By Derek H.

The choices Santiago made and didn't make had a huge affect on the outcome of the book The Old Man and The Sea, but if he made different choices the story would be a lot different than it was. Some of these choices were going after the marlin when he had problems with his hands, when he had no food, and when he had no time to sleep. If Santiago had made choices to solve these problems he would have never caught the marlin. This would greatly change the story and its ending.

The first decision Santiago made that had an impact on the outcome of the book, was his choice to keep trying to catch the marlin when he was clearly struggling with hand cramps and cuts. He could barely hold on to his own fishing pole, but he never gave up and kept after the great fish. This quote best shows the problem Santiago had with hand cramps: "What kind of hand is that, cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good." Santiago says himself that it will do no good. To help himself, the choice Santiago should have made at that point in the story was to turn around and start heading home. With the problems he had, he was very lucky to be able to catch the marlin and fight off sharks.

Another huge decision Santiago made, was the choice to go after the marlin when he had no food. Without any food to eat, Santiago will have no energy to try and catch the great fish. He will begin to lose his strength and die of starvation. To make up for this lack of food, he tries to catch smaller fish to eat. His extreme hunger is shown best when he says to the great fish: "You're feeling it now fish, and so, God knows, am I." This quote shows that his choice could have killed him, and it nearly did.

The last decision that Santiago made that impacted the ending was his choice to keep going even without sleep. This could have one of the worst decisions that he could have made. Going without sleep for as long as Santiago did, will cause his brain to begin shutting down. He won't be able to think straight and that could cause him to lose his life. His need for sleep is best described by this quote: "Now let me get through the eating of this dolphin and get some rest and a little sleep." This shows that he wants a rest to eat and sleep before he tries to catch the fish again. It also shows how desperate he is for food and sleep because he is talking to the marlin when he says this.

These were the major decisions that had the biggest impact on the book. Santiago could have made smarter choices, but the book would be a lot different than it was. These choices that the old man made, whether they were good or bad, made the story what it was. There wouldn’t be a story to tell if the old man didn’t make the decisions that he did.