Every day of our lives we face obstacles that we have to overcome. Some are general, others are more complex. The most important aspect of life is to achieve what you want. A person shouldn’t give up their dreams and goals because times are hard, they should just be patient and work towards what they want so they can eventually achieve them. Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Old Man and the Sea, is symbolic to struggling.
When the story first begins, Ernest Hemingway tells his reader that Santiago is an old, optimistic fisherman. He has very bad luck with catching fish. After three months (84 days) of not catching any fish, Santiago continues to fish. If all the cuts and scars on his hands aren’t enough to remind him about his failure the local fishermen are very unsympathetic and resentful towards him. "Terrance and many of the other fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry"(11). This passage reflects how Santiago is put down by the local fisher men because of how long he has gone without catching any fish. They go out to sea every morning, and when they return to land they have their arms full of fish. All of that doesn’t stop Santiago; he is a zealot to fishing. His determination and perseverance causes him to not react to other people’s opinions of him. He sticks to what his heart desires and what his goal is.
Santiago is three days out at sea. He is working hard trying to catch fish for him to survive off of, and for him to bring back into town. He catches a colossal Marlin that is bigger than his skiff. The old man is tired, hungry, and in pain. Through all of those problems, he pushes himself to catch this marlin and attach it to the boat. When Santiago catches the Marlin, he then has to battle off sharks so that way they don’t eat his marlin. “Fight them,” he said. “I’ll fight them until I die.” (115). This shows how determined Santiago is to kill the sharks to protect his Marlin. If he is willing to give his life for something then it shows how much he values that. It also shows how much he cares about this Marlin. It may just be a fish, but to him it is much more. It is pay off from a lot of hard work, dedication, and patients. Santiago is not about to let all of that go, without a good fight.
Throughout the story Hemingway mentions the physical pain Santiago suffers from because of fishing. Santiagos hands are old, raw, and sore from the many years of the harsh conditions of fishing. “Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive.” (106).It is evident that fishing wears the old man out, and makes him very tired. Despite all of that, he has a cynical attitude. He would be miserable and wouldn’t know what else to do without going out on his skiff in the morning with a pole at hand. Santiago isn’t pessimistic about what he does.
Santiago’s character exemplifies what every person should be. Hard working, determined, and jovial. In the story he proves to people that if you set your mind to something and work hard, then you can accomplish it. Santiago was put through many struggles throughout this story, but he had to over come them. Life is filled with many struggles but what doesn’t break you, can only make you stronger.
When the story first begins, Ernest Hemingway tells his reader that Santiago is an old, optimistic fisherman. He has very bad luck with catching fish. After three months (84 days) of not catching any fish, Santiago continues to fish. If all the cuts and scars on his hands aren’t enough to remind him about his failure the local fishermen are very unsympathetic and resentful towards him. "Terrance and many of the other fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry"(11). This passage reflects how Santiago is put down by the local fisher men because of how long he has gone without catching any fish. They go out to sea every morning, and when they return to land they have their arms full of fish. All of that doesn’t stop Santiago; he is a zealot to fishing. His determination and perseverance causes him to not react to other people’s opinions of him. He sticks to what his heart desires and what his goal is.
Santiago is three days out at sea. He is working hard trying to catch fish for him to survive off of, and for him to bring back into town. He catches a colossal Marlin that is bigger than his skiff. The old man is tired, hungry, and in pain. Through all of those problems, he pushes himself to catch this marlin and attach it to the boat. When Santiago catches the Marlin, he then has to battle off sharks so that way they don’t eat his marlin. “Fight them,” he said. “I’ll fight them until I die.” (115). This shows how determined Santiago is to kill the sharks to protect his Marlin. If he is willing to give his life for something then it shows how much he values that. It also shows how much he cares about this Marlin. It may just be a fish, but to him it is much more. It is pay off from a lot of hard work, dedication, and patients. Santiago is not about to let all of that go, without a good fight.
Throughout the story Hemingway mentions the physical pain Santiago suffers from because of fishing. Santiagos hands are old, raw, and sore from the many years of the harsh conditions of fishing. “Fishing kills me exactly as it keeps me alive.” (106).It is evident that fishing wears the old man out, and makes him very tired. Despite all of that, he has a cynical attitude. He would be miserable and wouldn’t know what else to do without going out on his skiff in the morning with a pole at hand. Santiago isn’t pessimistic about what he does.
Santiago’s character exemplifies what every person should be. Hard working, determined, and jovial. In the story he proves to people that if you set your mind to something and work hard, then you can accomplish it. Santiago was put through many struggles throughout this story, but he had to over come them. Life is filled with many struggles but what doesn’t break you, can only make you stronger.
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