The Old Man's Obstacles

Since the beginning of time, man has struggled against the forces of nature. To reach his goals, man must endure various challenges of nature and by enduring these battles, man’s character is shaped and refined. In the novella The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, the protagonist Santiago, is an optimistic character who seeks to land a great fish and in doing so must endure the challenges of the sea and human emotions.


Over the course of the story, Santiago struggles with loneliness. His wife had passed away and he lives alone. Although he enjoys the boy’s companionship, he seldom has the boy by his side. “No one should be alone in their old age, he thought. But it is unavoidable” (48). In his journey to land the great Marlin, Santiago travels alone. Even though he would welcome the assistance and companionship of the boy, the boy is unable to make the trip and the old man finds himself traveling alone at sea.


Santiago has been unlucky in catching fish. He has not caught anything for 84 days. He decides that he will travel out further to change his luck. He soon finds himself unprepared for the challenges that await him. He ventures into the Gulf Stream in his small skiff. His luck turns when he hooks a marlin bigger than any he has ever seen. However, in catching the marlin, the old man’s struggles are just beginning. The marlin is powerful and saps the old man’s strength as he pulls the skiff further out to sea. After a 3 day tiring struggle with the marlin, the old man is racked with pain and weary from battling the great fish for so long. He finally harpoons the fish. He realizes that he cannot pull the enormous fish into the boat. “Even if we were two and swamped her to load him and bailed her out, this skiff would never hold him” (95). He has to tie the marlin to the outside of the skiff.


Santiago feels great admiration for the marlin. During their battle, he finds he has much in common with the great fish. He envisions bringing the fish in to the village and the money he can earn for such a large fish. However, he is saddened that this great fish will be eaten.


Now far from shore, the old man has to begin his journey back home. He did not plan on going so far out and finds he does not have adequate food, water or supplies. Santiago is forced to fight off many of sharks but he finds himself unprepared. As he battles hunger, weariness and loneliness, the old man tries to fight off the sharks that approach because they are lured by the blood of the marlin. Wave after wave of sharks approach the skiff, lured by the blood of the marlin. At first, the old man uses a harpoon to defend the marlin. But as they continue to attack, he loses the harpoon, rope, a spear he fashioned from a knife and an oar. The old man’s body is wracked with pain from fighting to catch the marlin and the fighting to keep the sharks away. He is weary from lack of sleep. The fish is deteriorated and he is not sure he will survive the journey home.


Left with no way to keep the attacking sharks at bay, the old man watches as the sharks strip the meat from the marlin so all that is left when the old man finally returns home is the head, the bones and the tail. “It was too good to last, he thought. He took one look at the great fish as he watched the shark close in” (101). The old man is sorry he ever caught such a great fish only to see it devoured by the sharks.


The struggles that the old man faced help shape his character. However, Santiago who is down on his luck stays confident. His light spirit contributes to the story by allowing him to not give up or let go of the fish, even after it was destroyed by the sharks.


The old man meets with many harsh obstacles when he tries catching the great fish and bringing him into shore. He must battle inadequate supplies, the big fish and the sharks that attack it. He also battles loneliness. Even though Santiago does not bring the fish back to shore intact, he was still respected by the town’s people for catching such a big fish and he was still a hero to the boy. Although people may not always fully accomplish their goals, they can still benefit from facing the challenges while striving to achieve their objective.