In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway describes an old fisherman and the unfortunate trials he faces as his "luck" runs out. Through the novel, the fisherman, Santiago, replicates Hemingway's ideal man, a noble hero. Hemingway had a Code of Behavior that he himself followed. He had morals that were strict and an appreciation for instinct and human nature. He had a specific way of living life and an understanding of time. He believed in taking risks and acting upon instinct. He believed that a person who followed his Code of Behavior was a noble hero. In Hemingway's Code of Behavior, a noble hero is a master craftsman. This means that he is not dependent on other people or on technology. It also means that he is a …show more content…
He has skill and he applies it in order to succeed. He uses his hands and he uses his instincts to master the art of being a fisherman. Santiago uses himself, his physical and mental strength to catch the fish, and by doing these things, his difficult task becomes easier. He is a master craftsman not only through his skill, but also through his determination. Kapadia 3 Determination defines the second characteristic that makes Santiago a noble hero. He is determined and he struggles in order to remain undefeated. Although he has gone 84 days without catching a fish, he does not give up. He goes out on his 85th day with the mentality that this is the day when he will catch a fish. This is what keeps him going. He knows that he still has the ability and strength to be a good fisherman. He never gives up. After catching the marlin, he states, "Fish…I'll stay with you until I am dead"(52). This shows his determination to win the battle and the fish. He has fought these battles hundreds of times before, he suffered, but he won. Still this battle is different. He fights in a way he has never fought before and he suffers. He suffers in catching the fish, killing the fish, attempting to return home, and fighting off the sharks. But through all this suffering, he still fights, "… for he alone has to endure the sufferings to fulfill his destiny"(Harada 270). This is his mentality, he knows what he must do and so,
In the story 90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis, the main character Julian has one big conflict with himself that is about losing the fish. Julian is battling himself about not telling his brothers or his dad that he caught a fish. He was supposed to alert them even if he felt the littlest tug. In the book on page 4 it says, “Yell, even if it’s just a nibble,” I say, repeating what he tells everyone that climbs up on the chair.” This shows that Julian had to remember that in order to go in the chair.
In recent years his interest has turned toward deep sea fishing. While bay fishing is fun and relaxing, there is nothing like being off shore with no land in sight. The water is so crystal clear making it easy to view the sea life; such as sea turtles, whales, giant sunfish and porpoises. There is a lot of down time on the boat when everyone on board is carrying on and telling jokes and stories. But when that rod goes down and the reel starts screaming, it gets crazy. We have to make sure the hook is set and move other lines out of the way, which can get tricky if we have hooked more than one. You can feel the excitement. Reeling in a fish can take hours making my arms ache. There is nothing like watching a marlin dance and jump across the water or eating fresh tuna, sushi style, on the back of the
In the book The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway uses the flashback technique in order to characterize Santiago and develop key themes of the novel, such as Santiago’s connection with nature and what it means to be a hero. Hemingway employs several flashbacks as an effective technique that develops Santiago’s character as he recalls past occurrences in order to renew his strength of will. There are three flashbacks in particular that are critical to the development of this story. The first flashback describes a time when Santiago associated himself with the marlins. The second flashback occurs when Santiago arm-wrestled the town’s strongest
Though he does not let his sense of unity come between his drive to kill the marlin, his respect for the lives in the sea manifest through his tendency to only eat what he needs. He feels a connection to the nature around him, and losing his catch does not lessen his love for the sea or the creatures within. The fish was a worthy opponent. It never belonged to him just as a brother cannot belong to a brother. They are equally insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and the old man accepts the fact that the sea can take what it gives without resenting it, as it is the nature of the ocean.
The next day, the old man decides that enough is enough and sets out to the sea seeking to end his notorious streak. After passing the shallow waters in his skiff he arrives in the Gulf Stream. Once the skiff settles down, the old man throws out a line into the waters. After some time something takes the bait. With his expertise, Santiago hooks the fish. However, instead of pulling the fish up, the giant fish decides to pull the entire skiff. Santiago decides that if he ties the
In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is an unlucky fisherman who has not caught anything in 84 days. Yet he sets out alone on the 85th day to try again. For three days he struggles with a large marlin which he finally kills; but, despite his best efforts, he loses the fish to repeated shark attacks.
Throughout the constant struggle between Santiago and the fish, he is forced to prove his skills as a fisherman and conduct his discipline to retain his
In today’s constantly changing age, very few things continue to withstand the test of time. However the aphorism, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after” Have stood the test of time.
In Santiago’s demonstration of being a code hero, he shows courage while battling the fish no matter the pain. As Hemingway defines a code hero, one must exhibit much courage when faced with stressful or painful situations which Santiago shows.While Santiago is battling the fish he says, “‘fish,’ he says aloud softly, ‘I’ll stay with you until I am dead’” (52). Santiago acts fearlessly while he is fighting
Santiago shows how he is a perfect man through a fish he catches. Santiago is on an 84 day streak of not being able to catch a single fish. One day Santiago decides to go out on a big fishing trip to try to end his streak. “But are you strong enough now for a truly big fish? I think so. And there are many tricks” (Hemingway 3). This quote shows that even though Santiago is on a streak of not being able to catch any fish, he is ready and prepared to catch a very big fish. While Santiago is stuck in the ocean he decides to start fishing. After a while of fishing Santiago hooks a very big fish. Santiago hooks a gigantic Marlin. Now before Santiago hooked this marlin, he had spent a dreadful three days eating raw dolphin and not being able to catch anything. When he hooked this Marlin he is extremely weak and tired. After a long fought duel with the marlin, Santiago is able to hook the marlin and attach it to his
The Old Man and the Sea was written by Ernest Hemingway and published in 1952. This is a captivating fiction story about a man named Santiago and his adventure when one day, he goes on a fishing journey to catch the big one. However, this adventure quickly becomes one of pain and suffering when things take a turn for the worse.
In the timeless novel The Old Man and the Sea, the hero is undoubtedly the old man, Santiago, whom us as readers become very acquainted with. Santiago is a hard-worker and perseveres through every problem nature brings to him. He is in the midst of a horrendous fishing drought, during which the townspeople laugh and ridicule him. Santiago just lets the criticism pass him by because he is confident that the fish of his lifetime is coming soon. In a sense, Santiago represents the ideas of honor and pride. He is also a hero to a young boy named Manolin who conveys the image that the old man is whom he would rather live
Growing old is everyone’s fear. People wonder what will become of them as they reach their “golden years”. In The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway, the old man faces the changes and problems of growing old.
I wish I could feed the fish, he thought. He is my brother. But I must kill him and keep strong to do it. Slowly and conscientiously he ate all of the wedge-shaped strips of fish” (59). This relates to perseverance by showing how Santiago doesn’t really want to harm the fish, but he knows he has to in order to make a living. Santiago’s hand has cramped up, yet he feels sorry for the fish, not himself. He has caught a few small fish to eat raw. He wishes he could feed the
Despite his failures, he sets out in his boat after having caught no fish for eighty-four days. Nevertheless, Santiago never loses his confidence in his fishing abilities. Hemingway describes the humble Old Man with, “His hope and confidence had never gone.”(pg 13) Ernest Hemingway goes on to say, “He was too simple to wonder when he had attained humility. But he knew he had attained it and he knew it was not disgraceful and it carried no loss of true pride.” (pg 13)