The Old Man And The Sea

Ernest Hemingway

Plot OverviewThe Old Man and the Sea is the story of an epic struggle between an old, seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his lifeOn eighty-four days without success , Santiago, an aged Cuban fisherman, sets out to sea and returns empty-handed. The old man used to be accompanied by  a boy who is no more with him because of his failure but the boy truly respects him and cares for himOne day on his venture to the sea he expertly hooks the fish, but he cannot pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat.

The Marlin…..

The fish pulls the boat all through the day, through the night, through another day, and through another night. It swims steadily northwest until at last it tires and swims east with the current

•On the third day the fish tires, and Santiago, sleep-deprived, aching, and nearly delirious, manages to pull the marlin in close enough to kill it with a harpoon thrust

He kills the marlin and then brings it home

On his way home, a swarm of sharks tries to eat the marlin

As Santiago sails on with the fish tied outside the boat , the marlin’s blood leaves a trail in the water and attracts sharks. Santiago is unable to save the fish he caught.He arrives home before daybreak, stumbles back to his shack, and sleeps very deeply.

Time the skiff reaches the village, little remains of the great fish but the head and skeleton

Manolin, who has been worried sick over the old man’s absence, is moved to tears when he finds Santiago safe in his bed. They decide to become partners once again and they go fishing.

Characters. A meticulous and skillful fisherman:•Meticulous: prepares carefully for each outing on his boat and when he makes a catch.•Skillful:Ø     When the marlin indicates its tiredness, Santiago uses all his strength to pull the fish and stab with a harpoonØ     When he loses his harpoon in killing the shark, he makes new one by strapping his knife to the end of an oar to ward off the next line of sharks

A young boy who shows great concern for Santiago

A loyal apprentice Manolin

Wants to be a faithful companion with the old man despite being forbidden by his parents.

desires to learn from the old man.

THE SHARKS

a. Vicious: tear apart the marlin’s body and mutilate chunks of meat.

b. Leave the old man devastated: nothing remains but the long backbone now just is garbage.

The Marlin (symbolic)

Giant & marvelous:

18-foot & 1500-pound fish.

has blue and silver  stripes on its sides.

strong and long resistant

The marlin is the fish Santiago spends the majority of the novel tracking, killing, and attempting to bring to shore. Santiago idealizes the marlin of great nobility, a fish to which must prove his own nobility if he is to be worthy to catch it.

Stubborn & full of challenges:

Refuses to come to the surface.

Tows the old man’s skiff for 2 straight days.

Pulls the old man further and further from land.

•Martin The owner of the Terrace (his name is Spanish for St. Martin), he sends food and drink to Santiago through Manolin.

•Perico A man at the bodega who gives Santiago newspapers to read.

Pedrico A fisherman in the village who looks after Santiago's skiff and gear and receives the marlin's head to use in fish traps.

THEMEEndurance and Struggle:

Santiago finds the marlin worthy.

¢This admiration brings respect and honor to the struggle.

“Because I love you, I have to kill you.”Santiago is destroyed but never defeated.

He emerges as a hero.

Pride and Determination:

Pride and Determination:Santiago’s pride becomes his tragic flaw.He is aware of this flaw. What does this mean for his character?After the sharks destroy the marlin, Santiago apologizes to his brother.His pride ruins them both.However, pride motivates Santiago to overcome the 84 days of misfortune.Pride and determination are the source of greatness.

Friendship

The friendship between Santiago and Manolin plays a critical part in Santiago's victory over the Marlin. Santiago refuses to accept defeat because he knows Manolin would be disappointed in him. Yet most of the novel takes place when Santiago is alone. Except for Manolin's friendship in the evenings, Santiago is characterized by his isolation, but he refuses to give in to loneliness. Santiago finds friends in other creatures, like the fish, birds and the sea.

FRIENDSHIP

The Man and The Natural World

Respect and Reputation

The Respect for the marlin, repeatedly emphasizing this during his struggle and after he has killed the fish.

battle with the marlin is the notion of respect.The old man derives respect from others with displays of strength and 

prowess..  Pride and humility are not mutually exclusive qualities. 

 His pride is referred to as "long gone."

Memory and the Past 

 Santiago recalls a strength and prowess of his youth.The past can be used to comment on the present • The old man’s memory of the lions is a constant motif, compares his own abilities to their prowess and pride

It’s not in the winning or losing (in life) that matters, it is how you play the game.

Hemingway’s comment or opinion about “life” is that to be heroic, you must overcome life’s obstacles with dignity, decency, and courage so that even if you are destroyed, you are not defeated.

SYMBO

LS • The Sea - represents the Universe and Santiago's isolation in the Universe. 

•The Marlin - represents the ultimate opponent

• The Sharks - destructive forces in life.

• Joe DiMaggio - symbolizes the indomitable will of the human spirit. 

• The Lions - represent virility, youth, and hope of eternal life (at the end of the novel).

• Manolin - hope. 

• The lost harpoon - symbolic of individuals who lose their faith as life's woes attack

It’s not in the winning or losing (in life) that matters, it is how you play the game.

CONCLUSION

•All of the symbols employed by Hemingway add to the basic theme that life is an endless struggle with illusory rewards. In order to gain nobility in life, a person must show bravery, confidence, courage, patience, optimism, and intelligence during the struggle. Then, even if the prize is lost, the person has won the battle, proving himself capable of retaining grace under pressure, the ultimate test of mankind.

At last: Moral of the story

“A man can be destroyed but not defeated”