Universal Character: The Old Man
“You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?”
In this quote it shows that the old man is a teacher he wants to teach the boy many things about the art of fishing. This quote reflects on the fact that the old man does not fish for money he fishes for pride, He fishes because he likes to be on the ocean feeling the waves and being out in the open. When the old man kills a fish he kills it with respect, he loves the fish when it's alive and when it's dead. In asking this question of the boy the old man
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is teaching the boy lessons about fishing. "But I must have the confidence and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel." In the quote the old man has not caught a fish for many days he has had no luck but if everyday he goes out into the ocean without confidence, hope or luck; how is he going to catch a fish?
He compares himself to the great baseball player Joe DiMaggio because he has great confidence in his skill and battles through the pain. The Old man also has great confidence in his skill and like just like Joe DiMaggio he has endured many hours of pain fishing on the ocean. The Old man use Joe Dimaggio as an example to tie back to the boy and his liking for …show more content…
baseball “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.” Imagine if each day a man must try to kill the moon, he thought. The moon runs away.” As Santiago struggles with the marlin, he reflects upon nature and how the universe works and his place in this world. He displays both sadness for the fish and determination to kill the fish. Catching the marlin helps to reinvigorate the fisherman’s life and luck because he hasn't been able to catch fish for a long time. Universal Character: The Boy “I would like to go. If I cannot fish with you. I would like to serve in some way." In the quote is shows that the boy truly loves and wants to help the old man in anyway he can. The boy is truly saddened that he works on a different boat and not with the old man. The boy works on a different ship to support his family and to catch more fish because the old man is no longer catching fish he is unlucky. “The hell with” the boy said “I'll bring luck with me “what will your family say “I do not care. I caught two yesterday. But we will fish together now for I still have much to learn.” This quote shows that the boy is a companion to the old man because he wants to be by the old man and spend time with the old man catching fish and learning from him. The boy will no longer be with the fishing crew he has been with, the only reason he was with that crew was to provide his family food. The boy no longer cares about what his family says because he wants to spend time with the old man he wants to fish with the old man and learn from the old man because the old man has much to teach him. “You must get well fast for there is much that I can learn and you can teach me everything. How much did you suffer?” This quote shows the boy is a scholar he wants to learn from the olds man's wisdom.
he wants to learn from his grandfather because he is full of knowledge that the boy has yet to discover. He also wants his grandfather to get well because he knows that he had a hard day fishing and a tough time trying to catch the Marlin and this Marlin was once and a life time like winning the lottery it was 18 feet a huge marlin and the old man doesn't give up he plan on continue fishing.
Universal Significance
“Now we must make our plans about other things”
Even though the old man lost the biggest fish he has ever caught, the fish that would have brought him both money, and fame he continues to make plans as if he will again catch an even bigger fish. The old man tells the boy what tools they will been and they discuss how to catch a big fish. The old man has to know that catching a fish that large is a once in a lifetime event the thought never crosses his mind. He is determined that they will catch another fish of that magnitude and nothing will stop them this time.This is significant as it shows that the Old man could give up but instead he continues.
“The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved
him.” The old man taught the boy how to fish providing the boy with a talent to fish as well as an opportunity to provide for his family. In this quote it is evident that the Old man is a mentor to the Boy teaching him how to survive. The boy understands that the knowledge the Old man is providing is important and he is thankful and in return show the Old man great affection. This is significant as it shows that the Old man is more than a fisherman, he is a mentor and a teacher to the Boy. "We’re different," the old man said. "I let you carry things when you were five years old." The old man and the boy have grown over the years. The old man has grown older, wiser and weaker and the boy is slowly growing into a man. The boy now fishes for a ship and is no longer helping the old man with his fishing gear. Even though they are not always together the connection between the old man and the Boy is strong they rely on one another and they trust each other. This quote is significant as it shows that relationships that are built on trust and caring are everlasting. .
“the brass chains on his wrist”, and also “wedged between two rocks”. These two quotes display the imprisonment the father had experienced his whole life, and his desire to want something more in life other than just fishing. The second quote reveals how he was stuck between his desires and his responsibilities. These three points in this short story all display the importance of choice in a
The story describes the protagonist who is coming of age as torn between the two worlds which he loves equally, represented by his mother and his father. He is now mature and is reflecting on his life and the difficulty of his childhood as a fisherman. Despite becoming a university professor and achieving his father’s dream, he feels lonely and regretful since, “No one waits at the base of the stairs and no boat rides restlessly in the waters of the pier” (MacLeod 261). Like his father, the narrator thinks about what his life could have been like if he had chosen another path. Now, with the wisdom and experience that comes from aging and the passing of time, he is trying to make sense of his own life and accept that he could not please everyone. The turmoil in his mind makes the narrator say, “I wished that the two things I loved so dearly did not exclude each other in a manner that was so blunt and too clear” (MacLeod 273). Once a decision is made, it is sometimes better to leave the past and focus on the present and future. The memories of the narrator’s family, the boat and the rural community in which he spent the beginning of his life made the narrator the person who he is today, but it is just a part of him, and should not consume his present.
The novel Big Fish, written by Daniel Wallace, contains many themes that are an important aspect to the story. Forming the father-son relationship between Edward and his son, William, was the key theme to Big Fish. William believes that his father’s stories are fictional stories and do not establish the truth, which frustrates him. In an interview with New York Times, Tim Burton said, “"Big Fish is about what's real and what's fantastic, what's true and what's not true, what's partially true and how, in the end, it's all true.” At the end of the movie, William finally starts to understand his father and the stories that have been told. After his father died, William keeps his father’s legacy alive by replacing himself as the storyteller and by retelling his father’s stories.
Throughout Daniel Wallace’s novel, Big Fish, Edward Bloom encompasses the meaning of the title. He is immortalized through the many tall tales he has shared with his son, Will. The stories are a depiction of a man who is larger than life, someone who is too big for a small town. Edwards passion for being remembered and loved followed him to his deathbed, where he passed on his stories to his son. The term “Big Fish” is used to reference the magnificence of Edwards life, and is an embodiment of the larger than life stories that he passes down to Will.
The title of the poem itself dictates the simplicity Bishop wishes to convey regarding the narrator's view of his catch. A fish is a creature that has preceded the creation of man on this planet. Therefore, Bishop supplies the reader with a subject that is essentially constant and eternal, like life itself. In further examination of this idea the narrator is, in relation to the fish, very young, which helps introduce the theme of deceptive appearances in conjunction with age by building off the notion that youth is ignorant and quick to judge.
He teaches the kid what to do in order to successfully reel in a large, beautiful fish. Ironically, the narrator is the one who learns from the kid in the end. At the beginning of the story, everything is described negatively, from the description of the kid as a “lumpy little guy with baggy shorts” to his “stupid-looking ’50s-style wrap-around sunglasses” and “beat-up rod”(152). Through his encounter with the boy, the narrator is able to see life in a different way, most notable from how he describes the caught tarpon as heavy, silvery white, and how it also has beautiful red fins (154). Through the course of the story, the narrator’s pessimistic attitude changes to an optimistic one, and this change reveals how inspiring this exchange between two strangers is. This story as a whole reveals that learning also revolves around interactions between other people, not only between people and their natural surroundings and
...m the “battered and venerable and homely” fish is now a decorated war hero who has fought many battles. The speaker always had respect for the fish but at the end her admiration is so outstanding that she feels obligated to honor it. The final declaration is, “And I let the fish go” (76). This is the culmination of all the previous dialogue and shows the speaker’s utmost respect for the fish and how it would be inhumane of her to kill it.
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
The Fish is a narrative monologue composed for 76 free-verse lines. The poem is constructed as one long stanza. The author is the speaker narrating this poem. She narrates a fishing experience. The author is out in a rented boat on a body of water, presumably a lake. She tries to describe the fish to the fullest, which appears to be the purpose of the poem, without saying either the specie or an approximate age. The narration gives the impression that the fish is slightly old. There are a number of reasons as to why that fish got caught by the author, including time of day, the weeds weighing it down, fish’s age, and the fact that it has been previously caught five times.
...nizes the fish because, just like the fish, people fight daily battles to survive in life. This humanization of the fish enables the speaker to relate and respect him, and therefore, ultimately leads to his release.
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.
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...
”(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.
He didn’t fight at all”. We learn later on that the fish has been through a multitude of battles with previous fisherman and at this point, the fish has given up on fighting anymore. At the beginning, the mood of the poem seems very dull and depressing. Bishop chooses a depressing choice of words to convey an image of the worn down fish. At the initial catch, the fish is described having a “grunting weight, battered and venerable and homely”.
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.