The Old Man And The Sea

       

            

            

         The  novella  ‘the old man and the sea’ by Earnest Hemingway.

              From the very first paragraph Santiago is presented  as someone who is struggling against defeat. He has gone without eighty-four days without catching single fish. Even the sail of his skiff resembles with, 

“The flag of permanent defeat”

             However, the old man refuses defeat at every turn. He decides to sail out beyond the other fisherman. He determined to catch giant Marlin fish. He even successfully catches the big marlin. However, the sharks attack on and try to eat it. Here, also Santiago struggle lot to save marlin from sharks. Unfortunately he could save it from them but he does not give-up till the end. Both Santiago and display qualities of honour and both are subjected to the same law.

“They must kill or be killed”

            Here, we can say that Santiago reflects that the worlds is full of unexpected predicaments and no any living being can escape from it but what the best man and animals should have to do is that they should not refuse struggle until the death come Santiago believes,

             Here, I this quote and these words reminds us of the great heroes of Greek tragedy who accepted the tragic death but they didn’t  leave their noble struggle against molice of an obverse fate. However, the novelist Hemingway does not condemn his protagonist for being full of pride on contrary , Santiago stands as a proof that pride motivates man to greatness even the Santiago declares,

“I killed the mightly marlin largely out of pride”

             Secondly, it is due to the sense of pride the old man meets all challenges with determination. Although he returns to Havana without the trophy of his long battle he return with knowledge that he has gained proudly and manfully.
            Here, Hemingway suggests that victory is not too honour instead glory depends upon one who has pride to see struggle even if Santiago would have return with marlin has moment of glory would have short lived. The glory and honour. Which Santiago acquires comes out from his pride and determination which lasts forever.
            To conclude, we can say that though Santiago destroyed . at the end of novel, he is never defeated . Santiago’s struggle  does not enable him to change man’s place in the world. Instead, it enables him to meet his most dignified destiny and to be real hero of the novel thus, Hemingway Santiago is provided with individual human courage. According to Hemingway,

“ Dying well was a crucial corollary to living well”