Old Man and The Sea Essay

In every person's life, there are problems, issues and struggles that must be dealt with. The person are always forced to choose what you think is the best possibility. No matter what the problem be, from something as small as choosing what outfit to wear to school or a problem as large as to kill or be killed, the choice made is the most important part. Sometimes, a person doesn't make the best choice and ends up having to live with the consequences. In the suspenseful novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago has to make many choices that could be vital to his ways of life.

Ernest Hemingway, with his thoughtful way of writing, started this figurative piece of literature by introducing a choice Santiago had to make, "he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish"(09). The way that Hemingway writes tense and fascinating and he really proves that in eighty-four days, a lot can happen, but when you are alone at sea, those eighty-four days may seem like years. But, Santiago was a very persistent an, even more importantly, patient man and refused to go home until he caught a fish. His persistency could've killed him but his love for fishing overpowered his fear of death. Speaking to the fish, Santiago proves that he is not demure, "Fish, you are going to have to die anyway. Do you have to kill me too"(92)?

By choosing to stay out on the violent Caribbean Sea, lacking food, supplies, shelter, warmth and company, Santiago starts to go mad. He begins speaking to himself. He is fatigued from the many days of no success, little food to eat and even less sleep so he decides to cast his line and find smaller fish to eat. Also, when at sea, everything is unpredictable and it is important to stay cautious. Santiago, although, is anxious to catch the fish but he will not let any problems stand in his way.

When he spots the immense marlin, he immediately falls in love. He knows that it is his obligation to catch the fish and will persevere this until the fish is in his hands. He has a great respect for this fish, being the biggest one he'd ever come across. "Fish, I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends"(54). The compassion that Santiago has for this fish is incomprehensible. No one could ever understand the relationship that Santiago and the great marlin had because no one could love a fish as much as him. Fishing, being his occupation is hard for Santiago because he loves the fish possibly too much. He must kill them to make a living but it pains him inside every time. He makes the sacrifice of killing these fish to be able to do the thing he loves most every day of his life.

For the first forty days of Santiago's journey, Santiago was accompanied by a young boy. Manolin, though in his twenty's, is the old man's best friend. It saddens him deeply when Santiago goes out to catch the fish on his own because his own parents are nervous and won't let him go on the journey out to sea with the old man. During the first forty days on the skiff with Santiago, his parents were convinced that he was "salao" which means unlucky. The whole time Santiago is out at sea, he misses the boy. He needs a companion on the boat so that they can help each other and take shifts sleeping and watching for the fish. At one point, Santiago even lists several ways in which the boy could help him if he were there to aid the injury to his hand. Their friendship is unbreakable and after Santiago returns back home, Manolin tends to his needs because he cares for him more than anything and wants to learn everything that the old man knows about fishing. "Lie down, old man, and I will bring you your clean shirt. And something to eat"(125). Manolin is the type of friend that will stick. He will do anything as long it helps you, and he doesn't even care if it is a detriment to himself.

Santiago struggled greatly with catching the fish because sharks had nearly torn him apart. They enclosed the skiff and devoured over half of the marlin before they even reached the shore. Through catching the fish, Santiago proves to his town that if you are devoted, anything is possible. His choice to stay out at sea for eighty-four days just to catch a fish is ridiculous but turns out to be worth it in the end. Even though the "galanos" destroyed the fish, Santiago still brought him home. Throughout his life, the old man suffers greatly. He was not afraid of dying and the consequences that resulted from this could have hurt him greatly. The consequences of his choice to catch that fish caused him starvation, thirst, weariness and much pain but helped him prove that he still had a glimpse of luck in himself.