Old Man and the Sea: A Book of Hope and Disappointment
Many critics stand on either side of the ongoing debate of whether The Old Man and the Sea is a book of hope or a book of disappointment. Ernest Hemingway uses the iceberg theory, which really means that he wants his readers to be active and fill in their own inferences. Depending on how the reader reads between the lines, it can be viewed with many times of disappointment, but also, many times of hope. The situations that happen to Santiago, the main character, are saddening and show Hemingways main theme in his books, that death is the ultimate defeat, but Santiago never gives up his faith in himself. The setting is gloomy, but Santiagos faith shines through the whole book.
Santiago is a fisherman who once used to be a great fisherman, but now his skills are not as sharp as they once were and he hasnt caught a fish in eighty four days. He used to have a helper when he went out to sea, Manolin, but his parents wouldnt allow him to come out with Santiago again because he never caught anything. The morning where the book starts, Santiago went out to sea like his normal daily routine of fishing and the man usually comes home at night with nothing but his hope to keep him alive, but this time Santiago got lucky. Fish, he said softly, aloud, Ill stay with you until I am dead (Hemingway 52). Santiago finally hooked a large fish, so he is extremely determined to catch it. Santiagos determination to never give up shows that in disappointing situations, he always has hope. Readers can infer that Santiago ia reminding himself that death is the ultimate end and he acknowledges that he will die eventually, but he is reminding himself to stick with it until his last breath to show hope.
Santiago holds onto the line as tightly as he can so he wont ruin his chances of catching the fish and he is getting awfully tired. He was comfortable but suffering, although he did not admit the suffering at all (Hemingway 64) Even though Santiago has been suffering, he wont admit it to himself because he knows that once he accepts defeat, he will no longer have the determination to strive to catch a fish, so .
Santiago has been out at sea for a whole night and day and is going on to another day and his hand has cramped up, he is dehydrated, and his whole body is aching, but he wont let go of the line. I am not good for many more turns. Yes you are, he told himself. Youre good forever (Hemingway 92) Santiago shows disappointment by saying that he doesnt think hell be able to make it, but he reminds himself to stay strong and he regains his confidence, which is Hemingway saying that through tough times, never give up hope.
The book contains many times of stress and weakness for Santiago. This thought shows this book as a book of disappointment. When reading between the lines, it shows the true meaning that Hemingway had. By using the iceberg theory, he shows that through times of destruction, Hemingways heroes always have the determination to live with the four traits of pride, courage, endurance, and humility in a corrupt world to show hope. Hemingway does not measure the success of his heroes if they make it through or not; he measures them on how well they handle themselves in difficult situations.
Works Cited
Hemingway,Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1995.
Already have an account? Log In Now
2706