Old Man and the Sea- The Marlin

In the novel the Old Man and the Sea, most of the book takes place out at sea with the old man battling this huge fish. The old man went far out at sea one day in hopes of changing his streak of bad luck, and much to my surprise he did. The old man hooks a large marlin during his one day fishing trip, and that turns it into a three day trip. During this three day period, the old man goes through so much suffering all for this one marlin. The old man admires this fish in a way that I think is very weird. For example, in this passage the old man is describing how he feels about killing this fish "You did not kill the fish only to keep it alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride because you are a fisherman. You loved him when and was alive and you loved him after." The fish and the old man struggle for days against each other, similar to a tug of war. The old man pulls the fish a little bit, then the fish pulls the old man. The old man describes the fish as great and beautiful, and over the three days they both form a bond. They formed a bond that was so strong that when they were on the journey back home and the sharks ate at the fish and had completely destroyed it, the old man also felt that he was destroyed. The old man sees this fish as his brother, and this quote describes it perfectly "It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers." The old man is looking for pride, and by capturing this fish he will become a legend in his community and he will no longer be mocked by the other fisherman. This fish plays a very important role in this book, and it changes the old man's life.

Bibliography

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