‘The Old Man and the Sea ” The Old Man and the Sea is a heroic tale of a man’s strength pitted against forces that he can’t control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes: friendship, bravery, and Christianity. The ‘Old Man and the Sea’s strives to teach important life lessons to the reader.
One of the most important themes in this story and in life is, friendship. The relationship between the old man and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an insuperable amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship.
Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago’s feelings. He even offers to go against his parent’s wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore ‘unlucky’. Nonetheless, Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents prohibit him. He still wants to help his friend.
The Essay on The Old Man and Sea 2
... to live a semi-impoverished life A= Manolin (the young boy) is a young man and good friend of Santiago. Santiago has spent several years teaching and ... fisherman. Unlike the rest of the fishing community, Santiago continues to fish ... The Old Man And The Sea A= . Santiago (The Old Man) is the main character of The Old Man and the Sea. His occupation is a ...
Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for their whole lives. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common. Their favorite team is the Yankees and Santiago never loses faith in them even when the star player, Joe DiMaggio, is injured with a heel spur. In this way Santiago not only teaches Manolin about fishing but also about important characteristics such as faith. Also another important theme in this story is, bravery.
In the story Santiago’s bravery is unsurpassed but it is not until he hooks the ‘great fish’ that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago’s actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his ‘luckiness’ and therefore the respect of his village.
Through the description of his cabin we also suspect that Santiago is a widower. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself. This is perhaps his greatest attribute because without it he would never have had the strength to persevere and defeat the giant Marlin. Faith is not the only thing that drives his perseverance.
Santiago also draws upon his past victories for strength. After he hooked the Marlin, he frequently recalled his battle with a native in what he called ‘the hand game.’ It was not just an arm wrestling victory for him, it was a reminder of his youthful days. His recollections of this event usually proceeded a favorite dream of his in which he saw many lions on a peaceful shore. These lions represented him when he was young and strong and could overcome any challenge. Although he was an old man and his body was no longer like it used to be his heart was still great and he eventually defeated the Marlin. Santiago’s perseverance and bravery are further illustrated when he tries to fight off the sharks.
He was a fisherman all his life and therefore he knew that the fate of his catch was inevitable yet he persisted to fight the sharks. The battle between him and the sharks was about principles not a mere fish. Santiago was still a great warrior at heart and warriors fight until the end. One of the greatest and most obvious symbolism’s in the story is, Christianity. From the beginning of the story, the reader is shown a unique relationship between Santiago and Manolin.
The Essay on Santiago Old Man & Sea
A tragic hero is one that has a major flaw and for whom the audience usually feels pity, sympathy, empathy, and compassion. The tragic hero is someone great, but not perfect. They are often a noble person in terms of birth but also in terms of their character. The flaw in the character is what often leads to his/her downfall. When the hero falls, it is at least partly if not completely his own ...
Their relationship parallels that of Christ and his disciples. Manolin is Santiago’s disciple and Santiago teaches Manolin about fishing and life. One of the greatest lessons that Santiago gives is that of a simple faith. ‘Have faith in the Yankees my son’ (pg.
84).
This type of faith reflects the basic principles of Christianity. Hemingway’s description of Santiago further illustrates Christian symbolism. Hemingway gives a reference to the nail-pierced hands of Christ by stating that Santiago’s ‘hands had deep creased scars’ (pg. 247).
Hemingway also parallels Santiago’s suffering to that of Christ by stating that ‘he settled…
against the wood and took his suffering as it came’ (pg. 174).
Even more profound is the description of Santiago’s response when he saw the sharks, ‘just a noise such a man might make, involuntarily feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood’ (pg. 189).
Further symbolism is shown when Santiago arrives home and carries the mast across his shoulders as Christ carried the cross to Calvary. Also, like Christ, Santiago could not bare the weight and collapsed on the road.
When he finally reached his cabin ‘he slept face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up’ (pg. 234).
Hemingway puts these themes together in such a way that they do not conflict with each other. He does allow Christianity to be a more dominant theme than the other but instead makes it more symbolic than intentional. He does not smother the relationship between the old man and the young boy but instead separates them for a large part of the story. Finally, he does not make Santiago’s bravery a central them by highlighting his weaknesses.
In the end the old mans perseverance and faith pay off. He finally gains the respect of the village and succeeds in teaching Manolin the lessons of faith and bravery. Essay Outline INTRODUCTION STATEMENT: ‘ The Old Man and The Sea’, is a heroic tale of mans Vs. Forces he cannot control. It’s about and old Cuban fishermen and his three day battle with a Giant Marlin fish. THESIS STATEMENT: Through the use of three prominent themes, friendship, bravery, and Christianity, the ‘Old Man and the Sea’, strives to teach important life lessons to the reader.
The Essay on An Ideal Hero Santiago Man Hemingway
What makes a hero? Alike with all other persons, Ernest Hemingway had his own perceptions of what a hero truly is. In Hemingway's novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the old man, attained characteristics that could depict him as an ideal "Hemingway Hero." Through the old man's adventurous spirit, his fearlessness of death, determination, and his independence, Santiago fits Hemingway's hero ...
SUPPORTING ARGUMENTS: A) Friendship in story. B) Bravery defeats Adversity) Faith and past victories) Christianity BODY: 1. One of the themes introduce in this story is, is the theme of friendship between the old man (Santiago) and the young boy (Manolin).
2. Through Santiago’s actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and how he perverse over adversity.
3. Faith is not the only thing that drives his perseverance. Santiago also draws upon his past victories for strength. 4. One of the greatest and most obvious symbolism’s in the story is Christianity. CONCLUSION: Hemingway puts these themes together in such a way that they do not conflict with each other, and through the use of three prominent themes, friendship, bravery, and Christianity, the ‘Old Man and the Sea’, strives to teach important life lessons to the reader.
CLOSING STATEMENTS: In the end the old mans perseverance and faith pay off. He finally gains the respect of the village and succeeds in teaching Manolin the lessons of faith and bravery.
