Obstacles by Alex H.

This essay will be on how Santiago deals with his choice to go out to catch the marlin. We will cover the following: His thoughts on his life verses the fishes, his choice to go for the big fish, and his way of catching the fish, . Santiago chose to go out to sea to catch a big fish. He went out with no help and without food. He didn't have the boy to help and didn't have good fishing gear. “‘Today I'll work out where the schools of bonito and albacore are and maybe there will be a big one with them.'"(30).This tells me that he only thought that he would only be out there for a couple days. He thinks that by going out farther he will be more likely be able to catch the big fish. He is telling himself that the big one will be out there waiting for him. He wanted this fish so badly that he would risk anything for it. His luck needed to return so the boy could return to him.

As Santiago waited for the fish to become tired he said to himself, "'Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure...'" (87). He wanted the fish so badly he asked God to help him. This reminds me how when we're in trouble we always call on God. I say that either the person is religious or not religious; you can't just call on God when we want to. He knew that if he became too tired the fish would be able to pull away. He knew also that if he didn’t get the fish to tire out that it would bring him to far from the coast. He desperately needed the boy but, he knew he was alone.

Santiago was contemplating whether the fish was going to kill him, "'Fish you are going to have to die any way. Do you have to kill me too?'"(92) He was really puzzled over this and thought about it. In the end he knew he had to kill the fish. He had to go home with it. He needed to be lucky again. He needed the boy's parents to let him come back with him. Catching this fish meant so much for him that he risked his life for it. He had to catch it and find a way to bring it home without too much meat gone. His choices eventually led him to tie it to the boat and bring it in this way. He knew that some meat would be gone but he thought he could get home with enough.

As he came back to his shores he was tired and delirious. He wasn’t thinking correctly and forgot to wash off the blood. This resulted in him losing almost all the meat on the marlin. He had to fight off sharks and protect the meat at the same time. He nearly died out there with the sharks but, his passion for getting the fish home kept him alive.

In ending this essay I would like to say that Earnest Hemingway’s book may not have been one of the most exciting books to read but, was a book that we all should read. We all need to realize that the choices that we make can influence our life.