The Old Man and the Sea question #7

Ernest Hemingway uses many techniques in "The Old Man and the Sea" in order to engage the audience and make the story effective. One of the first techniques he uses is the fact that the book is shorter and is not broken into chapters like other books. I think this keeps the reader from stopping since there really is no identifiable stopping point. This also makes the book easier to read and more convenient since you can read it in fewer sittings. Another technique Hemingway uses is symbolism. This is kind of what takes the book even deeper than just a story about a man at sea. Some symbolism used is what and who the marlin, the sharks, and Santiago represent. The giant prize of the marlin fish represents the perfect opponent. The marlin makes the perfect opponent in the way that he brought out great traits in Santiago. These include respect, power, determination, and love. Another symbolism used was the sharks. These can represent defeat and the people trying to tear you down. In "The Old Man and the Sea" the sharks were against Santiago and tried to eat his prize. Santiago did not give up without a fight though. He killed several sharks and never accepted defeat. One last use of symbolism used was the way Santiago symbolized Christ. This was displayed with the way his palms and back were injured and the way he fell asleep when he finally got home. "He pulled the blanket over his shoulders and then over his back and legs and he slept face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up" (Hemingway, 122). Another technique Hemingway used was suspense. He used this in two major ways, the fight to kill the marlin, and the journey home against the sharks. The epic battle to reel in the great marlin took three whole days and then the numerous shark attacks made it seem like Santiago would never get home.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea question #6

"The Old Man and the Sea" was written in 1951. That means this book has been around for sixty-one years. There has to be a reason for this book to still be read today, and there is. The message, characters and lessons "The Old Man and the Sea" teaches is what makes this story timeless. Like I said, the characters are timeless. The main character, Santiago, is not your typical old man. He has great traits of determination, experience, strength, and skill that makes him an interesting character, expecially for his old age. Manolin is also a likeable character. As the reader, I appreciated his respect and genuine care for Santiago. "It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empy and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast" (Hemingway, 9). Another item that makes this book timeless is the overall message. This message is to never give up or except defeat. The great thing about this message is that it is so universal and can apply to everyone. It can apply to someone in a sport competing against their rival team, an adult working towards a raise, a person battling a serious illness and many more. One last reason why "The Old Man and the Sea" is still read today, is because of what it teaches the reader. It teaches you determination and how powerful it can be. Santiago taught us determination simply through his actions. He displyed determination through out the entire book. He showed it through the way he never gave up on fishing even after a bad luck streak of eighty-four days, his epic battle with the marlin and victory in killing it, and lastly his struggle against the sharks where he fought until there was never left to fight for. Santiago was definetly the definition of determination and this is a quality that will always be timeless.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea question #5

"The Old Man and the Sea" reflects the history, behavior and social issues of the time period and setting of this story. The setting of this story is the late 1940s. It takes place in a small fishing village near Havana, Cuba and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Ernest Hemingway was influenced a lot by events in history that he witnessed while writing "The Old Man and the Sea". Hemingway served in both World War I and World War II. He was also present during the liberation of Paris and the arguement within the Cuban Communist party in 1945. "Having viewed death and hardship in many forms, Hemingway’s feeling of disillusionment was only magnified by his 10-year struggle with writing that preceded the publication of 'The Old Man and the Sea' " (LitCharts).  Behavior traits of this time period were also reflected in this book. I think this was shown with the way Santiago was viewed. It seemed like he was not respected as much because of his age and bad luck with fishing. Even Manolin who would help him no longer could because his parents did not like him fishing with Santiago. This could also fall under social issues as well. Another social issue could be lack of food resources. In a fishing village, if you could not catch anything to eat, it was harder to find food. This is what Santiago struggled with ,but the boy helped keep him fed. The books symbolic signifance is the idea that Santiago represents Christ. Hemingway demostrates this by kind of recreating the crucifixtion. The crucifixtion of Christ is symbolized when Santiago is fighting with the marlin and gets his hands cut up as well as pain on his back. Another symbolism  of this is when Santiago carries his mast up the hill which symbolizes when Christ marched carrying his cross. One last way Santiago symbolized Christ was the way he fell asleep after it was all over. He fell asleep with his arms out and palms up which is the way Christ was crucified.

"The Old Man and the Sea: Background Info." LitCharts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2012. http://www.litcharts.com/lit/theoldmanandthesea/backgroundinfo.

Old Man and the Sea question #4

The hero in "The Old Man and the Sea" is Santiago. Santiago is a fisherman and described as being very old. "Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated" (Hemingway, 10). He is also a role model to the young boy Manolin and he plans for his teachings to live on through him. At the beginning of the book, Santiago is not respected at all in his village. This is because he has had such bad luck fishing up to this point and had not caught a single fish in eighty-four days. Some traits that would describe him would be patient, passionate, skillful, and determined. Santiago is extremely patient. He keeps on fishing like he does every day even though he has not had a catch in so long. He is also patient with reeling in the fish. He spent three full days just waiting for the right moment to kill the marlin. Santiago is also very passionate. He is obviously passionate about fishing if he does it every day and has much respect for fish. He is skillful as well and uses his skills he has perfected for all these years to capture his great catch. Lastly Santiago is determined. Throughout the entire story, whatever he sets out to do he puts all his efforts into it. This includes fishing in general, catching the marlin, and then fighting off the sharks. Santiago accomplishes much in "The Old Man and the Sea". I would have to say his greatest accomplishment was catching the enormous marlin. He accomplished this in three days using his skill and great physical and mental strength. He also accomplishes killing numerous sharks when they try to attack his prize fish. In the end, however, there are too many of them and Santiago is left with only the skeleton. He is portrayed as a hard-working, determined, old, and experienced man. I think Santiago could easily represent the abstract idea of fortitude simply because of his character and actions in this book.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea question #3

There are several universal themes "The Old Man and the Sea" addresses. These include the circle of life, suffering and determination. As I said, the circle of life is one of the themes of this book. This is shown throughout the story. Santiago is human and needs to eat in order to survive. While on his epic journey with the marlin, he keeps his strength up by nourishing himself with dolphin, flying fish, and some tuna he has with him. After killing the marlin, Santiago has mixed feelings about killing the fish, but he thinks his actions are made up for his respect and love for the great fish. "You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman. You loved him when he was alive and you loved him after. If you love him, it is not a sin to kill him. Or is it more?" (Hemingway, 105). Another theme in "The Old Man and the Sea" is suffering. Santiago suffers much during his fight with the great marlin. One of the first ways he suffers is the fact that he has not caught a single fish in almost three months. He also suffers physically from the cuts in his hands and the pain on his back he receives while reeling in the marlin. Lastly, he suffers the loss of his prize catch. One last theme of "The Old Man and the Sea" is determination. To me, this seemed to be the strongest of all the themes. No matter how bad the circumstances got, Santiago never gave up. He was determined from the very beginning. Even after almost three months without a catch, he still goes out and fishes like he does every day. He shows his determination in the three day fight to kill the marlin as well. He struggles through physical and mental pain yet his strength never fails and he is able to win the battle against the fish. His determination is tested for a last time when the sharks attack and again he doesn't give up. He fights until there is nothing left to fight for. Ernest Hemingway understands humans' desire to survive, the pain we suffer through, and the determination to accomplish what we set out to do.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.

The Old Man and The Sea question #2

There are many causes, gains, and losses dealt with in "The Old Man and the Sea". The overall conflict of this story is the main character, Santiago's, attempt to reel in the biggest catch of his life and then trying to make it home with the huge fish in one piece. The cause of this conflict is first off because Santiago is a fisherman. Santiago has made his living off fishing for a long time and was not expecting such an epic adventure to come out of this particular trip. The cause of finding the great marlin is from his decision to sail out farther than he usually would. Some other causes that led to the conflict is that he was able to finally kill the marlin because he was so patient and determined. One last cause that happened was the loss of the marlin to the sharks because he was unable to protect his prize after losing more and more sources for weapons after each shark encounter. "Now it is over, he thought. They will probably hit me again. But what can a man do against them in the dark without a weapon?" (Hemingway, 117). There were few physical gains in "The Old Man and the Sea",but there were some psychological gains I suppose. The main physical gain was the huge marlin he spent three days trying to kill. He gained mental strength as well. When his physical strength failed him, his mental strength pushed him through and kept him going. Santiago also gained a respect for the massive fish and when he came home, respect and amazement from the spectators who saw the skeleton of his marlin. I feel like Santiago went through a lot more losses than gains through out the book. I suppose one of the first things he loses is time since he was pulled by the marlin for three days. He obviously thought it was worth it though. Another thing Santiago loss was his physical strength. He had few resources out there and suffered many injuries during his struggle with the fish. The last and main loss was of course, the marlin. He did not go out without a fight though. He fought for his once in a life time catch until there was nothing left to fight for.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print

Old Man and the Sea question #1

"The Old Man and the Sea" although a rather small book, revealed the author's values as well as his attitudes clearly. These are shown and portrayed through the main character, Santiago. Reading what Santiago values and his attitudes helps us understand what Ernest Hemingway values and his attitudes. One of the things clearly valued in "The Old Man and the Sea" is determination. This is displayed by Santiago through out the entire book. The first way Santiago displays determination is the fact that before going on this epic fishing journey, he had not caught a single fish in eighty-four days. This was almost as long as his record, which is eighty-seven days without a catch. With anything you have a passion for you must have determination to keep going even when the going gets tough. Santiago was really tested in this aspect by not catching anything for almost three months. Not only did Santiago show his determination here but even more so when in the process of catching the biggest catch of his life. "The speed of the line was cutting his hands badly but he had always known this would happen and he tried to keep the cutting across the calloused parts and not let the line slip into the palm nor cut the fingers" (Hemingway, 83). Santiago struggled greatly in attempt to bring in the great fish. He suffered painful injuries yet his determination and strength never gave in. After successfully killing the giant marlin, Santiago was again tested. This time he was up against numerous sharks trying to eat his prize he slaved over to win. Santiago fought with all he had until there was nothing left to fight for. The attitude I think Hemingway had while writing was very informative. I do not think he was angry or sad, I think he was just telling a story. The book "The Old Man and the Sea" is written in third person. I think this was a good choice on the author's part because it made it more like a narrative.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.