Santiago’s description of the turtles’ elegance and speed is symbolic of his optimism and strength. Santiago is strong and ready to keep fishing until he catches something even though he 's gone 84 days without catching anything. At the beginning of this journey, Santiago is sable; he has no physical ailments. He also has nothing but optimism and will to keep trying in his mind. Furthermore, at the beginning of his journey, Santiago considers nature to be a friend of his.
Then, for Santiago, It seems that his dignity is being a fisherman. He has a pride as a fisherman but he is not proud of fishing a large amount of fishes and he is not proud of earning a large amount of money by fishing. His dignity is raising fishes using his wisdom and his experience. The sea is the harsh environment but he must survive as a fisherman. He stakes his life on fighting with sea.
Santiago crosses the threshold by selling his sheep and taking a boat to Africa. He is conflicted because, “He had to choose between something he had been accustomed to and something he wanted to have.”(24) Santiago is pushed into this journey. He did not have a chance to fully think it through. He is a baby deer struggling on its new legs. Santiago is willing to take the chance of finding
On his 85th day out to sea, Santiago encounters a marlin who resists his attempts at catching him leading to a two-day feud. Once Santiago makes it to sea he manages to get a strong and huge marlin to fall for his bait. This is reminiscent to another time of his life when he went a prolonged time with bad luck and wasn’t able to capture anything, but when he finally made a catch, it was a giant fish. Instead of the marlin allowing Santiago a quick kill, he fights back and refuses to stop swimming, dragging along Santiago’s skiff with him. In Santiago’s mind, he isn’t that bothered or worried about the fish putting up a fight thinking, “This will kill him… He can’t do this forever” (Hemingway 45).
By now, everyone in the town knows about Santiago's fate, however no one has directly spoken to Santiago. Santiago walks home to change his clothes and later eats breakfast at the narrator's house. While Santiago walks home, he sees the townspeople lined up on the square waiting for the show to start; shouts are coming from all angles, some telling Santiago to run, others uttering rude comments about his ethnicity. Perplexed by the whole situation, Santiago stands in the middle of the square desperately trying to comprehend the noise. Clotilde Armenta, the store owner, is the voice which exceeds all others, aiding Santiago in his final attempt to get away.
He consoles Santiago after the marlin is eaten and he also supplies bait and food for Santiago. The Marlin- He is like a mirror image of Santiago, it has all the same traits as him. Whenever Santiago increases his perseverance the Marlin does the same. The marlin has become a controlling force in Santiago’s life and once the Marlin is eaten the life of Santiago seems to be eaten up too. The Sharks- They ruin what Santiago has been working at for three full days.
The setting is described as a hot summer day, which has lasted for three weeks. Throughout the story, the settings are being described very detailed. Everything from the moon, to the midsummer and the thick air, is being mentioned. Besides the descriptions of the weather, we do not know where the story takes place. I believe that the setting is symbolic because it adds to the plot of the story.
The Shopkeeper The shopkeeper Gave Santiago a job in Tangiers after he was robbed. Santiago takes the job at the crystal shop and learns much about the shopkeeper's attitude to life and the significance of dreaming. The shopkeeper, while generally afraid to take risks, is a very kind man and understands Santiago's quest - sometimes more than Santiago himself. This is the case when the shopkeeper tells Santiago that he will not go to Spain again , since it is not his
Setting is also very important in this story. Mainly the story takes place on earth, but it must be placed in the future being that it is apparently pretty easy to go up into space. To conclude, these devices tell us clearly what the theme of the story is, which is the struggle between adventure and
He is friends with and a mentor to a boy named Manolin. He enjoys being with the boy because it reminds him to stay young and also helps him in doing so. Their friendship gives Santiago companionship and keeps him in a youthful