The Old Man and the Sea - Discussion Question 3

The Old Man and the Sea immediately grabs my attention when it comes to literary themes, mainly because the book is packed full of them. One of the most important themes in the book is anguish. Visions of Santiago sitting in his fishing boat with scars covering his weak and fragile body, fishing line in hand, filled my head as I turned each and every page of the novella. He endures countless distress in his fight to catch the mighty marlin in the Gulf. The physical pain the old man tolerates each day, to me, seems unbearable. His left hand is left in agonizing pain due to the continuous pull of the line in the water. It eventually cramps up on him (Hemmingway 64). To add to the ache in his hand, Santiago bears an excruciating hunger which only adds to his physical suffering. With each pain and affliction the old man is put through, Ernest Hemmingway demonstrates an understanding of what human suffering is like. Each day, we all have to face our own struggle “out at sea”, whether it is holding the line steady or going hungry for a period of time.

Another universal theme that relates to suffering is determination and will. This theme is continually demonstrated throughout The Old Man and the Sea. No matter what the old man is put through physically, emotionally he keeps himself determined to stay with the marlin. Eighty-four days of appalling luck and no money does not keep Santiago from setting sail to pursue his perpetual love for fishing (Hemmingway 1). He brushes the mockery from the other fishermen off of his shoulders and heads out to the Gulf with a positive mindset. In his battle of actually catching the marlin, he keeps his willpower strong. He never gives up regardless of the struggle he is put through for three continuous days. The strongest example of determination Hemmingway gives readers is toward the end of the novel. Santiago comes home ultimately empty handed. The marlin faced its death to the jaws of the relentless sharks. The old man returns to his shack with no fish, a sore hand, and hungry; even still, after his agonizing journey, Santiago tells the boy he is ready to head back out to continue fishing after he is well rested (Hemmingway 125). Readers are left with a profound respect for the old man because of his determination to never give up time and time again throughout the exemplifying work of art.

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