The Final Journey
Dr. Seuss once wrote “I've heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I've brought a big bat. I'm all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” In the novella The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the old man, became acquainted with a multitude of troubles while at sea. During his journey he met a Marlin, and struggled many days and nights with this fish, eventually ending the battle with a spear through its heart. Following that, Santiago became acquainted with the ferocious sharks, who consequently tore apart and ate the Marlin. When Santiago sailed back to shore, he then began the long, painful journey home. The religious symbolism behind events from The Old Man and the Sea, magnify Santiago and the Marlin to the extent of resembling Christ. Through the struggle, pain, and the final path leading to
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As the battle with the marlin and sharks has come to a completion, it was time to start back for home. When the old man reached shore, “he shouldered the mast and started to climb.” (Hemingway 121). In the same way in which Jesus carried his “mast”. It states in Hemingway’s novella multiple times, that Santiago tripped and fell on his path, from exhaustion, just as Christ did. When the worn and tired old man made it back home, he hung up his cross, then got in bed and, “slept face down on the newspaper with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up.” (Hemingway 122) In the Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway made a clean point when comparing Santiago to the son of God. It states “ ‘Ay,’ he said aloud. There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just noise such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood” This is one of many other parts in the book that relate Santiago to the Messiah, during his struggles and ultimate
It is not unusual for authors to make reference to events, literature, and people of the past. Hemingway constantly alludes to Christianity throughout the novel especially when referencing Santiago, the old fisherman, whose name in itself alludes to a biblical figure. For example, when Santiago’s hands are badly injured, the author is clearly alluding
In Hemingway’s work, The Old Man and The Sea, there are only a couple that you do not catch at first. The big one that you see right away is when Santiago is laying in bed just like Christ on the cross. “Finally collapsing on his bed, depleted and vulnerable after his long and arduous journey, Santiago lay face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up.” (pg 122). A very Christ-like image, to be sure.
Like the Furies, they relentlessly pursue Santiago until divine vengeance is wreaked upon him. Clinton S. Burhans comments that “the sharks [are] not a matter of chance nor a stroke of bad luck . . . They are the direct result of the old man’s action in killing the fish” (75). ” We can gather other messages from the novella regarding the New Testament, such as the importance of work, discipleship and love and charity, all seen through the Old Man’s relationship with the
The theme of treasure appears very early on in the story. Santiago, a travelling Shepherd, has a dream one night telling him that his treasure awaits him by the pyramids of Egypt. This dream sparks his journey where along the way, the people he meets and the experiences he has shape and transform his idea and perception of treasure. In the end, Santiago finds his physical treasure but his journey is not over as he had once feared. Santiago’s perception of treasure has transcended the physical and now he has respect for the treasure of home, knowledge and love.
Though the “Old Man and the Sea”, portrays Santiago’s struggle, his experience from his journey betters him for the future. Ernest Hemingway’s novel is about an old man, who embarks on a journey to catch a fish. While on his journey, he struggles to keep himself together. He has to stay awake for long hours, on barely any food. Lacking energy, but not determination, Santiago pulls through and catches the great marlin.
The punishment of hunger, and that he is against something that he does not comprehend, is everything”. These two examples constitute part of his journey on the sea, by comparing things like the brotherhood between the fish and his two
They begin with Hemingway’s rejection, in “A Farewell to Arms,” of the high, old language, his insistence on concreteness: “I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it. There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had
Ernest Hemingway’s characters are frequently tested in their faith, beliefs, and ideas. To Hemingway’s characters, things that appear to be grounded in reality and unmovable facts frequently are not, revealing themselves to be hollow, personal mythologies. Hemingway shakes his characters out of their comfortable ignorance through traumatic events that usually cause a certain sense of disillusionment with characters mythologies, moving them to change their way of life. His characters usually, after becoming disillusioned, respond with depression, suicide, and nihilism. However, this is not always the case.
His strength of mind is still strong like his youth. Therefore this essay will emphasize on the old man’s struggle against marlin, battle of willingness and his bravery which supports the theme determination. The old man Santiago struggles against marlin over day and night. Santiago travels far beyond from his home because he needs to reveal his strength and prove that he is still able to be the fisherman that he once was.
He is so poor that he sometimes does not even have food. Manolin brings him his supper, given to him by the owner of the Terrace (19-20). On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago goes far out into the Gulf Stream away from all the other fisherman to catch a big fish. He is “alone and out of sight of land” when he catches “the biggest fish that he [has] ever seen and bigger than he [has] ever heard of” (63). To prevent the giant marlin from getting away, Santiago holds onto the line using only his back, arms, and hands.
Hemingway’s first novel The Sun Also Rises received good reviews and has been recognized to be one of his greatest works. The author has aimed to epitomize the post-war expatriate generation and the major themes of the novel appear to move around two epigraphs; the first epigraph was a quotation from Ecclesiastes while the other was created by Hemingway’s Gertrude Stein. In this work, Hemingway has portrayed the life of a number of expatriate people who make the rounds of bars in Paris and resort in Spain and whom they attempt to engage with activities of fishing, drinking, talking, making love, and attending bullfights ; Hemingway has emphasized that those expatriate in their seeking for the leisure time are aimless lost generation. The Great War has brought with it the destruction of the old values
Santiago is an old fisherman who goes out on a long, epic journey. He faces many challenges, both mentally and physically. On his journey he talks about many things, including the sea turtles; which he admires very much. At the beginning of his journey, Santiago is optimistic and has good mental and physical health. At the end of his journey, however he is beaten down both mentally and physically.
The novel, The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, describes the life of some people from the Lost Generation in post-World War I Europe, but mostly in Paris, France and Pamplona, Spain. This novel rotates around Jacob, or Jake, Barnes’, the narrator’s, life; which mostly includes drinking with his friends, Robert Cohn, a Jewish man who is often verbally abused by his “friends”, Ashley Brett, an attractive woman who Jake is in love with, Bill Gorton, a good friend of Jake’s, and a couple others. Their life in dull Paris seems to revolve around spending money and drinking, but when they go to colorful Pamplona, Spain, they have an amazing time during the fun-filled fiesta. Ernest Hemingway uses the “iceberg theory” when he presents Jake Barnes to the reader; he does not directly tell you a lot about Jake, but through Jake’s thoughts and emotions, one can tell that he was injured in the war, he is not a very religious person, he would rather do what he loves, instead of what he must, and he does not like to be honest with himself, despite the fact that he is one of the more honest characters in the novel. Ernest Hemingway does not directly let the reader know that Jake is injured in a special place; he allows the reader to interpret that from Jake’s thoughts and memories.
He displays how when people are faced with death, some let fate control their destiny, which is applicable to real world situations. In the real world, one will make the choice whether to expect or avoid fate, which will lead to certain consequences. Hemingway’s writings were based on experiences and obstacles he overcame. People should invest more time to reading Hemingway’s stories, which can prompt action, and change some life decisions of the reader. His strong messages should get through to readers, to prompt better decisions.
Hemingway presents the elements of failure and suffering in The Old Man and the Sea by depicting several instances of suffering and failure which the Old Man, Santiago, has to go through throughout the course of the novel. According to Hemingway, life is just one big struggle. In the beginning of the novel itself, The Old Man, is presented as a somewhat frail old man who is still struggling with his life as well as his past failures. His skiff even had a sail which bore great resemblance to “the flag of permanent defeat”, with its multiple patches all over.