By Kristin P.

The Old Man and the Sea is a novella that expresses one man’s compassion for the sea and his eternal enthusiasm for fishing. Santiago is a fisherman who travels the oceans surrounding his village on his diminutive skiff. His latest adventure out on the open water confronted Santiago with numerous struggles. His endurance and physical strength were continuously tested. As a result, Santiago brings a notable conflict upon himself, which he must learn to accept.

Santiago was faced with many challenges throughout the entire book, and his first predicaments occurred at the very beginning of the tale. After eighty-four days out at sea Santiago had captured not one descent fish. This lack of good fortune forced his young friend, and assistant, Manolin to facilitate a more prosperous boat. The old man did not let this inconvenience impair his determination. He set out once more without troubled spirits, certain his luck would change. At 100 fathoms his line became taut, and an eighteen foot marlin was hooked to his line. He could not pull the fish up for the stressed line would snap. Instead, Santiago held on to the fish with all his capacity for several days and nights. The gargantuan fish was not willing to sacrifice its life just yet, and had the energy to continue to fight. Neither the old man nor the fish had plans of surrendering; but unlike the fish, Santiago was running low on endurance. He felt fatigue all through his muscles as he spent one night gripping the line with his body. Sleep deprivation and disintegrating food for replenishment left Santiago in a desperate state. Santiago needed the boy, not only as a companion but to help him grasp the fish. “ ‘I wish I had the boy,’[said Santiago] ‘To help me and to see this.’ ” (pg 48).

Physical obstructions continued to weaken the old man. His hands cramped and bled from constricting the line which sliced his skin. The old man compared his bloody palms, to a hand competition he once had with a man from Cienfuegos: “Blood came out from under the fingernails of both his and the negro’s hands.”(pg 69) On the skiff, he dipped his fingers in the water. He watched his blood count decrease as a path of red moved over the surface of the water. His hands pained from cramping, for the old man was fighting the marlins resistance. Although his anguish never ceased, he persisted to push himself through this time of hardship, awaiting the time when his efforts would all pay off. His perseverance was rewarding when he alone harpooned the marlin and attached it to his skiff. On his journey home, Santiago destroyed several vicious sharks eating his precious marlin. When he finally his destination, nothing was left of the fish but a skeleton.

Santiago is not disappointed about the marlins fate, but rather a different matter. The old man never thought of himself as elderly, but only old in years. After experiencing the many challenging physical feats, Santiago realizes that his physiological age as finally caught up with his chronological age. Santiago becomes aware that his body is now fragile and he cannot tackle the vigorous tasks he used to accomplish. What could potentially be his final fishing adventure, took an extreme toll on his fortitude. It allowed the old man to come to the realization that his presence on Earth is wearing thin.

In this story there would be no true accomplishment without the struggles. If Santiago had not had such a difficult time seizing the fish, then his victory of defeating the marlin would not have been as grand. The many hardships allow you to become familiar with Santiago’s personality. Compassion, intensive patients, definitive determination, an optimistic outlook, and a respect for the sea, allow Santiago to be a fine fisherman no matter what his catch. He is willing to accept the challenges of the ocean but now realizes he may no longer be fit to take on the forces of nature.