by Lauren B.

Every person in real life, and every character in a book, faces daily struggles and obstacles that they have to find a way to overcome. Santiago, the main character from The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemmingway, faces an immense amount of issues and difficulties during the duration of the story. Each struggle the man overcomes increases the intensity level of the story. Three things the old man had to deal with while at sea was his hand, the physical and mental battle with the marlin, and loneliness.

Santiago, like many other elderly men, was very lonely. Santiago was an aging widower with only one friend; Manolin. Manolin was a young boy who fished on Santiago’s boat in previous years. In Santiago’s empty life, the boy was the one person who kept him company. After 84 days without catching a fish many of the other local fishermen started to look down on Santiago. Manolin’s parents believed that Santiago’s boat was unlucky and didn’t allow him to fishing on that boat any longer. Santiago became very forlorn. On his 85^th day at sea, the old man was all by himself. Being out at sea with no one to talk to or help you fish can make you lonely. You can tell the man feels this way when he thinks to himself, “I wish I had the boy” (45). Being lonely can bring down your spirit and make you feel hopeless and doomed for failure, but the old man does not let this happen. It is obvious that it bothers the old man to be completely alone but he is a determined fisherman and wont let his loneliness get in the way of catching a fish. The old man often deals with the obstacle of being lonely talking to himself, the animals, and other inanimate objects around him.

Another struggle that Santiago had to deal with was his hand. A fisherman’s hand is one of his primary tools. Without strong, sturdy and well working hands, it can be difficult to catch a fish. Santiago discovers at sea that his hand is not in the same physical condition that it had been when he was younger. Santiago’s hand cramps up in his determined attempt to catch a marlin. He develops rigor mortise in his hand and realizes that he has no knowledge or supplies with him to make it better. You can tell the old man is realizing the extent of his hand problem when he thinks to himself,” I wish I could show him what sort of man I am. But then he would see the cramped hand (64). Other fisherman would use the excuse of a crippled hand as to why they didn't catch a fish, but Santiago try's to work through the pain as much as he can.

Although Santiago struggled with excruciating pain in his hand and the mental toughness of being alone, I think the main battle of his was with the marlin. Santiago had both a mental and physical battle with catching a fish at sea. You can tell that the issue of catching a marlin is a struggle for the man when he thinks to himself, "You are killing me fish (92). Not only does Santiago want to catch a marlin for the money, fame, and food, but for the boy. Santiago has to prove to Manolin and his parents that he is a good fisherman and that is boat is not unlucky. Santiago has a lot to prove to Manolin, the other fisherman and Manolin’s parents, but even to himself. It’s easy to get down on yourself after failing for so many consecutive times. I think mentally it was hard for Santiago to be having such a hard time getting a fish. Also, Santiago was an old man and fishing against a fierce energetic marlin became exhausting and almost life threatening to him. Fishing can be a dangerous thing to do especially all alone, at an old age, and with no food. The marlin was pushing the old man to his physical limitations giving him a really tough time trying to catch him. The old man became somewhat injured in the process of catching this fish. Santiago’s determination and knowledge at sea helped him through this obstacle.

Hemmingway’s ability to create realistic obstacles for the character Santiago raised the tension level in the book and made it enjoyable to read. Although you are worried about the old man throughout the entire book and how he is going to handle himself, you are reassured every time he overcomes each obstacle. The old man faced the struggle of loneliness, the battle with the marlin, and his hand.