Isolation is one of the greatest contributing factors in a person’s defeat. In the book The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, isolation is what brings Santiago down and almost defeats him. This is illustrated though symbolism of actions, events, objects, and characters while Santiago is at sea. Throughout the novella, Santiago has to deal with defeat and isolation. His defeat and isolation become more apparent towards the end of the book. After Santiago had caught the marlin he realizes what it would take to get it back to land safely.
Santiago’s struggle with the marlin to get him in symbolizes the first sings of his defeat. In the middle of the book, Santiago is really struggling with the marlin. At one point he begins to see spots and almost dies. “Fish,” the old man said. “Fish, you are going to die anyway, do you have to kill me too? (P.92)” This quote represents Santiago’s isolation because he begins talking to the marlin. In this quote, Santiago states that the marlin is killing him; defeat. With every little piece of the marlin that gets eaten by the sharks a little piece of the old man’s life goes with it. While Santiago is trying to bring the marlin in he says,
“You are killing me, fish, but you have the right to. Never have I seen a greater, more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who. (P.92)”
Santiago wishes himself death. He expresses his love for the marlin and his sorrow for going out too far. He is asking the marlin to end his life so he can feel the same or equal to him. Santiago’s death would represent his defeat.
The Essay on Joe Dimaggio Santiago Marlin Fish
The Old Man and the Sea, (paper 1) This is a story about a man who loved fishing, the sea and life itself. His name was Santiago. Santiago was an old fisherman. He loves to fish and has fished for many years but for the past 84 days he has caught nothing. The other fishermen are beginning to laugh and put him down and say he is not lucky because of this dry spell. .".. Many of the fishermen made ...
When dark falls Santiago realizes that he failed when he cannot see the lights of Havana and begins to talk to himself. Santiago speaking to himself symbolizes his loneliness and isolation.
“I hope no one has been too worried. There is only the boy to worry, of course.
But I am sure he would have confidence. Many of the older fishermen will worry. Many others too he thought. I live in a good town. (P.115)”
Santiago saying this symbolizes his hope that someone does care about him. It makes his isolation not quite as harsh because he believes that people do care about him. Thinking about the boy also helped him to keep going. “Half fish, he said. Fish that you were. I am sorry that I went too far out. I ruined us both. (p.115) ” This represents his loneliness. He confides in the marlin to help him through his loneliness and isolation. He speaks to the marlin as though there is some other living person to speak to that will tell him, everything will be all right. Even though no one answers him and he is really only speaking to himself, he continues to search for answers from the fish, sun, moon, and stars. “But in the dark now and no glow showing and no lights and only the wind and the steady pull of the sail he felt perhaps he was already dead. (P.116)” Santiago has let his isolation and the threat of defeat get the best of him to the point that he feels he is dead. In the story, at times, he wishes the “good lord” would just take him. He wishes this so that he could get away from the mutilated marlin, the sea, and the sharks.
Ernest Hemingway uses the sun to symbolize many things that happen to Santiago such as the sun going down symbolizing defeat. The sun had gone down after the sharks had taken the majority of the marlin. “He did not want to look at the fish. He knew that half of him had been destroyed. The sun had gone down while he had been in the fight with the sharks. (P.114)” Santiago not looking at the marlin symbolizes his loss and defeat. The sun going down also represents death and giving up. Santiago feels that it is his fault that the sharks ate the marlin because he went out too far. He speaks to himself about this many times in the book. This makes him feel worse about life and makes him feel more isolated because he feels he is so far out to sea that he may never get back. “You’re tired, old man, he said. You’re tired inside. The sharks did not hit him again until just before sunset. (P.112)” Santiago saying he is tired and the sharks coming almost right after he says he is tired represents his constant fight to survive life. The minute he is tired or happy with something, things change and he has to fight or deal with it. The other place Ernest Hemingway uses this in The Old Man and the Sea is with the boy, Manolin. In the beginning of the book the Manolin is talking to Santiago and says,
The Essay on Day Battle Santiago Christ Marlin
In the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, Hemming way compares the main character Santiago to a Christ-like hero. He creates the comparison in several ways. One way, was during Santiago's three day battles with the 18 foot marlin. Another was, was at at the end of the novel, when he described Santiago' walk to his hut. One test that Santiago went through during his three day battle with the marlin ...
“I could go with you again. We’ve made some money…No the old man said. Your with a lucky boat. Stay with them. But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks. (P. 10)”
Santiago likes the boys company but then the boy is forced to leave, leaving Santiago alone again. After the boy leaves Santiago has no one to help him on the skiff to bring the fish in, so he has to do it all alone.
Santiago gave up fighting after he lost all his weapons. The weapons symbolized his hope. After he lost them, he lost all hope of getting the marlin back with any meat on it at all. “Now they have beaten me, he thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. (P. 112)” While saying this, Santiago realizes that the sharks beat him by taking his weapons. He had nothing left to fight with. All he could do is let the sharks take the marlin bit by bit. The loss of the weapons also represents the loss of faith and any chance of bringing the fish back with meat to sell. “He spat into the ocean and said, Eat that, galanos. And make a dream you’ve killed a man. (P. 119)” He, by this point, has come to full terms with his defeat. He knew there was nothing left to do but get back home and sleep. The galanos had killed his dream of being able to earn back the other fisherman’s respect. But now he will still be known as the old fisherman that cannot make money off of what he catches.
Isolation is one of the greatest contributing factors in a person’s defeat. In the book The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, isolation is what brings Santiago down and almost defeats him. This is illustrated though symbolism of the sharks, the marlin, Manolin, and Santiago himself while he is out at sea. Through Santiago’s isolation comes his defeat. Many people can understand the pain Santiago goes through in The Old Man and the Sea because in their own lives they feel the same way. The thing people do not realize that just because they have been defeated does not mean that they have been destroyed. Just because a person gets beaten at a game does not mean that they stop trying. Santiago did realize this. With each obstacle that beat him he did not give up even when he was isolated from just about everything he kept trying to save the marlin. At the end of the book when Santiago is speaking to Manolin, Santiago says, “They beat me, Manolin, he said. They truly beat me. (P. 124)”
The Essay on Weapons Control
What can we do about weapons control? In times like the present, the U.S. and the United Nations are dealing with a huge international problem known as weapons control and an example of the weapons control problem, is the constant battle with Saddam Hussein and Iraq, involving weapon inspections by the UN. The UN has the right to inspect weapon facilities and the manufacturing of weapons of any ...
