By Anna K.

In The Old Man in the Sea, the main character Santiago has to make a crucial decision as to whether or not to continue to battle the marlin He decides to fight. This decision is mainly because of pride. He needs this catch to prove that he isn’t unlucky and that he can succeed. He needs it for his own benefit. He needs to prove it to himself as much as to everyone around him. As a result of his choice the rest of his journey and life are affected. His hands begin to cramp, he cannot get any sleep, and he has to fight off sharks that try and get to the marlin.

On effect of him elongating his struggle with the marlin is his hands cramping up. As he holds the line steady his left hand begins to face problems. When he realizes that it will only get worse, he gives his hand a break “You let the cord go, hand, and I will handle him worth the right alone” (58). Even though his hand is cramping and he’s filled with pain, he still holds on to the line, because he needs this fish. “cramp then if you want. Make yourself a claw. It will do you no good” (59-60).

Another effect of the choice he made was him not gaining enough sleep.. The marlin is putting up a great fight and if he lets go he’ll loose the most important catch of his life. The catch that proves that he isn’t unlucky. He has to fight through his tiredness. “It is a day and a night and now another day and you have not slept.” (77). He realizes that he ha to get sleep because he won’t be a able to think clearly, but his thoughts and actions will blinded by lack of sleep. “If you don’t sleep you might become unclear in the head” (77).

Yet another result of Santiago’s choice is the fact the he had to fight sharks to keep them away from the marlin. “He hit it with his blood mushed hands driving the harpoon with all his strength” (102). He killed the shark before the shark consumed the whole marlin but not soon enough however, the shark ate a large portion of the marlin. The blood from the marlin steamed through the water and he new more would come to feast on such easy pray. “Now my fish bleeds again and there will be others.” (103).

Therefore the characters in this book face many choices that they have to make. These choices have effects, effects that can change the whole book and the whole life of a character. The choice can be simple or large but the way we continue to live out our lives can depend of a choice we made. The people you hang out with, can and probably will shape the rest of you life. Santiago’s choice to battle the marlin affects the way the book turns out. If he would decide to not continue to fight then the book would be over. There would be a small possibility that he could catch a fish that big again. His choice affected the book because his hand began to cramp, he wasn’t getting any sleep and he had to fight off sharks so that they couldn’t get his magnificent catch.