The Old Man and the Sea

Mark Schorer emphasized the mental aspects of Santiago. One of Hemingway's favorite words was "guts," which he defines as behaving "With Grace Under Pressure," the title of Schorer's article. Santiago is very brave. Under great mental strain and through incredible physical battle, Santiago remains strong.

Schorer repeatedly mentions Santiago's relationship with the ocean and its inhabitants. He talks to the fish, the birds, and even, at times, to his hand. He talks to the dolphins beside his skiff:

"They are good," he said. "They play and

make jokes and love one another. They are

our brothers and like the flying fish."

"It is not bad," he said. "And pain does not

"You did not do so badly for something

worthless," he said to his left hand.

"But there was a moment when I could not

His tone in these one-way conversations implies a response. Santiago realizes what he is doing and calls himself crazy, but he does not stop (H

. . .
k. Like the animals, Santiago respects the ocean as he would another person. He even refers to it as female. Santiago loves the ocean like a woman because the ocean is his life; without it, he quite obviously could not be a fisherman. He considers it female because of its fertility, and "because it embodies both kindness and cruelty" (Harada, 269-270). Many fishermen Santiago knows think of the ocean as something to be conquered, but Santiago feels a part of the ocean and would never abuse it. It is his destiny to get the great marlin, and even though wants Manolin's assistance, he must face his destiny alone - "that which he was born for" (Harada, 270). The ocean becomes the place for Santiago to find his identity. While rowing out on the 85th day, Santiago has a momentary lapse of faith, only to quickly rebound and row out with great hope. "Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Everyday is a new day" (Hemingway, 35-36). This attitude is extremely important since it shows Santiago's determination. The marlin becomes the object of a quest. Santiago has so much respect for the great marlin that, as long as he or the marlin dies, he will be satisfied. He will fight the fish until he dies. It is
. . .

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Approximate Word count = 1985
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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