Life's helpful tools!

Stick to your guns. Never give up. Keep on trucking. No matter how say it is said, they all mean the same thing. Determination. Something that many people want, or say they have, but truly don’t. Now let’s refer back to Santiago, our old friend from the sea. In the novella The Old Man in the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, he shows great willpower. Being an 80 year old man alone at sea obviously isn’t too easy. But even when times were seemingly at the worst, Santiago still holds on. How somebody could be so optimistic, still confuses me.

“Now they have bitten me. He thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. But I will try as long as I have the oars, short club, and tiller.” (112). Even when Santiago understands he isn’t healthy, he still perseveres to his objective. In the back of his lonely mind, Santiago knows that he is truly too old and wearing away. In this novella, the old man tells himself that as long as he has his materials, he should continue. It is almost as if he doesn’t want to disappoint someone. Maybe himself, because he knows that he can carry on.

Secondly, ‘“But a man is not made for defeat.” He said. “A man can be destroyed, but not defeated.”’ (103). the old man has a lot of ideas of how men are expected to be all tough. Santiago believes that he has to live up to a manly standard. Little does he know that an 80 year old man, such as himself, should not be expected to fulfill those values. He is pretty much is telling himself that he is well aware of the suffering he would have to face. Somehow, he manages to still carry on, knowing that he was ready to be destroyed. Santiago didn’t even seem to mind. Although his experiences were very difficult, the elder still brings himself to continuing on to the end of his extravagant journey.

Lastly, in this story, Santiago catches his vast fish, ‘“Fish,” he says aloud, “I will stay with you until I am dead.”’ (52) The patience that our old man has is shown by this quote. This statement is so heavy and important; the old man doesn’t realize the significance of it. He is willing to stay at the sea for a lifetime, just for this marlin. Normally, you would think some one was delirious if they proclaimed this statement. But no, Santiago just has unbelievable ambitions. To say that someone is fine with staying at sea for their entire life (or what’s left of it) means a lot. The marlin must truly be to die for, and or at least from a fisherman’s perspective it is.

All in all, Santiago is an extremely determined man. With everything he encounters on his journey, and his undeniable willpower, he is easily noticed to be a great role model. Throughout the entire novella, Hemingway portrays a very determined man. I feel that in general, Santiago is a great example of how to be. Whether it is in sports, or in other activities, you must always have the confidence in your self to carry on. Perseverance is one of the most helpful tools that you can find in yourself. And Santiago is surely an expert.