The Old Man and the Sea 3

Question three for the book The Old Man and the Sea asks “what universal themes does this book address? What does the author understand about human nature?”  The Old Man and the Sea is a great example to show the universal themes and human nature.

There are many themes that The Old Man and the Sea addresses. I think the most obvious theme is determination. Santiago does not give up while fighting the fish. He struggles with catching the fish and fighting the sharks but he still keeps fighting. The old man is determined to catch the fish and bring him back to the town. I think the old man also shows pride. His inner pride keeps him determined to catch the fish.  

Another theme The Old Man and the Sea addresses is strength. The novel not only shows Santiago’s strength but also Manolin’s strength. Santiago’s strength is shown as he overcomes his hardships. He also shows mental strength. He is physically too weak to survive going far out to sea. Santiago survived because he told himself he could do it and he trusted God to help him. Manolin’s strength is physical. He carries the heavy fishing equipment. An expert from the book says“He brings out the gear himself” (Hemmingway 27). I think having Manolins physical strength gives the old man mental strength.  

The themes in this book are good lessons for readers of any age. It is important to have pride and determination when working for a goal. Strength is also important when going for a goal. Hemmingway shows this through his characters.

Ernest Hemmingway shows a different understanding of human nature. His main character is very old, unlucky, and alone. His biggest obstacle, other than the fish, is himself. He has to be mentally strong to catch the fish and return home because he is not physically able to. I think Hemmingway wanted to show readers that if you can succeed by believing in yourself and pushing through an obstacle.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea 2

Question two for the novel the Old Man and the Sea asks “what are the causes, gains, and losses of the conflict dealt with in this book?” Like most books there are many conflicts with gains and losses. This book is by Ernest Hemmingway.

The main conflict in the Old Man and the Sea is Santiago el Cameron, an old fisherman, is stuck at sea for three days by himself. He is physically beat up by the fish he is trying to catch. “He held the line against his back and watches its slant in the water and skiff moving steadily to the north- west. This will kill him the old man thought. He can’t do this forever he thought. But four hours later the fish was still swimming.” (Hemmingway 45) This passage shows the marlin fish was very strong and the old man was too weak to pull him in. The old man also has to fight against numerous sharks that attack his fish. Santiago ends up killing the marlin fish while trying to fight off the sharks. After being attacked by sharks for the third time the meat of the marlin is gone and only bones are left. The defeated old man says “Nothing….I went out to far.” (Hemmingway 114). This shows the conflict and reaction from the main character.  

A loss from the conflict is the old man losses the fish. Santiago worked for eighty four without getting a fish. The old man was judged by everyone in the town and thought of as crazy. He was too weak to fight off the sharks and keep the fish; he needed help from the boy. A gain is the old man still got respect for bringing back the marlin fish skeleton. He proved to the town he could catch a fish and was not crazy.

Another conflict in the book was that Manolion’s parents did not want him fishing with Santiago. A gain from the conflict was the boy was not in danger. A loss was he was not able to help the old man when he needed it. Manolion also liked the old man and was not able to spend as much time with him.

In the end there were gains and losses with the conflict. Fortunately everything ended alright for the old man and the boy.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea 1

The writing in the Old Man and the Sea reveals many of the author’s values and attitudes. The first value I noticed was the author’s interpretation of religion. The old man would talk to god when he needed help or guidance. For example he says, “God knows how much that last one took.” (Hemmingway 110) after he fights off one of the sharks. He is saying he believes God will help him by giving him strength to fight another shark or not giving him any more trouble.  He also talked very highly of god to other people. The author must believe in God and believe God has power or else he would not have included the belief of religion in his characters.

The author, Ernest Hemmingway, has an attitude which says you can be physically weak but mentally strong. He proves age doesn’t matter through the character Santiago El Cameron. The old man fights off sharks and waits eighty-five days to catch one fish. He goes through physical pain to catch one fish. Despite the fact Santiago is physically weak he is able to fight off sharks because he was mentally strong. He told himself and the people of the town he could find and catch a fish. The old man proves that if you tell yourself you can do something you can. The author must have known someone who had been older or had been old himself because his belief of being weak physically and strong mentally is shown throughout the whole book.

The author uses third person omniscient which means the narrator of the story knows the thoughts and feelings of the characters. In the Old Man and the Sea the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of two characters, the boy and the old man. I am glad that Hemmingway used third person omniscient because we got to see the feelings and thoughts of more than one character. I felt more connected to the story because I saw two different viewpoints. Overall I think Hemmingway revealed his values and attitudes throughout the book.  

                                 
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.