Old Man and the Sea- Day Four

During the beginning of the fourth day of the old man's fishing expedition, he is suddenly awakened by the line jerking, throwing him face down into the dolphin meat. The old man once again wishes the young boy was there to help him catch this fish, especially when the line further injures his wounded hand. The old man thinks to himself "pain does not matter to man" as he looks at his wounds, then he eats more fish to regain his strength. The old man and the fish struggle against each other, but the old man brings the fish closer and closer to the boat. At one point during this struggle, the old man believes that the marlin is actually killing him and says "I do not care who kills who". I think the old man says this because he is realizing how strong this fish is and how much this fish is weakening him. Also, by saying this I think the old man sees this marlin as his equal and he knows that he is no better than this fish and this fight could go either way. Right when the old man feels his weakest and his vision starts to blur, the fish is close enough to the boat that the old man can stab him in the back with his harpoon. A quote from the book describes the marlin's last moments of life "Then the fish came alive, with death in him, and rose out of the water showing all his great length and width and all his power and beauty." This quote shows how big and powerful this beautiful marlin is, even on the verge of death. The old man had done it, he had defeated the biggest fish he had ever seen, let alone caught. After defeating this fish, the old man wonders to himself if the great Joe DiMaggio would be proud of him for completing such a big accomplishment. Unfortunately, one shark arrives and eats a large portion of meat off of the marlin, which attracts even more sharks.

Bibliography

Hemmingway, Ernest. Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner. 1996. Print.