, which exemplifies his will to fulfill his goals in life. He endures obstacles such as nausea, cramps, and sleep deprivation because he does not want to give up and surrender his fate. When it comes down to the final struggle, Santiago pits all of the pain, strength, and pride he has left against the fish in order to bring it down. Despair begins to creep in when Santiago finds it hard to pull in the marlin, but he overcomes it with every ounce of will he has. He knows that it is up to him to create this important moment in his li...
The old man just holds on and tries to pull the marlin into his small boat, but he just could not do it. This paper examines the nature of relationships in this story. There are three relationships in this story, Santiago with Manolin, Santiago with the sea, and Santiago with the marlin. The first relationship I'll tell you about is the one between Santiago and a young boy named Manolin.
For three long days, the boat is alternating pushes and towed by the huge fish in an almost dream-like state. Only the killing os the fish and the attacking of the sharks interrupt the monotony. The monotony becomes one of the pressures that the old man must endure in order to maintain his grace. However, because Santiago never gives in to the monotony or the depression, he becomes the hero in the story against innumerable odds. His tenacious determination leads him to a sense of hope amongst the monotony and depression.
The relationship between animal and human in this text shows as a relationship of appreciation and respect. Santiago loves everything about being a fisherman. He is lonely at sea and his sea friends are his companions. He has great respect for the sea as well as the inhabitants that swim and live in it. He does not love all creatures of the deep, blue sea, however, does show respect for each one. Santiago has a particular relationship with the marlin. He comments that the marlin is “wonderful”, “strange”, “strong”, “wise”, and “that is fight has no panic to it” (Hemingway 48 -49). Based on his description of the marlin, Santiago loves and respects him as a worthy opponent and brother, “Now we are joined together and have been since noon” (Hemingway 50). Santiago is not only literally linked to the marlin, but also figuratively because the outcome of this battle will determine both their fates. The old man says, “The fish is my friend too,” he said aloud. “I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars” (Hemingway 75). He starts to imagine impossible feats like killing the moon or the sun and feels lucky that his task, in relative terms, is much simpler. Although he is sad to kill the fis...
The old man and the sea is a novella about an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago, and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin fish. Throughout the novella, Santiago is portrayed in different perspectives. He is tough and refuses to give up at any time. He withholds the will to continue and the courage to overcome what is believed to be the impossible. His persistence and confidence, his absolute determination and his unique way of accepting the reality makes him a noble hero.