Characteristic of Santiago

Assignment Paper E-C-303 American Literature

Topic- Characteristic of Santiago

Rajyaguru Mansi D

M.A. Part – 1

SEM- I

Roll No -12

Year – 2010-11

Department of English

Alone Person Achieve with abstracts:

Santiago is an old fisherman of undetermined age. As a young man be traveled widely by ship and fondly remembers seeing lions on the beaches of East –America His wife died, and he has taken her picture down because it makes him sad to see it. Now he lives alone in a shack on the beach. Every day he sets forth alone in his beat to make a living.

When the story opens. Santiago has gone eighty-four days without catching a single fish. As a result, he is pitied and regarded by the other fishermen as unlucky Santiago is still respected by soe, however because of his age and his perseverance He is a very experienced fisherman who knows well the tricks of his trade , including which fish to use as bait (food for fish)

Santiago also loves baseball and occasionally gambles. He identifies with Joe DiMaggio, the great center fielder for the Yankees in the 1940s and 1950s Santiago admires how DiMaggio whose father was a Fisherman, plays in spite of bone spurs in his feet that cause him pain whenever he runs as that cause him pain whenever he runs as an old man, Santiago must also cope with the physical demands of his job in the face of the infirmities of his aging body. Yet he suffers with cut complaining, and it is this stoic attitude that has won him much respect in the community.

Santiago is not a religious person, but he does think about the meaning of life, and his religious references show that he is very familiar with roman catholic Saints and prayers .Through the Author’s relatively young companion, Manolin, readers come to sense that despite his setbacks and shortcomings Santiago remains proud of himself and  this makes his humility both touching and real . Through he strives to attain the most he ca nfor himself santiafo also accepts what life has given him without complaint.

This largeness of vision also allows Santiago to appreciate and respect nature and all living creatues , even though he must kill  some of these creatures in  order to live for example, the old man recalls how he once hooked brought in and finally clubbed to dath a female marlin while her faithful mate never left her side once during the ardeal “ That was the saddes thng I ever saw” the old man comments “ The boy was sad too and we begged her pardon and butchered her promptly.

Hemingway first wrote about true incident upon which his story is based in an article entitled “On the B/W Water’ A gulf stream Letter “ for the April 1936 issue of Esquire magazine. The octual incident took only two days, the fisherman “half crazy” and cryinh, was picked up by others after fighting the sharks; and Hemingway’s intentions in creating te character of Santiago may perhaps best be seen in examining how the authos altered the true events to shape his telling of the old man and the sea.

In Hemingway’s later versiona Santiago’s hooing the fish, hauling it to the boat, fighting the shaks, and then bringing it home takes three days and is completed in heroic fashion with no outside help nothing remains of the  fish at the end except its skeleton no mention is made of the fisherman’s state of mind other than that he wants to fish again as soon as he can.

Hemingway’s changes clearly  make Santiago more of a single heroic and tragic figure who fights alone, loses almost everything and yet still is ready to meet life again this, after a night’s sleep and a promise from mandolin that from now on they will fist together , Santiago is making plans not just to resume his life but so strive even harder next time similarly, Hemingway turned  an anecdote about a piteous . helpess fisherman into a parable of man’s tragic but heroic struggle not merely to survive but, as fello nobelist William fa>>>> expressed t, to endure.

Santiago’s struggle with the marline is the principal subject of the long third section from the moment he feels the fish touch the bait, his feeling is one of joy for the anticipated contest.

Then he felt the gentle touch on the line and he was happy.

“It ws only his turn” he said. “He’ll take it”

He was happy feeling the gentle pullng and then he felt something had and unbelievable heavy.

Throughout the long cntest his attitude toward the fish remains constant :

“fist” he said, “ I love you and respect you very much , but I will ill you dead before  this day ends “

The real story of the old man and the see begins with this distinction. In the first section two indistinct characters are  introduced  who embody the values of the practical words, the boy’s father and the successful fisherman to whom the boy is assigned . In the oldman and te boy’s discussion of their enforced separation, we see the old man’s simple recognition of the problem.

“Santiago”, the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from where the skiff was hawled up. “I could go with you again , we ‘ve made some money”.

The old mand had taughts the boy to fish and the bo loved him.

“NO.” the old man said. “ You are with a lucky boat. Stay with them.”

“But remember how you went eight-seven days without fish and then we caought big ones every day for three weeks.”

“I remember”. The old man said .” I know you did not leave me because you doubted.”

“ It was papa-made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him.”

“I Know.” The old man said.” It is quite normal.”

Submitted to Dr Dilip Barad,

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University.