The
Old Man and the Sea
Texture:
Rock
·
Santiago’s characteristics are to that
of a rock. He has a strong personality and he’s not willing to just give up on
his life, striving for the success of catching a fish even though he hasn’t
caught one in about eighty-four days.
He keeps his character strong and
seemingly unbreakable and unphased by his previous failures. His surface may be
very smooth by all the rivers that have changed him, but when you break him
open all u see is sharp and rough edges. Though changed by many people in his
life he still brings own character out so he can strive to be himself and do
what he can to succeed.
·
Santiago endures a long and grueling
struggle with a marlin that he is attempting to catch. Only to see the greatest
catch of his life get eaten up by sharks. Yet, the destruction enables the old
man to undergo a remarkable transformation. Santiago is an old man who is
physically weak, but the reader is guaranteed that Santiago will persist
through-out the book to be who he truly wants himself to be. Santiago manages
to do the most miraculous achievement of all: he finds a way to lengthen his
life.
·
Santiago’s pride is what enables him to
endure Ernest Hemingway’s view of the world—a world in which death and
destruction are a part of the natural order of things. Hemingway seems to
believe that there are only two options: defeat or endurance until destruction.
Santiago’s determination is unreal. For three days he holds tights to the
fishing pole that has the marlin on it. The pain from holding the pole is
terrible – he injures his back and palms from holding the pole. This pain
allows Santiago to have a connection with the marlin that goes beyond just the
fishing line: his body aches to the fact that he is well matched, that the fish
is a worthy opponent, and that he himself, because he is able to fight so hard,
is a worthy fisherman.
Summary:
The story begins with
an old man. He is a fisherman who has not caught a fish in 84 days. He is also
not eating very much. The two factors are related. There is a boy who is great
friends with the old man. The old man taught him to fish when he was young, and
the boy brings the old man food because the old man is too physically weak to
get his own.
The old man goes to sleep dreaming of the lions he used to see back in the day when he was in Africa. The old man wakes up before sunrise and does what all fishermen do – He gets into his boat and heads out to fish. Traveling for a short period of time the old man reals in a really big fish, a marlin. Most of the novel revolves around a struggle, which lasts over three days. It’s the battle of strength and of wills, between the old man and the fierce, unforgiving marlin. The old man sees the fish as his brother, not his enemy, yet never hesitates to kill the fish. Ultimately, he does.
The old man straps the fish to the side of the boat and heads home. On the way back from his fishing he is attacked by sharks. They slowly but surely eat the marlin while the old man, starving and exhausted, tries to beat them off with a harpoon, a club, and finally a knife. By the time the old man makes it back to shore, there is nothing left of the fish but its bones.
The old man goes to sleep dreaming of the lions he used to see back in the day when he was in Africa. The old man wakes up before sunrise and does what all fishermen do – He gets into his boat and heads out to fish. Traveling for a short period of time the old man reals in a really big fish, a marlin. Most of the novel revolves around a struggle, which lasts over three days. It’s the battle of strength and of wills, between the old man and the fierce, unforgiving marlin. The old man sees the fish as his brother, not his enemy, yet never hesitates to kill the fish. Ultimately, he does.
The old man straps the fish to the side of the boat and heads home. On the way back from his fishing he is attacked by sharks. They slowly but surely eat the marlin while the old man, starving and exhausted, tries to beat them off with a harpoon, a club, and finally a knife. By the time the old man makes it back to shore, there is nothing left of the fish but its bones.
AP
Writing Prompt:
A
recurring theme in literature is “the classic war between a passion and a
responsibility.” For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge,
a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict
with moral duty. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a character
confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her
responsibilities. In a well-written essay, show clearly the nature of the
conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.
As Santiago continues
to move away from shore, observing his world as he drifts along. Rowing farther
and farther out, Santiago follows the seabird that is hunting for fish, using
it as a guide. Soon, one of the old man’s lines gets caught, he pulls up a
ten-pound tuna, which, he says out loud, will make a lovely piece of bait. He
thinks that if the other fishermen heard him talking, they would think him
crazy, although he knows he isn’t. Eventually, the old man realizes that he has
sailed so far out that he can no longer see the shore.
The old man realized
that one of his reels is getting tugged on; it’s a marlin. The marlin plays
with the bait for a while, and when it does finally take the bait and it starts
to move with it, pulling the boat. The old man gives the line a pull, but he
gains nothing. The fish drags the boat farther into the sea. No land at all is
visible to Santiago now.
All day the fish pulls
the boat as the old man braces the line with his back and holds it taut in his
hands, ready to give more line if necessary. The struggle goes on all night, as
the fish continues to pull the boat. When he sees two dolphins playing in the
water he begins to pity and considers it as a brother.
The sun rises and the
fish has not tired, though it is now swimming in shallower waters. The old man
cannot increase the tension on the line because if it is too tight it will
break and the fish will get away. Also, if the hook makes too big a cut in the
fish, the fish may get away. Santiago hopes that the fish will jump, because
its air sacs would fill and prevent the fish from going too deep into the
water, which would make it easier to pull out. A yellow weed attaches to the
line, helping to slow the fish. Santiago can do nothing but hold on. He pledges
his love and respect to the fish, but he nevertheless promises that he will
kill his opponent before the day ends. He sacrifices his health and wellbeing
to catch this fish, but in the end it doesn’t matter. On the way back to shore
with this huge marlin dragging behind, sharks begin to nip at it, slowly
removing any meat left on the prized fish.
As the old man arrives
he is devastated by what he sees. All of his hard work and determination, for
nothing. His health is in a bad state. Not only is the old man late in his
years but he’s now recently injured his back and cut his hands. Here is a war
between a passion and responsibility.
