Old Man and The Sea Essay

A man, the sea, a boy, and one very unlucky marlin they all have struggles that they must overcome. Some pass with flying colors, others are tortured for the longest time until the barely succeed, and some fail their struggles and are left with nothing. All of these elements come together to make the novella The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Santiago the man endures a painful tortures struggle, the sea always wins it's battles it gives just as much as it takes away and does whatever it pleases, and Manolin, the boy, along with that unlucky marlin failed their struggles. The boy wished to fish with Santiago but his parents were the opposing force that told him he could not. The Marlin was struggling against Santiago for dear life and failed when he was harpooned. The struggles that we win make us strong and those we loose help us learn so that hopefully the next time we may win.

The first type of struggle, the kind where one wins easily, represents the sea in The Old Man and the Sea. The sea does whatever it pleases, if it wants to help the fish escape from Santiago it can make that possible but if it wants Santiago to catch the fish it can do the exact opposite. Of course if it is unsatisfied with its choice it can also take the fish away from him, as it does by sending the sharks out to eat the Marlin. The sharks are the children of the sea and they do the seas bidding. The sea brings the scent of blood to their noses and they will follow it's trail to the fish. "... the clicking chop of the teeth as he drove for-ward in the meat just above the tail." [101] Each chomp of a mouth each tear of flesh takes back the gift from Santiago, leaving him with nothing. There are obstacles that the sea cannot concur like the land but slowly and surely it concurs that too.

The next type of struggle, the kind that is achieved with great suffering, represents Santiago in this story. The cramping of his hand, the starvation, dehydration, cuts, and bruises obtained while trying to gain a measly fish show his struggling. Why would a man put himself through such torture as this? It is almost as if all man kind wishes to harm itself for a small prize then goes out and does it all over again. "He settledcomfortably against the wood andtook his suffering as it came and the fish swam steadily and the boat moved slowly through the dark water." [64] One makes ones self as comfortable as one can but always ends up suffering in silence. Why even bother to try and get comfortable if you are just going to have to endure the pain as it comes.

The last and most dejective struggle are those that aren't won. Both the boy and the Marlin show theoutcomeof these struggles. One morbid and the other strengthening. Death is the greastest sacrafice the sacrafice that the Marlin gave. The boy, Manolin, gives up his partnership with Santiago. This was giving up one of the most important things in his life. "It was papa made me leave." [10] Giving up something for someone else because of fear or influence is another point that shows man's ability to inflict damages upon itself. Of course when there is failure it teaches you how to succeed. "If I cannot fish with you, I would like to serve [you] in some way." [12] We do our best to make ammends and make up for our losses, even those created by no fault of our own. "'What will your family say?' 'I do not care. I caught two yesterday. But we will fish together now for I still have much to learn.'" [125] This time he has decided to win no matter what the cost is to him or his family. A lesson has been learned, and a struggle won.

Everybody struggles with something everyday. Whether it be wityh themselves or with another person. Every time you make a decision you are struggling at least a little because you must think about both the posative and negative effects of everything you do. Then there are those fights with other people, you punch and kick and scratch leaving a winner and a loser amoung the ranks. There are things out of our hands like the wind and the rain. They damage our houses and our streets, they tear up everythign and there isn't even the slightest chance that we will survive. All people struggle but not all win. All we can do is our best.