He has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish, in that way he is unlucky. With going many days without catching any fish, he has used the time to master the perfect way to catch fish so that he will be prepared for what will come. “Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact.
Now, every second matters if he wants to win over the fish. The pressure is on just like in a baseball game. Not only does it give the feeling an excitement but also faith,“Have faith in the Yankees my son. Think of the great DiMaggio” ( Hemingway, p. 17). Losing faith in baseball would mean losing faith in himself.
Eighty days without a fish, and the parents of the small boy who helps him, Manolin, have forbidden him to work with Santiago any more. He is unlucky, they say, and the word is echoed around town. However, I personally think that Santiago is one of the most successful people spiritually, but not materially. This character achieved a goal, persevered till the end, never gave up, change all the people’s opinions gained their respect, and he didn’t complain about his poverty. Santiago was materially unsuccessful, and this could be determined by how simple his house is.
The old man was content with all of the highs and lows that the job offered him. In The Old Man and the Sea, the old man serves as an archetypal Hero throughout the book and experiences a daunting and life threatening task to catch a fish and end an 84 day drought. To begin with, the old man possesses all the necessary qualities to be characterized as the Hero. During the 84 day drought in which he went without a fish, he was still confident in his abilities and wouldn’t give up. He even took the chance of going farther out into sea than any other boat dared.
In the first part of the novella the author shows the reader that the old man has gone a long time, eighty four days, without catching any fish. However, this isn’t the first time that old man has gone through similar conditions because previously he had gone eight seven days without catching fish and then was able to catch a big fish everyday for three weeks. Nevertheless this doesn’t stop the boy’s parents from preventing Manolin to continue fishing with the old man. Although his parents refused to let him fish with the old man the boy still insists on helping in some way, “I would like to go. If I cannot fish with you.
His fought for three days with marlin and the sharks with little food and water, this demonstrates a good survivor and his willpower. His accomplishments proves that he comfortable in the darkness of the ocean, as it is his home which he never feared, and adores the nature day and night. He is an unusual hero because although his material life is poor and he does not have any source of income, but his pride, confidence, independence and resilience is very high. His friendship with Manolin is strong, despite he is an old man and Manolin is a young boy, he gives the boy his experiences in life and fishing. He does not accept help because he believes it is the start of begging.
According to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, perseverance can be described as, “to persist in a state enterprise or undertaking in spite of counter influences, opposition, or discouragement.” Santiago shows his courage, persistence, and perseverance continually throughout the entire book. Through his determination, the old man finally hooked a fish, though it was not a fast catch. The fish remained latent under the water for quite some time before the man caught a glimpse of it as it jumped out of the water. Since the fish was so enormous, it towed the skiff out to sea, however, the old man was determined to hold onto the fish no matter what. “But four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea, towing the skiff and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back,” describes the difficulty of the catch.
The marlin is portrayed to santiago seems to be a respectable opponent worth fighting. One he enjoys fighting but doesn 't want to kill. “He is wonderful and strange and who knows how old he is, he thought. Never have I had such a strong fish nor one who acted so strangely... He cannot know that it is only one man against him, nor that it is an old man.” Even though Santiago latches onto the marlin on his first day fishing, the determined fish absolutely refuses to be caught and come to the surface but instead pulls himself, still hooked to Santiago, straying the old man from land.
Breanna Miller Prof.Long English 83 December 6, 2016 The Old Man And The Sea The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible . The positive traits in good people really depends on someone's personality, you can’t also judge a book by its cover. In the book Ernest Hemingway it tells a story of an old man named Santiago who, is in some form of unlucky, he is also known to be the worst fisherman. But, a young boy named Manolin, who once fished with the old man, Santiago. His parents told Manolin that the old man is an unlucky
I have always believed that if one works hard enough their hard work will be recognized by everyone. Their story of how they achieved greatness will be told, and their legacy will live on. However, Hemingway states: “That afternoon there was a party of tourists at the Terrance and looking down in the water ... a woman saw a great long spine with a huge tail at the end that lifted and swung with the tide… ‘What’s that?’ she asked a waiter … pointed to the long backbone of the great fish that was now just garbage… ‘Tiburon,’ the waiter said, ‘Eshark.’… ‘I didn’t know sharks had such handsome, beautifully formed tails.’ ‘I didn’t either,’ her male companion said.” (Hemingway, 92). From this, I saw that not everyone’s hard work is recognized by others. The tourists didn’t realize the carcass they were looking at was the one of the great marlin, the greatest the fishermen have ever seen.