The Old Man and the Sea
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Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago. At the start of the novel, Santiago has gone eighty-four days without making a catch. The other fishermen of his village have begun to label the old man as salao, or "unlucky" (Hemingway 9). A young boy named Manolin is the only person who still has faith in Santiago's abilities. Although Manolin has helped Santiago before, his parents will no longer allow him to go out fishing with the old man. Therefore, Santiago embarks on a fishing expedition alone. In the course of this expedition, which ends up lasting three days, Santiago manages to catch the biggest marlin ever seen in the area (Machlin 136). Although the struggle for the marlin saps most of the old man's strength, his test of endurance does not end there. As he tows the huge fish home, it is attacked by shovel-nosed sharks. Santiago desperately tries to fight the sharks off, but they "eventually claim his catch" (Machlin 136). Thus, Santiago's victorious capture of the huge marlin is undermined by the defeat of it being devoured by sharks. Despite Santiago's suffering and defeat, the tone at the end of The Old Man and the Sea is one of poignant triumph. Although the old man's health is ruined by his ordeal, he is shown as being a heroic figure of sorts. In particular, Santiago is the type of hero who accepts his place and nature and who gains wisdom as a result of his sufferings. The various characters
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's suffering and struggle end with the sharks devouring his prize catch. Therefore, he has nothing substantial to show for his personal victory at sea. In Lynn's view, the popularity of Hemingway's book when it was first published can be attributed to the fact that "it expressed a collective mood of disillusionment" (566). The early 1950's was a time when Americans were experiencing frustrations in the Korean conflict. Furthermore, it was a time when the popular American hero, General Douglas MacArthur, was being forcibly removed from office by President Truman. These factors were causing the American people to reassess what their vision of the heroic ideal should be. Lynn notes that the American hero at that time still had strength and resourcefulness, but had simultaneously become older and more experienced (569). In contrast to the older model, the 1950's hero had to continue fighting in a climate of doubt and with a feeling that "there was no longer any common agreement about what the meaning of winning was, so that no victory ever brought unalloyed satisfaction" (Lynn 569). It is clearly evident that Santiago's experience of combined victory and defeat is a reflection of this disillusionment.
It may be noted that The
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Approximate Word count = 2712
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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