Old Man And The Sea Term paper

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The Old Man and The Sea

Santiago and Manolin

This short novel, as the title suggests, is mainly set on the sea over a period of three days. The protagonist, Santiago, is a fisherman by profession and lives in a small village in Cuba. Geographically, Cuba is an island in the Caribbean, whose main industry is fishing. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream flow very close to the village where Santiago lives, bringing the giant marlin in the months of September and October. Santiago sets out on his momentous journey in the early fall, probably in September. During the course of the novel, the setting becomes symbolic. The sea represents the total universe against which humanity (represented by Santiago) is pitted and in which, everybody has to take a chance. The climax in the story occurs when Santiago kills the fish and its blood attracts the eager sharks nearby. His hopes of taking home his huge fish are dashed when the sharks attack and eat the fish. The antagonist in the novel is the sea, a symbol of life, which robs Santiago of his final victory. The real antagonist in the sea is the group of sharks that eat the giant fish. Since the waters also provide Santiago with his way of life, he sees the sea more as a challenge than an enemy. Manolin is a young teenage boy who serves as the son Santiago has never had. He looks up to Santiago as a teacher, a father figure, and a hero.

Santiago is an old Cuban who is the protagonist of the book. He is a skilled fisherman by profession and Hemingway s Code Hero who always maintains grace under pressure. Though he is exceptionally unlucky in not having caught a single fish in eighty-four days, he is still hopeful and happy, full with self-confidence and bravery in the face of the most tiresome circumstances. Although he loses his giant fish, Santiago is still a winner. His neck is wrinkled from the sun, and his hands bear the scars of many fishing battles; only his blue eyes remain bright and cheerful.

The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. Page 9-10

Even when he does not catch a single fish for eighty-four days, he refuses to be

discouraged. He has had streaks of bad luck in the past, and he is hopeful that the next day will bring him better luck. In fact, he makes up his mind to go far out to sea and try his luck, optimistic that he may catch a really large fish. Santiago is alone in the world; his wife has passed away, and he refuses to have a photograph of her in his hut, for it makes him feel lonely. His constant companion has been Manolin, a young boy that he has tutored since he was five. Santiago is an expert fisherman, skilled and careful. He makes careful preparations for each outing on his boat and is always prepared when he makes a catch. He is in tune with the natural environment, watching the weather, the currents, birds, and fish to help him know the best spot for fishing. He wisely drops his bait at different depths, hoping to land a catch with variety of methods.

Physically, Santiago is a tough man. When he was younger, he would arm wrestle for sport and always win. One time, a match lasted for more than twenty-four hours, and even though his hands were bleeding, he refused to give up. He finally won the match and was called the champion. This determination is what

makes him continue to fight the giant fish for three long and grueling days. Even though his hands ache, cramp, and bleed and his shoulders burn with pain, he will not slacken the line or let the fish defeat him

Manolin is a young boy of about fourteen years...

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