by Julia L.

Many stories are teeming with characters struggling to overcome obstacles, to prove themselves to others and, more importantly, to keep his own confidence alive. In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago works through many struggles in his great feat after the marlin. Some of these struggles include a frustrating lack of supplies, physical fatigue, and the numerous antagonists against him. Santiago works through these problems in his old age to eventually conquer the marlin and prove he is an admirable fisherman.

The least life-threatening of Santiago’s troubles is the threat of inadequate supplies. When he heads out to sea, he only brings what is critically necessary under the belief that he will only be gone one day. He has only brought one harpoon, and when he loses that is left with a few somewhat ineffective weapons. Then, when there is only a knife left, it becomes dull and he wishes he brought a stone to sharpen it so it would a weapon worth using. “I should have brought a stone. You should have brought many things, he thought.” (110) He would have also been a lot better off if he had brought some food and a first aid kit.

Santiago also suffers from lack of sleep, a cramping hand, and malnourishment. He has been in the little skiff for so long that his whole body is becoming stiff. “You’re feeling it now, fish, and so, God knows, am I,” he said (56). Santiago feels that in his old age he has been still long enough to start cramping. “…his hand was cramped. It drew up on the heavy cord and he looked at it in disgust.” (58). It starts when he gets rigor mortis in his hand. He is also suffering from lack of sleep. He has to be on the guard twenty- four seven in cases the marlin does something, which doesn’t leave much time for sleep. That, along with the malnourishment from failing to bring any food, has left him physically fatigued.

Throughout the book, many different characters work against Santiago. First the marlin itself is fighting for its life, which Santiago is trying to take. It takes him three days to catch the marlin and by then he is stretched to his limits. The sharks coming after his marlin do not help his cause either. “And he was the biggest dentuso that I have ever seen. And God knows I have seen big ones” (103). Santiago is speaking of the incredibly big and strong sharks that are coming to take a piece of his prize fish. By the time the sharks are done with the marlin, it is nothing but a meatless skeleton and the old man believes they have won when he says “They beat me, Manolin, they truly beat me” (124).

Santiago went through a fantastic journey on his four days at sea. He proved to himself that he is still a good fisherman and he broke his dry spell. He worked through the frustration of not having the supplies he needed. He suffered through the physical pain and built up his inner strength in order to persevere. More importantly, Santiago pulled out that inner strength and beat the antagonists set on ruining his goals. He believes he was beaten, but who is to say that when he has obviously gone above and beyond expectations.