Every work is a human activity which should be appreciated and paid accordingly; though it is necessary to differentiate between heavy industry and painting, people can find some occupation that would meet their requirements in terms of benefits, wages, social package, working hours, and other aspects that are considered important for employees. However, some people that are limited in choice of profession with a view to the location and territory have to be engaged in activities that do not seem to bring much money or inspiration. In this case, only enthusiasm helps to overcome certain difficulties.
The Old Man and a Tenacious Fish
Experience and luck can be considered an integral part of the work as it appears in practice because a person without experience should be very lucky to attain success, though a person with experience and with no trace of luck does not seem to be successful in any occupation he/she chooses. The main character of Hemingways book The Old Man and the Sea is a person with great experience in life and in his work but he does not seem to be lucky; this is where he appears to be &salao, which is the worst form of luck & (Hemingway 5). The old man is not unlucky, though he believes himself to be, he lacks new ideas and some inspiration.
Hard work was always considered a good expression of diligence, endeavor, effort, and persistence. The old man is a hard-working person who knows what he wants from life but the only desire after forty days of not catching a proper fish to be sold is to catch a fish that would be the solution to all his problems. As the old man believed, Eighty-five is a lucky number (Hemingway 6) and the eighty-fifth day would bring him some profit in terms of fish that can be big and marketable enough to not make the old man worry about the food or clothes.
The old man happened to be really lucky on the eighty-fifth day, but the fortune abandoned him when the victory was close and tangible. Though sharks can be considered the cruelest wild beasts of the water territory, the old man did not feel either fear or anxiety when these predators started eating the marlin the old man has caught with such effort. The only thing that made the old man nervous was that the fish was unsuitable for the market anymore.
The old man considered himself to be unlucky, though he believed in faith being favorable to him till the last moment of the severe fight for a marlin. He appeared & definitely and finally salao (Hemingway 5) in the very beginning of the story; the old man is described sleeping in his bed and dreaming of wild lions and sand of the African beaches and the time when he was young (Hemingway 65). He has shown his experience and no one could ever doubt the old mans luck.
Conclusion
A person can consider himself/herself to be what he/she wants to be; as a rule, this position comes true if a person believes in it. When the old man considered himself to be unlucky, the fortune abandoned him and he had to spend eighty-four days without any trace of hope to be successful and to catch a marketable fish. At the moment when the old man had left his idea of being unlucky, the luck returned to him.
Work Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Hueber Verlag, 1995
The Old Man and the Sea is written by Ernest Hemingway in Cuba. It’s a novel. It was a last major work novel to be created by Hemingway and this novel famous work of his life time experience. It is a point and based of attraction for Santiago. He is a old fisherman who struggle who struggle for catching to marlin fish. It is a simple story about a fisherman Santiago and his battle with a large marlin fish. For 84 days Santiago does not catch a single fish but he does not feel depressed. He goes for out into the sea and hooks a large marlin fish. A extreme struggle occur in which Santiago control to kill fish and they keep lot of struggle into bout. The old man he has to fight a more struggle with some dangerous large sharks and that sharks which eat up the marlin. That sharks leaved only the Skelton. The old man brings it home and lays on bed and to dream. The old man almost tired and exhaustion. But his struggle wins him much respect.
Generation gap
Old Man and the Sea written by Hemingway published in 1952. In this novel Santiago was main character. Santiago as old man and his journey to 84 days. He we see to generation gap and old man struggle life. He was a fisher man and one young boy mandolin was his friend old man is the best possible and perfect idea to mandolin. Old man educate to mandolin by activity an legal process not by dispute.
Hemingway contribute ideas about generation gap and old man was not feeling well physical not intelligence. He goes to travel to morning at mid night in the novel we see that Santiago went to sea and he caught one big marlin fish but at that time sharks come and old man was hard try to sharks. Here we see that old man was not healthy. He was not feeling well and his body not working to well. He was should not work on that time. He was thought about his young day. How he fights with Negro person to win and his life ability of that. He involve into won. In that time we see that Santiago chase away to sharks at his old tools and rush them. Hemingway do most of struggles to catching the marlin fish.
Human ethic
Human will be soggy after its want cannot be satisfied then feel depression. The knowledge of human creates human to move to the next stage ethical. Human will think to tolerate the honesty of its self and others, and select good or bad things before human does something. Human can form the ethics as the maturity of human life. In the Old Man and the Sea, Santiago leap out to ethical theater life which transfer in the story od Santiago leap out to ethical stage which transfer in the story of Santiago’s existing time. Extremely evidence proves that Santiago appreciate that he want help from other but he does not manoline arrive problem because he refuse to conform his parents as represent in the novel I go with can be with you again. The boy said no the old man said. You are with a lucky boat. Stay with them. Even though, a lot fisherman offend to him. Santiago hold back his emotion and just be silent. He proves that he is a intelligent fisherman. Santiago is also have a liking of his marline fish. He is already considers the large wish was like his brother. Because of diligent against fellow active being created him feel worried as state in the novel I wish I could feed the fish he thought. He is my brother You didn’t killed the fish for your whole life and sell to for food . He thinks you killed him for self sufficient because you are a fisherman. You desired him When you are a fisherman. You desired him when he was alive and you desired him after.
Critical analysis
In this novel we find the very initial stage that character produced their living places introduced and some of the background about characters is introduced and very initial stage we find Santiago and boy mandolin and description about them.
In the next stage that the event of his expedition when he goes into on the way very first day of his fishing 85th day when he become in successful from last 84 days idol when he started on the 85th date. So we are considering this 85th day as the first and then we have his expedition very he fishes and he catches the marlin in the afternoon and it is struggle marlin shown.
On the next day that is the second day and he struggles the whole day and whole night he could not sleep in the night on the third on the second day and on the same thing happens. There we find his struggle with sharks his battle with sharks.
on the third day of that the old man are killed the marlin with the his weapon harpoon. The marlin blood Spreads in the water and the sharks attracts than marlin blood. He kills some sharks and on the night and that group of sharks came to his skiff and all these sharks take away the very flesh of that marlin.
Next day that is fourth day he reaches to his net you placed or at his hut and he is fully tired. He is completely tired and he got fatty the boy just he goes there and sleeps and after sometime the boy comes there and boy console see and that fellow fisherman and other people gathers around his skiff and they saw that how big fish he fished. There in the sea and someone measures that really measures of marlin and he finds that the marlin is measured 18 feet large. So they find that how big that marlin.
Major themes
The major themes in this novel first is struggle for life and honor This novel is about the struggle of human being and also it is about the honor of it you are human being. Santiago who says about the honor and the struggle of man. So this is “man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeat.”
The second theme is that life and death this struggle of Santiago is for honor and life so life is significant here he goes to fish to survived in this crude world. He has to kill someone he has to kill marlin. He respected marlin but for his life. He has to kill the marlin. This is the very significant theme. Santiago said his own words he says “Because I love you I have to kill you.
The third theme is that defeat and triumph the struggle of Santiago with marlin or even know he is successful to in catching that fish he is successfully fishing the marlin but when he battles with shark we find that shark defeat him. All the sharks are attacked him on marlin and they have taken away the flesh. That Santiago has a very bad feeling they are the sea but he cannot do anything or to do those shark but he determines to fight with sharks and he kills some of the sharks. but at the night many sharks can back .just they cover on the flesh of that marlin. He’s defeated by sharks in a way and when he reaches to his hut and when other fellow fisherman find that he has fished a big marlin fish. This is prime now he doe bring that skeleton. He self-respect is preserved in that act in that action which is carried out in the sea so this is a defeat also and a typhoon derives also.
The fourth theme is that self-respect & pride the others fisherman have teased him and somehow got him unlucky. He wanted to show them the strength and he wanted to show his power he wanted to prove himself. He is though hi is old but he can fish and he can catch a very big wish. So they advice is respect and the very honor.
The fifth theme is that human endurance and resolve Santiago is very persistent in the fighting with sharks and in the struggle of marlin and thought many shots destroyed his marlin or they mutilated the marlin still he has a resolve or still determined to fight the sharks team kill some of the sharks at the end. He defeated but there is a great resolve in his action. There is great human endure in this action.
Symbol and imagery
There are so many symbols used in the novel.
When we think about old man sea. So there is great similarity between the life of Hemingway itself and the life of Santiago. So it is a allegory because many events for example-
The struggle of Santiago matches with the struggle of Hemingway similarity between Santiago life and Hemingway’s life and hence it is called as the allegory.
Now first we have the some of the symbols here the will be first symbol is that Marlin represent the strength and power when the way first look the marlin on the sea. He thinks that how big fish and how powerful fish. So it represents their strength and the very power.
That Santiago man who talks about lions they Santiago dreams about lions and dreams in the desert of Africa or on the beaches of Africa. This represent the very youthful days and playful days of Santiago.
Symbol of boy or that mandolin. Mandolin also represents the very youthful days or childhood days of Santiago.
Very significant symbol of sea. Sea represents the life force it represents the life giver and that the sea. There is no one and Santiago is alone so it also symbolizes the isolation.
Sharks are the darker side of life they are the enemy of life and they represents the destructive force.
Joe DiMaggio is the discussion point of Santiago and mandolin. Constantly Santiago talks about this joe DiMaggio and joe DiMaggio represents the very innovative of human speed the inspiration motivation of Santiago.
Santiago who is the symbol of self respect, pride or honor, and very human struggles and he is the symbol of resolve is symbol of determination.
The Imagery
Hemingway has use crucifixion the imaging of crucifixion that when Santiago returns to his home on who is hurt and he lays on the bed and the waving of this bed or the status of that Santiago his pumps are upward and his hand are spectrum shows that image of Jesus Christ on the crucifixion on the cross.
Christian Imagery for example- When he kills the marlin the blood spreads into that sea.
Hemingway uses dialogues and that dialogues have bring about the very real scene or the reality in the event of this novel and that they are internal monologue when Santiago goes on the expedition of fishing he talks to himself.
Conclusion
Hemingway language in the Old Man and the Sea is simple and very easy in natural on the internal, but purposeful and artificial the language is very rare emotional rather, it controls emotions. It is hold them it is very unique.
All of the symbols working by Hemingway. They are add to the essential theme that life is and endless struggle with imaginary rewards. In command to addition nobility in life, a person must show bravery and fearless, confidence, fortitude, humility, intelligence during the struggle. Therefore even if the prize is lost. The person has to do achieve the goal by the struggle and won the battle by struggle. They are trying to him self able to perform maintaining mercy and charm under the pressure the last and final test of human race.
The word pride in itself isn’t a significant word but its importance infers many things. There are multiple definitions of pride. Each and every person has their own meaning of pride. The most utilized and well-known meaning of pride is being pleased or having a feeling of incredible achievement and feeling self-satisfied with your actions. The word pride has both positive and negative effects on yourself depending on your imaginations and thoughts. In the novel The Old Man and The Sea, we meet Santiago who is a dedicated man, who drives forward through each difficulty that nature has to bring him. Santiago just lets the hard times go through him since he is confident and believes in himself that a big fish is not far off from him catching it. Santiago expresses the thoughts of respect and pride in his actions and imagination. He is additionally a father figure to a little kid named Manolin who passes on the picture that the old man is whom he would prefer to be when he is old. A man’s pride and can lead to his mental strength.
Santiago is a man who lives by an ethical code and has a way of thinking in life. He is an expert in fishing, substantially more mindful of its fine details than any other fisherman. He represents the manly ideals of boldness and determination. He also has a solid feeling of good and bad when it comes to killing fishes. He cherishes and respects the fish he seeks after, thinking of them as his ‘brothers,’ and he detests killing an animal for nothing more than a bad memory. More than everything else, Santiago has his pride and honor, which he communicates most obviously at the times he understands that more sharks are coming to eat marlin that he has. He says, ‘A man can be destroyed but not defeated'(103) which means that a truly genuine man will battle as far as possible, to death if necessary, yet he will never surrender or give up. This quote has been proven throughout the novel. Santiago in the end is physically destroyed, but mentally he is not defeated. Defeated means fully down and broken to a point where it has no use. Santiago never faces this, he faces a problem that he can’t control. He was being crushed with old age but his pride prevented him from being destroyed. Even after days of not catching, he still knows he has his pride. He doesn’t want this fish for food, he wants it for honor and pride. He even notes that this fish wasn’t for food as those who fed upon him are not worthy enough. During the fight with the marlin, he physically was being defeated. There are so many events throughout his journey where he is defeated by nature but he is so motivated and focused on what he desires which keeps him going and prevents him from being destroyed, his focus is shown in the novel when he says “ Now is the time to think of only one thing. That which I was born for’ (40) this just demonstrates that he never lost his focus; he always focused on one thing he was born for and never gave up. It’s true because he isn’t crushed because he never abandons fishing, he never gives up on catching a fish, and Santiago doesn’t lose his pride. In spite of his failures, he sets out in his boat after not catching a single fish for eighty-four days. After all this, Santiago is certain that he will get a fish that he can sell. This gives life a new perspective of the way of thinking of life, where living with pride and respecting every human life exists. This teaches patient self-control and resistance of hardship.
Santiago faces challenges from nature as well, which tests his physical and mental ability. Prior to the battle with the marlin, Santiago had 84 days of unluckiness and did not catch a single fish , yet he stays hopeful and does not give up. As time advances and the fight against the marlin draws near, the sea keeps on testing his old age. ‘I must hold his pain where it is, he thought. Mine does not matter. I can control mine’ (88). Even after the fact that Santiago was fighting emotional and physical strength, his pride was stopping him from giving up on catching the marlin. The ocean is something he was clearly alright with regularly. But this fight with the marlin is not the same as what he has ever used to previously. The further he went out, the harder it became for him to focus and stay energetic.
Santiago also looks up to Joe DiMaggio and his greatness. Santiago introduces the name of Joe DiMaggio with the word “great” pretty much every time he makes reference to the player’s name. He tells Manolin to ”think of the great Joe DiMaggio.”(17) Santiago compares himself to him and kind of looks up to him in a way. Santiago explains ‘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.’ (68) Santiago views DiMaggio as a definitive man and strives to resemble him. Joe DiMaggio was one of the best baseball players ever, he gave Santiago a father figure to look up to and continuously strive to be like him and be the greatest. Santiago feels like a great fisherman just like a great baseball player and gets the mental strength to keep on going and not giving up.
Santiago additionally has a conflict with himself. This conflict didn’t influence Santiago’s physical strength like the sea, yet rather it tested him mentally and related back to Santiago’s pride. The sharks caused him danger after marlin was tied to the boat. The blood from marlin pulled in a lot of sharks quickly. In the wake of murdering a shark, Santiago started having self conflict and started worrying. ‘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’ (105). This quote explains that he started thinking that he killed the fish just for his pride and he started to genuinely feel about his doing. This makes Santiago overthink about what happened. He was being tested here as he was not killing the fish for money. If he was a fisherman and he was fishing with the intention of killing fish for his pride.This situation was different from the ones he faced before because he did not kill the shark in self defense. This is against his rules of fishing but after a while Santiago starts thinking again. He states ‘‘I killed him in self-defense’ the old man said aloud. ‘And I killed him well” (106). Santiago realizes that if he did not kill the shark then he would have not survived so as a human being that was his first instinct to survive. When thinking about it again, he starts to take in that he didn’t kill the fish to sell it and eat it. His emotions toward himself change definitely once he understood that he could have died himself. Significantly in the wake of having physical conflict with the sea and the marlin, his contention against his mind and thoughts may have been what tried Santiago’s pride the most. Even after killing the fish against his code of fishing he remains positive and keeps on living with his ethics. He has consistently been against executing fish, however for this situation, he realizes it was crucial.
Santiago also stays positive about himself and always looks at the positive side of whatever he is doing. He knows that he is worth something, since he had been having back luck with fishing he doesn’t get mad instead he explains himself that fishing in spring is not an easy task. He states “Anyone can be a fisherman in May”(18). This quote explains and demonstrates the simplicity of fishing in May. But it symbolizes and represents fishing in the spring. Any youth or young person has the physical strength and mindset to catch a fish, yet it takes a man to catch fish once old age has set in and fishing turns into a battle. It takes a strong mindset and pride and you need to be mentally strong.
Santiago is a man who continually fights himself and nature, fabricating his thoughts into thinking he is more than capable for this harsh world. The marlin likewise makes a certifiable test for him, reinforcing his will to live and battle, it tests him to the fullest and even though he doesn’t have his physical strength anymore his pride carries him through this test and contributes to his mental strength. The sharks, similar to the marlin, test Santiago physically, and emotionally. Even after all these events encouraging Santiago to give up and accept that he is old and useless but his pride helps keep his head up throughout his hard times. This pride is only in control of the pair of eyes who are viewing the situation. If you view the situation and see the good in it the pride will always be on your side.
The novel is considered a classic through the use of themes, one of which is pride. The story takes an ambivalent attitude to pride. Santiago knows that he is a good fisherman. For example, when Manolin tells Santiago, ‘The best fisherman is you,” at the start of the story, he disagrees. Instead Santiago takes pride of being exactly what he is a fisherman and a man. Through the use of interior monologue Hemingway wants us to feel what Santiago is feeling, that he believes he is a great fisherman. With Santiago’s pride, he travelled very far out in the sea “beyond all people in the world” so he could catch the marlin. Santiago loved the marlin and called it his brother, he admitted to killing it for pride. This is symbolic because Another theme Hemingway has used is friendship. This is shown through Santiago and his young friend Manolin. Throughout the story the old man feels isolated, although he does have friends on the sea as he says the flying fish are “his principal friends on the ocean”, and the marlin becomes his ‘brother’, this is symbolic because the Marlin represents nature and this shows that the old man is close to nature as he calls the Marlin his brother. The old man refers in the book that “I wish I had the boy” the old man is referring to his friend Manolin and how he feels isolated without him. Themes were shown throughout the whole novel which shows that it is a classic.
The novel is considered a classic through Hemingway’s style. Hemingway uses allegory which tells the story through symbolic representation. His style is very different as he is writing is very descriptive and he makes the story short using allegory to write his action-packed story in such little words. There is a strong hint of Christian allegory in the novel. Hemingway compares Santiago to Jesus because he strengthens the image of him as a sacrificial hero. Towards the end of the book there is a reference to crucifixion when the old man felt the nail go through his hand and into the wood just as Hemingway is referencing when Jesus got nailed to the cross; “Ay”, the old man said aloud which is just a noise such as a man might make without control as nails where going through his hands into the wood. ‘had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. But none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert’. Hemingway uses metaphors to describe Santiago’s scars, how they were old as erosions in a fishless desert. Hemingway uses figurative language to help create vivid images and describe details. One type of figurative language is personification, an example of personification is when Santiago sees the oceans. “He always thought of the sea as ‘la mar’ which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her. Sometimes those who love her say bad things of her, but they are always said as though she were a woman”. Since the ocean doesn’t have a gender nor alive and this is an example or personification because it helps the reader understand Santiago’s relationship with the sea and how he sees it. Hemingway uses simple and direct language in his writing, he is famous for his ability to pack meaning into a few simple words. For example, “It jumped again and again in the acrobatics of its fear”. Hemingway’s style is very distinctive, his sentences are very brief and has a lot of detail which shows that the novel is a classic.
The novel is considered a classic through the context of the novel. Hemingway lived in Cuba for around 20 years which the novel was set on a Cuban fisherman, for nearly a decade before the Old Man and the Sea was published Hemingway said that he had nothing offered the literary world. The old man in the novel struggles for days when his fish was getting destroyed by sharks Hemingway symbolises the shovel-heads in the novel which suggests Hemingway’s career was over. This suggests one of the major themes in the novel “A man can be destroyed but not defeated”.
The film The Old Man and the Sea was based on a short novel authored by, Ernest Hemingways. Although the original story was quite short for a movie, it did not stop John Sturges and the protagonist Spencer Tracy from cinematizing it.
This was mainly due to their excellence in that field, having had a vast experience in film making and acting. The story revolves around an old man with his ally, a young boy, a helper.
Most of his numerous years were lived on fishing. He is 84 years old and has experienced the most mean of times in his life with no catch at sea for several months.
This, however, does not stop him from visiting the sea for fish, even though people increasingly discourage him; the younger ones are thinking he is cursed, while the older sympathizing. This is the situation that he allows his boy to seek a job on other boats.
One day, he manages to catch a fish; however, using some evil design, he is attacked by sharks and enforced to fight until the end. The results are not as successful as he expected to get: he returns home with a huge skeleton of the fish he caught and has nothing to do but continue dreaming.
Don Quixote is a novel authored by Miguel de Cervantes; it revolves around an aged man known as Alonso Quixano.
He is portrayed as a retired person who loves reading chivalry books which are “with enchantments, with quarrels, battles, challenges, wounds, amorous plaints, loves, torments, and follies impossible” (Cervantes 3). His setting is in La Mancha. He lives with both his niece and a housekeeper.
He becomes obsessed with his chivalry books and ends up believing every word in them. This gradually transpires into his day-to-day life as he loses his mind, or at least to his neighbors.
This is mainly because most of his new beliefs from chivalry are fictions and therefore practically unrealistic. This obsession sets him into quests, seeking for that which is only understood by him, unrealistic imaginations from chivalry novels.
Through his work, he acquires a friend and several enemies in Sancho Panza and traders from Toledo. His obsessed life is full of intrigues and dramas, with deception coming out as one of the paramount themes.
He plots two unfruitful escapes to pursue his obsessions and eventually comes back home with his friend from a failed mission, tired and in a great melancholy. He renounces chivalry with renewed restoration but continues in melancholy.
It ends in a sad note, as the protagonist dies, broken and sane.
Both stories, The Old Man and the Sea and Don Quixote have a number of common features as they are based on all those characteristics inherent to men who are challenged the world they live in; the conditions under which the characters live to make them put in a question the reality and everything they have to believe in; in this paper, a comparison of two characters from different stories will be developed to prove how life may play tricks with people who fall in love with it.
Common features in both The Old Man and the Sea and Don Quixote
Several features are portrayed in both stories, starting with the setting, Quixano is said to stay in La Mancha, but the exact place is not given.
This is same with the old man’s tiny house, only referred to as a hovel, they are peasants, living among peasants and face the challenges of poverty, and they struggle to make something out of it.
The two characters are in pursuit of something throughout the story. While Quixote seeks an imaginary life read from a book of chivalry, the old man keeps his faith in one day returning to winning ways in terms of catching more fish.
Even through scorns and massive discouragements are experienced, as seen from neighbors, this does not stop them.
Another feature that is quite common in the society set up is connected with the fact that the events which happen to Don Quixote take place in Spain, while the old man lives in Mexico.
These two places share several features and cultural interactions, which in turn could be thought to influence the theme of these stories. Pretentious happenings in the story of the old man as well as deception portrayed in Don Quixote’s story are considered to be integral.
It is also quite important to note that in both settings, people are poor, and suffers from the peasantry, as they do not get enough, even to eat.
This is how the authors make us, the readers, “augment our identity and refresh our stale store of experience in the act of surrendering to fictional lives far more intensely” (Gilman 8).
The characters have loyal allies, in the case of Don Quixote, it is Panza, while for the old man has the boy. They seem to follow their own will, and no one controls them.
In both cases there seem to be something out of reach that they seek, Quixote follows fictions in chivalry, while the old man follows his ‘dreams of lions’.
Quixote seems burrowed in books, his novels, which link him to chivalry fictions. These books are considered to be the main evil sources which promote the wrong perception of reality and inabilities to tough with reality (Allen 37).
Sancho-Esque and Quixotic Characters
Quixotism is the act of believing in unrealistic ideals; it may also be referred to as over-idealism, those who believe in ideas beyond facts and reality, this moves them to adventurous episodes, which in most cases fail.
This element is considerably bold in the two stories, with Don Quixote displaying it in most characters.
There is a clear elaboration of Quixote’s quixotic ideas, which seems to possess him; other characters are also caught up in this, thereby unraveling several intriguing events, which are quite unrealistic even to the neighborhood (Bloom 4).
Several characters display quixotism in the whole passage and both stories. Chief among them is Don Quixote, who becomes over-idealistic in his beliefs on chivalry; he shows no regard for reality and ends up seeking what is ideal and unrealistic.
This could also be seen in the old man’s fight with sharks for fish, carrying a skeleton of fish is quite unrealistic of a man of vast experience in fishing. These ideas are shared with other characters in the stories such as Panza, who keeps fighting to retain quixotic-ego even after his influencer.
In The Old Man and the Sea, the boy adds an element of quixotism to the man and helps him fight against all odd which take place around.
Secondary characters
Sancho, an ally of Don, is a clear example of other characters whose interactions with the protagonist, gradually shapes into quixotic characters.
This is well elaborated in their return after the second quest where, Sancho tries to reinstate his faith, even moving further to re-ignite Quixano’s quixotism.
This is also conveyed when he goes in search for Dulcinea, Quixote’s ladylove, but comes up with three peasant girls. He even gets an imaginary governorship, proving more of his quixotic nature.
Other characters conveying Quixote element in the passage include the innkeeper who meets Quixote during his first quest for adventure. The innkeeper is said to dub him a knight just as Quixote had done to him.
The three girls brought to Quixote as his lover and her house cleaners also seem to portray a similar character; they come in as impersonators with illusions and over-idealism.
The element of deception that is brought by the secondary characters also helps to grasp the idea of live preferred by the characters.
Motivation for characters
In exploring Don Quixote, it is clear that his motivation is driven by his need to live a better life; it seems like he hates his current situation and wants an adventurous life that seems so interesting to the extent of obsession to him.
When he reads chivalry and keeps re-reading, he tries to convince himself that such a life is possible, this motivates him, and the thought of an adventurous quest further compounds the matter.
He, therefore, keeps with his motivation. Similarly, even though Sancho looks dull and manipulate, he later gains motivation and seeks quixotic renewal, although this fails.
In the old man’s story, he keeps the fight even amidst fierce challenges which include discouragements, realities on the ground as well as the sharks; he keeps dreaming.
Without considering all those doubts which appear in the lives of characters, the boy remains to be loyal to the man as well as Panza believes in Don Quixote.
Quest for the characters
Cervantes’ story covers a protagonist who is obsessed with chivalry and their lifestyles, he, therefore, escapes twice in search of such a world, but the reality comes back when he fails. Even though the failure seems expected, his quest is quite strong; the urge pushes him.
This is the same as the old man who explores his knight-errant in the sea, fighting to keep his fish against equally handy sharks, he also fails, but the hope is not lost. This is portrayed in his carriage of a skeleton of fish and dreams of loins.
These quests are also dissimilar in that, Quixote seeks a fiction, something unreal, while the old man seeks something real, he has been fishing his whole life, he seeks what he knows better, something he has spent his whole life and experience doing.
Conclusion
The two stories are similar in their settings, and their character’s personality in seeking their missions, this is seen in Quixote’s unrivaled quest for chivalry life, similar to old man’s quest for fish even in times of scarcity.
They both go out of their ways to find their needs, even though luck is notwithstanding.
In terms of what is sought, it is quite ironical and to some extent unrealistic in both cases, for the sea and nature to be so unfair to the old man, and a retired gentleman to turn mad, chasing the wind, all because of a library of books read.
The stories, therefore, contain elements of fiction, deception, pretentiousness, among others. These stories are admirably adapted, classic and consuming as they portray the lives of common people in the traditional society, featuring Spanish life and Mexican that are quite close given their interaction.
Works Cited
Allen, John. Don Quixote: Hero or Fool? Part II. Gainesville: University of Florida, 1979.
Bloom, Harold (Ed.) Cervantes’s Don Quixote. Modern Critical Interpretations. Chelsea House Publishers. 2000.07. 10. 2010.
Cervantes, Miguel. Don Quixote de la Mancha. BilbioBazaar, 2008.
Gilman, Stephen. The Novel According to Cervantes. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.
This paper delves into the concept of the story “The Old Man and the Sea” being connected to man’s fight against old age and time.
Introduction
When examining the story “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway, readers would be hard pressed to find a single theme that can be considered as the main point of the novel. For example, it can be stated that the novel delves into the concept of the desire for acceptance as exemplified by the character of Santiago who was a Spaniard trying to integrate himself into the local culture of Cuba (Hemingway, 1952).
On the other end of the spectrum it could also be stated that the novel itself delves into the philosophical and the metaphysical as exemplified by the scenes wherein Santiago considered the marlin as a brother or when he delved into a distinct introspection about his life and how he got to where he was.
It can also be stated that the novel itself has distinct religious overtones as evidenced by Santiago’s reference to the crucifixion in the scene where the sharks came to eat the body of the marlin. Yet, despite the sheer amount of possible references, it is the belief of the reader that this novel delves into the way in which the concept of man fights against the inevitable passage of time.
Man and Time
When examining the novel there are several pivotal scenes that exemplify the concept of man fight against time, these are:
a.) Santiago’s fight with the Marlin
b.) His desire to end his unlucky streak
c.) His stubbornness to simply not cut the line
d.) Refusing to show his illness to Manolin.
The events can be considered as character traits that many among the elderly possess wherein they attempt to fight against time. For example the stubbornness of Santiago to not cut the line is the same type of stubbornness seen by many of those with advanced ages wherein they refuse to give up certain activities despite the health risk involved. Refusing to show signs of illness is also a trait shared by Santiago and the elderly as well as the desire to end “their unlucky streaks” by accomplishing new activities.
What must be understood is that while the age of Santiago is not outright stated, it can be seen within the novel that he has advanced considerably in age. The fact that he has not been able to catch fish is more likely due to his advanced age hampering his capabilities rather than through bad luck. It is based on this that his desire to end his unlucky streak is actually his desire to actively pursue activities that his advanced age would otherwise not permit.
Thus, Santiago’s fight against the marlin is actually symbolic of how the some people fight against the passage of time. His stubbornness, determination and unwillingness to give up are all aspects shared by people in similar positions. This can be seen right till the end wherein Santiago refused to let Manolin know of his illness. In the end it can be assumed that Santiago, like all others before him, lost his battle with time and died, stubborn till the end.
Conclusion
Overall, it can be stated that this story was one that delved into the concept of man and time and how people stubbornly refuse to give in to the passage of time till the bitter end.
Reference List
Hemingway, E. (1952). The old man and the sea. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Ernest Hemingway emerged as one of America’s more colorful writers in the early to mid-1900s, presenting himself as the ultimate man’s man, worldly traveler, mighty hunter and hard-drinking spinner of tales. Within a short span of time, 1925-1929, he had established himself as having produced some of the most important literary fiction in his century. His short stories focused on the virtues held by men a generation or two earlier than him as well as the effects and aftereffects of war. He was able to keenly observe what was going on around him in nature as well as in human affairs thanks to his early years while his newspaper experience gave him the ability to cut to the heart of a story (Griffin, 1999). Yet each story contained a deeper message within the lines, if the reader felt the desire to go searching for it. He believed in omitting extra details as a way of strengthening his stories. He compared this to an iceberg. Just like only the top 1/8th of an iceberg can be seen above the water with the rest remaining below the surface providing it with its momentum and dignity, Hemingway believed his stories should follow the same structure. Although some critics loved him, others said his stories were shallow. “He had no sympathy for women, they said, portraying them either as manhood-destroying bitches or as mere objects of sexual domination” (Lynn, 1987: 10). A close reading of his stories reveals not only the messages the author intended to send, but also some insights as to the way he felt about things. In The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway reveals his conception of heroism not as a measure of the glory and recognition his character receives, but instead in the determination of the struggle.
The story is not a long one, although it is longer than a short story. Comprised of approximately 100 pages, The Old Man and the Sea details five days in the life of Santiago, who is an old Cuban fisherman who was once known as the champion fisherman of his village but has recently had a streak of bad luck, not having caught a single fish in 84 days by the time the story opens. Santiago is attended by his young apprentice, Manolin, who seems to be the only person in the village he still loves, but Manolin’s parents are concerned about their boy working on a boat that catches no fish and order him to work on someone else’s boat. Despite this, Manolin remains dedicated to Santiago, recognizing in him qualities that are not present in any of the other fishermen. In an effort to try to break his losing streak, Santiago sets off alone into the Gulf Stream in his little boat to try to catch one of the big fish that live out there. He hooks a giant marlin by noon, but the fish is too strong for Santiago to pull in and the little boat is dragged behind the fish as it tries to get away. Santiago fights with the fish for two days and nights before it finally begins to show signs of fatigue, but in the process, Santiago’s hands have been ripped open, he has suffered numerous pains and damaged his back. Finally, on the third day, the fish begins to give in and Santiago manages to get it close enough to his boat to stab it with his harpoon and end the fight. After strapping the fish to the boat, Santiago heads home but must fight off the many sharks that come to take his prize fish away from him. He is able to fend off some of the sharks, but eventually, the sharks get all of the marlin’s meat and Santiago returns to the village empty handed with only the skeleton still attached to the boat.
Although the action of the story does not seem to be all that in-depth, Hemingway, in true characteristic approach, leaves a great deal of the story underneath the surface. In many ways, the events that surround Santiago’s story can be said to place him within the realm of the tragic hero as the story touches on the three primary characteristics of the classic Greek definition. These characteristics include hamartia, anagnorisis and peripeteia. Hamartia is commonly referred to today as a tragic flaw (“Aristotle”, 1998). It is the concept that a noble man will fall as a result of some inherent flawed portion of his character that causes him to act in a specific way or make a particular mistake in judgment. For Santiago, this flaw emerges very obviously as his pride in his abilities as a fisherman which drives him to go out to deeper waters as a means of showing up the other fishermen who have been saying things against him. Hamartia is followed by an eventual clarity of perception which is referred to as anagnorisis. In Aristotelian terms, this word translates to mean recognition (“Aristotle”, 1998). As he realizes that he will be unable to fend off the sharks long enough to get the marlin home, Santiago recognizes the destruction his pride has brought on both the fish and himself and suffers remorse for it. This concept leads naturally into the third element, that of peripeteia. Literally translated, the word means something akin to a sudden reversal based upon logic and intellect (“Aristotle”, 1998). As Aristotle used it, it meant the sudden reversal of fortunes for the protagonist that was at once surprising to the audience, but that also followed naturally as the result of prior actions and events. Since Santiago returned home even more empty-handed than when he left (he lost his harpoon in his struggles against the sharks), it can be said he has suffered a reversal of fortunes. “In its narrow confines, its reduction to fundamentals, the purity of its design and even in [its hubris] (for Santiago exceeded his limits and went out too far) … It is much in the spirit of the Greek tragedies … in that as the hero falls, one gets an unforgettable glimpse of what stature a man may have” (Young, 1968: 22). While this interpretation of Santiago as a tragic hero remains open for argument, further investigation reveals that Hemingway intended this character to be seen as a modern hero according to his own conception of the term.
Hemingway’s vision of the hero was profoundly different from the classical interpretation. Santiago was a common fisherman and an old one who had not been successful enough in his earlier life to have provided himself with a relatively comfortable retirement. In this, he is an Everyman yet is still capable of attaining the heroic through his own fortitude and determination. He is a prime example of the Code that Hemingway believed in as the only true defining characteristic of the hero, in which man never loses hope and faith in himself: “Hemingway – himself a great sportsman – liked to portray soldiers, hunters, bullfighters – tough, at times primitive people whose courage and honesty are set against the brutal ways of modern society, and who in this confrontation lose hope and faith” (Frenz, 1969). The fact that Santiago never gives up, never loses hope and never loses his faith in himself establishes him as the hero of Hemingway’s lexis despite his age, his wounds, his extreme fatigue and his failure, even now, to have brought home the great fish that would have brought him glory and recognition. All that remains is evidence of a great battle having been fought, but no prize. “He [Hemingway] sees the unheroic hero in the world of his imagining and consistently mistrusts the elevated, the mystical, the glorious, the grand” (Fuchs, 1965: 432). This is because it is only in the honest struggle, brought down to the level of the true center of the man without concern for posterity, glory or aggrandizement, that heroism can be found. According to Melvin Miles (2002), “the Hemingway code consists of standards and forms of conduct by which a man can confront the realities of nada with dignity, and thus by which he can impose a measure of purpose, order, meaning and value upon his life. The concept of ‘dignity’ is both the basis and the goal of the code. For Hemingway, dignity is the expression of true moral integrity, and it is the highest possible attainment of character.” Through his portrayal of Santiago, Hemingway illustrates his full conception of what is meant when he says hero.
It is a given that this old man does not fit with many modern conceptions of the hero upon his first introduction. Even in the arena of the classical tragic hero, the character in question begins from a place that is high and exalted. He is easily recognized as a man of noble birth. Santiago, in contrast, is nothing more than a very poor old fisherman who seems to have lost any chance he once had of being the kind of hero today’s audience might expect. “He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish” (Hemingway, 1952: 1). There is a tattered quality about him that pervades the mental picture we have of him. The sail of his boat is described as “patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat” (1). The shack that he lives in is also quite poor, made of palm fronds with “a place on the dirt floor to cook with charcoal” (3). His personal appearance, too, takes on a similar look as the sail: “His shirt had been patched so many times that it was like the sail and the patches were faded to many different shades by the sun” (4).
These descriptions establish a connection between Santiago and the small birds that are among the first animals mentioned in the story. “He was sorry for the birds, especially the small delicate dark terns that were always flying and looking and almost never finding, and he thought, the birds have a harder life than we do except for the robber birds and the heavy strong ones. Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel?” (7). As he floats in the dark and relies on his other senses, dressed in his tattered shirt with his tattered sail, hovering just above the water’s surface, Santiago himself takes on the same delicate and fragile appearance he is associating with the birds. Taken one step further, he becomes a symbol of all of mankind as they bob along in the dark and seek but don’t often find an elusive something. Thus, Santiago passes out of the world of the mortal human beings and into the realm of the emblematic as he demonstrates for Hemingway’s audience just what Hemingway’s conception of the true, modern hero might be once the concept of God is removed from the picture.
The first suggestion that Santiago is a heroic figure in Hemingway’s conception comes in his unwavering faith in himself despite the hardships he’s suffered lately. These are made apparent immediately as it is mentioned that Santiago’s young helper had been removed from his boat forcibly by the boy’s parents and placed on a more successful one after 40 days of no fish and the conditions of Santiago’s properties are detailed. As has been mentioned, the boat is tattered and the shack is little more than a lean-to built of palm fronds, but Santiago’s position is made clearer by his lack of food and supplies as well as by the laughing of the young fishermen along the wharf. Although it has now been 84 days since he caught a fish, Santiago’s “hope and his confidence had never gone.” He has a plan for the morning that he’s going to pursue and he has a true belief that he will catch a fish in the next few days, because it cannot happen that he will go 87 days (his old record) without a fish twice in one lifetime. It is with confidence that he heads out to the deep water despite the smallness of his boat and the uncertainty of being all alone in the water. This vulnerability is illustrated, as discussed, through the delicacy of the small terns he watches as the morning breaks. And it is with confidence that he undertakes his great battle with the fish. When the marlin takes his hook, and he is aware that it must be a marlin even though he hasn’t yet seen the fish, Santiago tells it, “Fish, … I’ll stay with you until I am dead” (Hemingway, 1952: ). This sense of confidence and determination is one of the characteristics Hemingway prized in his heroes. “He alone has to endure the sufferings to fulfill his destiny” (Harada, 1961: 270), but he is undaunted in accomplishing just that. Although he suffers through every step of the story, he remains consistent in his resolve to do what is necessary.
Rather than focusing upon the concept of the noble hero, the genteel birth or the concept that only the wealthy might be great men, Hemingway’s heroes were often just regular guys, just like Santiago. This was because their heroism did not depend upon such material things as wealth or power, but instead rested upon their ability to become master of something. For Santiago, this master skill is obviously fishing. This is again exemplified in Santiago’s willingness to go out into much deeper water than the other fishermen but is also reflected in the sadness and respect given to him by the middle-aged fishermen who knew of his former greatness, respected his abilities and were now saddened to see them so diminished. Santiago’s skill is also depicted in his intimate knowledge of the sea and her ways. The terns and the feel of the air tell him when morning is about to break and a diving man-of-war bird alerts him to the presence of fish nearby. While this may be a skill many fishermen had developed, it having been mentioned already by Manoli, Santiago’s mastery is further shown as he makes his way to the diving bird. “He rowed slowly and steadily toward where the bird was circling. He did not hurry and he kept his lines straight up and down. But he crowded the current a little so that he was still fishing correctly though faster than he would have fished if he was not trying to use the bird” (Hemingway, 1952: 8). The behavior of the bird in this scene and the reaction of the flying fish as he approached the area enable Santiago to identify what might be under the waves as dolphin. Further observation tells him the story of what was happening even though he cannot see it: “The old man could see the slight bulge in the water that the big dolphin raised as they followed the escaping fish. The dolphin were cutting through the water below the flight of the fish and would be in the water, driving at speed, when the fish dropped. It was a big school of dolphin, he thought. … That school has gotten away from me” (8-9). Rather than being a master of men, Santiago is a master of his craft and uses every element of this skill in hauling in the marlin, measured as 2 feet longer than the boat that means the difference between Santiago’s life and death.
The third element of Hemingway’s heroic code is that his hero must accept the truth when he’s been defeated. For Hemingway, defeat is the realization that one has come to a place where he can no longer do any better or that he has done his best and from this point forward, he is little more than marking time. “He lives in time. And the goal of time is death and destruction” (Harada, 1961: 276). This defeat is Santiago’s realization that, although he caught the big fish that would save him, he went out too far and without enough resources so he ultimately failed. He will not get the fish back to harbor and will not reap the benefit of the catch. Although he wonders if anyone is worthy to eat such a courageous creature, the point is lost as the sharks continue to take off bits and pieces until the fish is no more. “The important thing was the code fought by, and keeping the right feeling toward what was fought for, and when something had been won, not to let the sharks have it” (Davis, 1952). However, Santiago, using all the tools at his disposal, is unable to keep the sharks from eating his fish as first the mako takes his harpoon and then one of the shovelheads breaks his knife. “Now they have beaten me, he thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. But I will try it as long as I have the oars and the short club and the tiller” (Hemingway, 1952: 31). Although he is aware of the fact that there is little he can do to actually bring the fish home, already apologizing to it following the mako attack because he knows other sharks will soon follow, Santiago continues to fight to protect as much of the fish as he can until he runs out of weapons and fish to protect. Santiago acknowledges he’s been beaten to Manolin, telling him “In the night I spat something strange and felt something in my chest was broken” (35), but he continues to plan for Manolin’s further education as a fisherman and tells him of the things he has learned. That he has not lost his courage is depicted in the final line as Santiago again dreams about the lions which are, for him, the ultimate symbol of regeneration, strength and pride. “If the hero does not win, neither does he lose. If one may pursue the figure, he holds life to a draw, with, among others of a very different stamp, the almost feminine virtues of sensitivity, sympathy, intuition” (Fuchs, 1965: 448). Through his experience and his ties with Manolin, Santiago has accomplished his own version of immortality.
Hemingway’s hero is thus seen to be radically different from the classical heroes of old in that tragedy is one of the major elements of what defines a hero rather than what destroys him. He has been defeated, but not by the great fish that was his adversary. Instead, he was beaten by the sharks, learning again that humility he had thought he’d learned long ago. “The old man has learned humility, which he knew ‘was not disgraceful and carried no less of true pride.’ Humility understands the limits of what a man can do alone, and knows how much his being, the worth and humanity of his being, depends on community with other men and with nature, which is here the sea” (Davis, 1952). He understands that he has gone too far and felt he was capable of too much and must now suffer remorse that he was unable to bring his stupendous catch home. However, he is not so defeated that he can no longer be useful or continue to live on. He has tested himself to his limits and discovered what they were. Now it is time to pass his knowledge on to another generation, continuing the circle of life and death to which everyone must eventually succumb. “What he [Santiago] brings back to the boy at the end of the story implies a human continuity and development that far transcends this individual relationship. When Santiago says, ‘Man is not made for defeat,’ he is not thinking primarily of the individual” (Davis, 1952). The progression of Santiago’s story reveals that, although he has found the limits of his own mastery and strength, the struggle continues as Manolin attempts to learn all the wisdom stored in Santiago’s body, recognizing in the old man a true hero among fishermen. This action serves to perpetuate Santiago’s accomplishments and highlights Hemingway’s belief that the mark of a hero is not in the glory and wealth he receives, but in the fierceness of the struggle he undertakes.
Works Cited
“Aristotle.” Critica Links. The University of Hawaii, (1998). 2008. Web.
Davis, Robert G. “Hemingway’s Tragic Fisherman: The Story of a Humble Man Who Exceeds His Limits and Accepts His Bitter Defeat.” New York Times. (1857-Current file). New York: (1952). ProQuest. Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 – 2004): BR1. ProQuest Newspapers, Criminal Justice Periodicals. ProQuest. Columbia College of Missouri.
Frenz, Horst. “Ernest Hemingway: The Nobel Prize in Literature 1954.” Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901-1967. Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company, 1969. 2008. Web.
Fuchs, Daniel. “Ernest Hemingway, Literary Critic.” American Literature. Duke University Press. Vol. 36, No. 4, (1965): 431-451. JSTOR. Columbia College, Missouri. 2008. Web.
Griffin, Redd F. “A Short Biography of Author Ernest Hemingway.” Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. Oak Park, IL: Ernest Hemingway Foundation, 1999. 2008. Web.
Harada, Keiichi. “The Marlin and the Shark: A Note on The Old Man and the Sea.” Hemingway and his Critics. New York: 1961: 269-276.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 1952. Web.
Lynn, Kenneth S. Hemingway. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1987.
Miles, Melvin. “The Undefeated and the Code of Conduct.” Hemingway: An Introductory Overview. (2002). 2008. Web.
Young, Philip. “The Old Man and the Sea: Vision/Revision.” Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Old Man and the Sea: A Collection of Critical Essays. Katharine Jobes (Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1968: 18-26.
“The Old Man and the Sea” is a story of a modest old man and his struggle for the greatness. The plot is based on life of Santiago, an elderly Cuban fisherman who is unlucky in his fishing escapades. He is so unlucky that parents of a young boy Manolin, who wanted to fish with an old man and learn the skills from him, forbid him doing this and ask to sail with more successful young sailors.
The author was on the ground of the World War I, and a casualty of the war may be seen as the reason behind the choice of themes. Bravery, courage, pride and honor are virtues that many survivors of the war possessed. Santiago’s move to set out to sea all alone in order to redeem his reputation among his people is a bold move (Hemingway 22).
However, Hemmingway, the author, describes the boy as the one who admires the old man despite his parents discourage him from joining Santiago in his fishing, he still continues to care for the old man. This essay seeks to make a detailed review of the story, “The Old Man and the Sea”, its themes and relations to the real world.
The plot brings out the boy as being very caring. He is shown in the way he helps the fisherman to carry his fishing gear and discussing the latest happenings in the American baseball. Despite the old man’s unsuccessful fishing trips, the book portrays him as having a strong determination to achieve his aim.
In a highly sequential flow of events, the book explains how Santiago sails further away from familiar territory and ventures into the Gulf Stream. The author goes ahead to explain how the old man gets lucky and catches a big fish known as Marlin at midday. However, in a twist to the story, Santiago is unable to pull the gigantic animal to his boat, and the fish starts pulling.
The story shows the reader an image of an enduring man who is overcome by fear trying to save his life by all means. It is presented when Santiago struggles to bear the strain of the line hooking the massive fish with his shoulders. He does this in order to avoid tearing the boat apart and tries to hook on it. The story explains how an old man pulls the line for three days as the fish swims with the old man enduring this pain (Hemingway 40).
In this day to day sequence of events, Santiago is presented to the reader as an affectionate man who, despite the strain that the fish is putting him through, sees it as a brother in endurance, suffering, strength and resolve. Testimony to this, (the way Santiago feels it); the people who are going to eat this fish are not entitled to such greatness.
It is on the third day that we see Santiago is getting his catch into the boat finally. It is the evidence of Santiago’s endurance and determination because, according to the story, this is the biggest fish that Santiago has ever caught after number of unsuccessful trials (Bloom, 150).
In addition, the story brings out the anti-climax of Santiago’s happiness. It explains how Santiago struggles with the attacks of sharks that were attracted by the blood trails left from the fish. Hemmingway creates an image of a boat deep in the sea surrounded by sharks in the mind of the reader.
This is where the courage of the old man is brought out. He is seen trying to deter the Sharks from attacking him by all possible means. For example, he fights them with a spear made by lashing a dagger to an oar and beating them up with the boats filler (Gerry 80).
The old man’s courage and creativity are paid back as he manages to kill several sharks. However, he is left with nothing, as sharks manage to devour his catch leaving him with a skeleton, head and a tail. The man regrets his decision to go out far into the sea. He stumbles back home completely worn out and goes to sleep (Hemingway 20).
Despite loosing the fish, the old man achieves greatness without realizing it. The reader understands this when reading about tourists who watch a giant Skeleton with amusement the following morning.
Two themes can be brought out from this story. The first one is the theme of honor. Throughout the story, Santiago is shown as a person swimming against the tide trying not to be defeated. He is shown as a person who is struggling with the power of the sea without catching any fish for eighty seven days, but breaks his record by catching the largest fish ever caught in all his years of fishing.
He is seen as fighting defeat by sailing into deep waters; he is struggling with a marlin for three days, and fights off shark attacks. This theme shows that Santiago and Marlin display virtues of courage and strong will, and they are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to uphold them. Santiago’s story does not provides him with the opportunity to change man’s place in the world, rather it enables him meet his most dignified destiny (Hemingway, 40).
The other theme discussed in this story is the theme of pride as the source of greatness and determination. Santiago’s character is created similar to all heroes of the world. In addition to coming out as strong, courageous and morally certain, they all possess a fatal flaw and pride. This leads to their downfall despite all the admiration that they receive.
Santiago, on the other hand, is portrayed as being proof that it is pride that pushes great men towards greatness. For example, Santiago admits to killing Marlin out of pride. Thus, pride becomes the source of Santiago’s strength. Without this pride, he would neither have ventured deep into the sea, nor would he have struggled with the giant fish for three consecutive days. Pride drives the old man to transcend the forces of nature and come out triumphant (Gerry 50).
In conclusion, it can be argued that this book tries to explain human nature. It explains that we are beings who, in most cases, are driven by pride while trying to achieve our goals in life. In addition, it tries to bring out the fact that pride does not always lead to downfall. Hemmingway illustrates that victory is not always a qualification for honor. It is brought about when one has the pride to struggle until the very end. In the case of Santiago, the glory and pride come not as a result of battle, but from his pride and determination to fight.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Earnest Hemingway’s the Old Man and Sea. New York: InfoBase publishing, 2008. Print.
Gerry, Brenner. The Old Man and the Sea: Story of a Common Man. Michigan: University of Michigan, 1991. Print.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002. Print.
“[…] he wrote about pity: about something somewhere that made them all: the old man who had to catch the fish and then lose it, the fish that had to be caught and then lost, the sharks which had to rob the old man of his fish; made them all and loved them all and pitied them all” – in such a way Faulkner described the main theme of Hemingway’s The Old Man and Sea (1951) (Bloom 5). I cannot but agree that the feeling of pity pierces the novel through. However, I believe that the main idea that the author managed to render is that human virtues like courage, dignity, pride and the ability to guard oneself against defeat are unconquered no matter what hardship a man undergoes.
Unlike most of Hemingway’s works that emphasize what men cannot do, The Old Man and the Sea stresses what people can do and admit the significance of men’s courage, a dignity that fills the world with heroic deeds. Though the universe inhabited by Santiago, the old Cuban fisherman, “is not free of tragedy and pain but these are transcended,” the affirming tone of the novel is in sharp contrast with pessimism; the novel gives the readers hope for better that doesn’t die till human courage, dignity and pride exist (Bloom 13).
From the first lines of the novel, the reader understands that Santiago is the man struggling against defeat. For eighty-four days, he came back home from the sea without fish. Still, he does not want to accept the status of “salvo” (Hemingway 5). The sail of Santiago’s skiff resembles “the flag of permanent defeat,” but at the same time, it is a symbol of the old man’s constant struggle. (5) He resolves to sail out farther than ever, where he expects to catch the biggest fish.
Santiago lands the marlin after a cruel three-day fight and keeps on warding off sharks from eating his prey, even realizing the game is not worth the candle. What inspires Santiago to fight is his life principle: “man is not made for defeat… A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (103). As the novel develops, we see that in spite of the three injuries during the fight with the marlin – a cut on his head (52), cuts to his right hand (55), and his left hand severely cramping “into a claw” (58) – Santiago is not destroyed.
The theme of resistance to defeat is revealed in many ways in the novel. Referencing baseball is one of them. Sports are a domain in which human courage and dignity acquire special importance. Along with hard work and self-discipline, they constitute preconditions of a sportsman’s success. The same happens in The Old Man and the Sea. Being thrice-injured, Santiago thinks how he “must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel” (68). “I will show [the fish] what a man can do and what a man endures” (66), Santiago believes, and then wonders, “Do you believe the great DiMaggio would stay with a fish as long as I will stay with this one?” (68)
Santiago’s unflagging determination to catch the fish and bring it to shore is motivated by his pride. The marlin would have been the greatest victory of his. He is willing to die to bring it in. He does not care about his life when struggling with the sharks. This determination to act, to fight, to never give up helps the fisherman to avoid defeat. Though Santiago comes back home without the trophy, he was fighting for three days, and two nights; he knows that he acted bravely. Santiago can be proud of himself. Hemingway’s message is that not a victory enables one to feel the moment of glory, but his/her ability to struggle up to the very end, regardless of the final outcome. The honor Santiago gains come from his pride and fortitude to fight.
It should be noted that courage, dignity, and pride are not displayed by Santiago only; the marlin also does. They both experience the inevitability of the eternal law: to kill or to be killed. In the man’s case, human virtues help him to survive; the fish lets Santiago live.
Contrary to the belief that might appear at first, The Old Man and the Sea is not a novel about the salesman’s failure to gain profit. The author presents the reader from accepting his work in this way. Taking us through every moment of Santiago’s three days and nights at sea and forcing us to assess the merit of Santiago’s actions and the final outcome of his efforts according to other than the exclusively material criterion, Hemingway encourages us to respect Santiago’s indomitable will, courage, and self-discipline that eventually help the fisherman guard himself from defeat.
Reading the pages of the novel, one learns that courage, dignity, and pride help to overcome different life difficulties. In extreme situations like the one described in The Old Man and the Sea, these are moral virtues that make a man resistant to negative surprises that life holds in its store. The old man’s courage, dignity, and pride skillfully depicted by the author are those eternal virtues that helped the character not only win the dangerous fishes but to gain a victory over himself as well. The latter seems to be even of greater importance than the former, as when one is able to overcome one’s weaknesses, further victories will definitely come soon.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Chelsea House, 1999.
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. Hueber Verlag, 1975.
Ernest Hemingway, a modernist,the author of The Old Man and the Sea, The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell To Arms, etc presents unique characters in each of his literature compositions. Referred to as the Hemingway code heroes, these characters portray stringently enforced laws of behavior, which allow them to live up to the richness of their lives. Hemingway sets a good illustration of code heroes. These are not people bearing occult powers or people campaigning for truth or justice.
To solve the misconception, Hemingway sets in with his The Old Man and the Sea, featuring Santiago, an aged angler and an epitome of code heroes. Santiago displays many code hero qualities, including the three essential code qualities of honor and integrity, grace under pressure, and determination to succeed.
Santiago as s Code Hero
Santiago lives his life with honor and integrity. With this quality, he passes for a code hero, as the author illustrates. He is a man who knows well that respect is two-way traffic, and for him to be respected, he ought to respect others in return. However, according to him, it matters less whether he will gain respect by the end of the day.
All he knows is that he bears the obligation to respect people as well as their decisions. Though aged, he enjoys the company of the young boy, Manolin. On one fishing occasion, Manolin tells Santiago, “And the best fisherman is you…No I know others better” (23). This drives home the point that Santiago is a man of honor, not necessarily in the field of fishing, but in life in general.
He deserves credit as the boy puts it. In his struggle with the fish, Santiago, as Hemingway’s code hero in The Old Man and the Sea, utters words that point out his level of integrity. He respects and loves, not only people but also animals. ”Fish, I love you and respect you very much…But I will kill you dead before this day ends” (Hemingway 54).
In addition, he uplifts the dignity of all people, despite their differences. He symbolically says that all of them can fish to show how he respects their varied capabilities. Building on these deductions, it is inferable that honor and integrity form part of Santiago’s life as one of the main values.
Code Hero, Hemingway, and Grace under Pressure
Santiago displays grace under pressure when he tries to catch the marlin and get it back home. It costs him his time, energy, and a good deal of patience to make the catch. Although he finally makes a catch, it proves hard for him to draw it into the boat. However, he does not give up. His eyes are set only to his goal, a token of grace. In fact, as his hands and fingers ache because of his struggle to pull the marlin, “He rubbed the cramped hand against his trousers and tried to gentle the fingers” (Hemingway 60).
The gentling of the fingers is the sign of grace during the pressing situation of his hands. In another case, Santiago symbolically graces himself with the words, “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” (Hemingway 68).
He strives to imagine a day when he will be as great as DiMaggio, who is a famous baseball champion. He is his model, and therefore, even if pressed by life’s circumstances, as his fishing, he knows that he can pass for a great person. Thus, the author qualifies in developing the character of grace under pressure as possessed by code heroes like Santiago.
How Is Santiago a Hero in The Old Man and the Sea?
According to Hemingway’s code hero definition, this is a person who possesses courage the determination to succeed, Although Santiago has not caught a fish for a very long time, he sails to the sea every day and is determined to succeed in the catching. Even after sailing far in the sea without making any catch, he never gives up. “Everything about him was old except his eyes, and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated” (Hemingway 49). His wide-open and cheerful eyes in his old age show how he is determined to live and not to die.
When he catches the huge marlin fish, it pulls him for three consecutive days and nights, but Santiago does not let go of it. In addition, the blood that the fish smears on the seawaters attracts other predators that fight to take the fish from the hands of Santiago. In response, he fights them back, killing as many of them as possible.
In the process, he says, “I’ll fight them until I die” (Hemingway 115), words that reveal his determination to succeed in taking the fish off the sea. In his claim, “…a man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated” (Hemingway 103), which is no more than a sign of his determination. Therefore, Santiago bears the code hero characteristic feature of being determined to succeed.
Conclusion: Santiago as a Hemingway Code Hero
Santiago has the important code hero traits of honor and integrity, grace under pressure, and determination to succeed. Hemingway qualifies in defining a code hero.
Technically, he drives away the prevailing misconception about code heroes. The aged angler carries the day through the way he stands as an illustration of code heroes. Though aged, he stands out as a man of honor and integrity. He owes respect and love to all, whether young or old.
Moreover, as an angler and considering the struggles he encounters, he pictures grace in every pressing situation that comes his way. He manifests his determination to succeed when he decides never to let go of the marlin despite the other fish, which try to pull it out of his hands. To sum up, He exemplifies a Hemingway code hero.