Another conflict exists between Santiago and the other, younger fisherman. They suppose that Santiago is salao because he has not caught a fish in eighty four days. They are doing no respect him as a result of he is old and unlucky. They do not acknowledge or fear his ability. In fact, they ridicule him. This affects Santiago’s confidence and isolates him more. Santiago doesn't have any friends apart from the boy because no one respects him. Once Santiago comes back from his trip with the large marlin carcass with shark bites in it, they understand that Santiago has nice ability and determination for his age and that they begin to respect him. When the old man tells the story, he reveals that being honored is very important to him. His pride
Vocabulary Words Caprice (n) - a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior No one could better enjoy liberty, yet no one could submit with more grace than she did to constraint and caprice. (Page 4-7) Victor, throughout the course of the novel, grows with a greater mercurial temperament. He exemplified the word capricious. At one moment, he could be joyous with Elizabeth and then the next moment turn to despair as he thought of his horrible creation which snuffed the life of his youngest brother, William and dearest friend, Clerval.
Questioning is a natural human instinct. We do this when we are unsure of a situation or thing. Another human instinct is lying. We often lie to protect ourselves or others. Guilt is a human emotion that you experience when you know you have done something wrong.
Letter 1 Explain what is established in the first passage/letter who is narrating? Why is he making this voyage? When and where is this taking place? To whom is he writing the letter?
The existence of fate and free will also play a huge part of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Shelley uses the foil characters of Victor and his monster to illustrate the differences between the beliefs in fate versus free will. While Victor Frankenstein listened to his professor speak on the powers of modern science, Frankenstein feels as if the professor’s words were “the words of fate”, that they prompted him to find the secrets of creation, and that that day “decided [his] future destiny” (Shelley 27-29). This quote prepares the audience for the upcoming events and that to Victor, those events were fully prompted by fate. Victor uses the existence of fate to rationalize his actions which helps the audience understand his motives more thoroughly. This quote also features a slippery slope
Throughout Shelley’s work, the creature struggles to conform to society, alone from his first moments - abandoned by his creator - he is given no proper upbringing, and abhorred by society. He grows up in hiding and fear, his only interactions with others ending in violence. Hence, seems only natural that his desperate need to conform would lead to violence. The need to “belong” is an essential “human” desire, however this sense of belonging his completely dependent on one’s upbringing.
Adam is so scarily intelligent when he talks to people, if you didn’t look at him first you wouldn’t think there’d be a giant there. Instead of a creature he’s an incredible perfect being that Victor once saw him as but as soon as he came face to face to his creation, well after he leaves him to fend for himself he calls him a devil and says “do you dare approach me? And do not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust!”
"Do you think, Victor," said he, "that I do not suffer also? No one could love a child more than I loved your brother" (tears came into his eyes as he spoke); "but is it not a duty to the survivors, that we should refrain from augmenting their unhappiness by an appearance of immoderate grief? It is also a duty owed to yourself; for excessive sorrow prevents improvement or enjoyment, or even the discharge of daily usefulness, without which no man is fit for society." (78)
Still, Santiago returns to his small fishing village with the skeleton of the fish. He achieves a spiritual victory instead of a material one, surviving the ordeal of battle, and arriving with proof of his struggle strapped to his boat-the skeleton of the fish. Rather than a huge profit from such a large fish, he gains the admiration of the town for his valorous fight. Violence and disorder prevail, but Santiago honorably defends his catch in the midst of what will be a losing battle. Oscar Wilde once said, "Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you" (n. pag.). Santiago finds fulfillment by proving his manhood and his worth to both the town and Manolin, a local boy who admires him greatly.
“He did not truly feel good because the pain from the cord across his back had almost passed pain and into dullness that he mistrusted.”(74) Once both the fish and Santiago had reached the breaking point of conflict the story seemed to slow down in time to exemplify the adverse conditions that both characters were suffering from. The old man proves himself worthy of personal suffering with the cuts and scars on his hands and back along with all of the pulling and slipping the cords had upon his fragile body. Hemmingway shows in a big way how an out of proportioned conflict with an old fisherman and an 18 foot long marlin helps to magnify the significance of Santiago searching for his rebirth to manhood. With constant abstraction describing the fish and the sea in relation to brotherhood create interesting questions for Santiago to ponder. His rationalization for his fishing is that he was born to do it. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (103) Hemmingway proves that this fish represents all of Santiago’s built up tension to total the size of a gigantic marlin that is perceived as devastating but not unconquerable. The old man’s hopes and aspirations can overcome the adversity of the marlin’s size, along with the conditions of the old, hungry, and exhausted fisherman. Through outright suffering Santiago achieves a goal above his previous manhood by combating pain and
He tries to reel it in but he can't. Instead the fish is pulling the boat! He struggles and struggles with the fish for hours. After a while fatigue takes it's toll as his hands clamp up, and his back aches from the line tied around it. The fish surfaces and Santiago realizes that it is longer than the boat he is on! An unexpected jerk leaves a gash in his hand only to add to his pain. After a very long while Santiago shortens the line to harpoon it. He latches the fish to the side of the boat and begind to tow it back to shore triumphant. Then a mako shark approaches and takes a large bite out of the marlin. Santiago kills it with a harpoon. Only later did he realize that the sharks blood would attract more sharks. As more sharks approached Santiago fought with all his might to save his fish but there was too many sharks. By the time he got to shore, he had nothing more than a skeleton. Santiago collapses from exhaustion on the shore but is found by Manolin and calls for help. The community marveled at the size of the skeleton that is still attached to the boat. Manolin takes care of the old man and vows to return to him as an apprentice. Santiago finally gets the repect from his community.
There is tension between Santiago and the marlin throughout the entire novel. The old man finds kinship with the fish against a common enemy. “‘Half fish,’ he said. ‘Fish that you were. I am sorry that I went too far out. I ruined us both. But we have killed many sharks, you and I, and ruined many others. How many did you ever kill, old fish? You do not have that spear on your head for nothing’” (Hemingway 115). Although he does not recognize it himself, the stakes of the battle with the marlin are so high thanks to
Santiago, an old aging Cuban fisherman, could not catch any fish for eighty-four days. He has taught a friend, Manolin to fish. Manolin likes and help the man in return even though they’re not related to each other. On his 85th ensuing day without catching a single fish, he takes his boat out to the Gulf Stream. Suddenly, the marlin jumps out of the water and descends into the water again. That is when Santiago realized that the marlin could easily destroy his boat. After an hour, suddenly 2 mako sharks attack him. Santiago fights the shark and eventually kills them with some struggles. Santiago was very tired after, that he fell asleep. Everyone was admiring him although he lost all the fish. He is the real moral winner, he didn’t stop. This
The nobility of character of the old man prevents him from feel hate and rancor toward the other fishermen. Despite the taunts of the other fishermen, Santiago is quiet and admits having a bad streak of luck. This makes him an honorable man, which avoids any conflict and is able to recognize his flaws as a fisherman. Although the sea has given him several bitter drinks, he is able to keeping on loving it. “A man is honest when he acts honestly, he is humble when he acts humbly, he loves when he is loving or being loved.” (Waldmeir 165). Perhaps, the crowning act of humility in Santiago is when he is forced to recognize that by his own forces he will not be enough to grab the fish, and decides to carry out prayers to the Almighty. At the end of the hunting of the big animal, Santiago does not become conceited. His simple and humble soul thanks with a prayer for the outcome of his effort. Although the fighting has been severe and bloody, the old man was not self-styled "hero”. Santiago humbly considers himself as one fisherman more, and the categorization as a hero depends on the readers. “It is the knowledge that a simple man is capable of such decency, dignity, and even heroism, and that his struggle can be seen in heroic terms, that largely distinguishes this book.” (Young 131). The evident relation between his humility and dignity helps to place Santiago as a perfect
The virtues that define if a man is successful may vary from person to person. First off, Santiago (the old man) has a career of a fisherman, who has not caught a single fish in quite some time. Next the old man has very few friends through his career as a fisherman, but still has some very good ones. Finally, Being a fisherman can lead to many interesting encounters, either through people who share his interest or with other creatures at sea, which we identify multiple times throughout The Old Man and the Sea. Overall, to judge whether or not Santiago is successful, his career, relationships, and experiences must be analyzed throughout the book.
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man and the Sea” tells about an old man and his battle in the sea to catch the most colossal fish he’s ever seen. The themes presented in this novel include the honor in struggle, defeat and death. The protagonist in “The Old Man and the Sea” is a weak and gaunt, yet optimistic old fisherman named Santiago who hasn’t caught any fish for 84 days. In the novel, Santiago goes further out to the sea than he’s ever been and he manages to hook an enormous marlin, facing the biggest trial of his life; catching the marlin and taking it home without meeting his own death first. This trial reveals the extent of his strength as hinted in the quote above. Through Santiago’s endurance, perseverance and knowledge he proves to the reader that anyone is capable of achieving their ambitions even when it seems impossible to do so.