4. I believe that the old man is the “hero” in this book. He has perseverance and wisdom. He knew what to do and when to do it. He always had a good attitude about what he was doing even when it was hard or dangerous work. When he is at sea he catches the biggest fish he had ever seen. Probably the biggest fish anyone on the island had ever seen. Santiago had some specific qualities that make him posses this heroic state. He is brave when he goes far out in the sea alone, and the old man represents two other abstract ideas, one being goodness and the other is courage. Santiago is always kind to the boy and the other fishermen. He has a strange yet remarkable respect for the creatures of the sea. His courage is displayed constantly throughout the book. He fights the sharks; he is dragged miles by the big fish and still maintains his composure. He is portrayed as an old, simple man. A man living on the bare minimum, he lives in a small shack with one set of clothes and a simple bed to sleep on. To me he almost has a little bit of mysticism about him because he knows where and when to be at the perfect time to catch the big fish and maintain a firm grip on the fishing line. He is old but he still has the strength of a young man. He battled with the fish for almost three entire days. That is something not many young fishermen could do. His accomplishment is most likely one of the greatest things that has ever happened to anyone on the entire island. For a fisherman to catch a fish that size is like a football team to winning the super bowl. It is hard to do in the first place, and it is hard to repeat. With the catch of the big fish, Santiago is forever remembered for such a great accomplishment. Even though he didn’t bring it back in one piece, it is still amazing what he did.
No comments:
Post a Comment