Analysis of Tragic Elements in Old Man and the Sea

Analysis of Tragic Elements in Old Man and the Sea

During a hardship of mishap and unlucky surroundings, one man dares to
face the battle. This man shows the true meaning of what life is like to be a
sherman. !n the tragic "ision of Ernest #emingway$s no"el Old Man and the
Sea, Santiago struggles to ght a life%long battle that ceases to end. Tragedy
encounters this old man through e"ery aspect of his life, lea"ing him with the
reali&ation of what he has become.
!n Old Man and the Sea, Santiago faces the reali&ation of pain when he
comprehends the fact that the sh will ne"er be brought to shore. This hurt
and agony that this one man sees and feels is a pain that many do not feel.
#is life right before his eyes, along with his dreams and desires, were washed
away with the sea. Santiago tried so desperately to become one with himself,
but the task at hand ne"er seemed to be fullled.
Santiago$s epic 'ourney is one through indi"idualism and the escape from the
world. Tragically, the world found him. Throughout this entire no"el, the old
man continually compared himself to a great baseball player, (oe DiMaggio.
Time and time again, Santiago uses DiMaggio to contrast with his own life.
The pain of not catching the sh digs in his side like a spur from a boot when
he cannot let go of the fact that he let (oe DiMaggio down. #ere in this
conte)t, Santiago is no longer himself or an indi"idual. #e uses others o"er
and o"er again to weigh his own life when the result in the end is and always
has been is his boundless pain.
Once again Santiago continues to entrap himself into the world$s scrutiny
when he makes a remark such like this one. *! do not understand these
things, he thought. +ut it is good that we do not ha"e to kill the sun or the
moon or the stars. !t is enough to li"e on the sea and kill our true brothers,
-#emingway ./0. #e clearly states that he does not understand the world yet
he continues to try to coincide to what the world wants him to be. This is a
clear picture of what a tragic life this old man must face in the days of his
reckoning.
The pain of apprehension that he has become what the world wants and not
what he ultimately is begins to de"elop in Santiago. Santiago doubts himself
in hopes to nd a better him. 1o longer does he consign his own 'udgment
but consortium those of the people and surroundings among himself.
*2erhaps ! should not of been a sherman, he thought. +ut that was the thing
! was born for, -#emingway 340. The tragedy of doubt and partial low%self
esteem is a matter at hand that controls one$s whole life. Santiago doubts his
entire e)istence when he begins to deem that he was ne"er meant to be a
sherman. #is life and ambition in all that he had done was a inclusi"e and
utter waste of time when he tells himself that he should not of been a
sherman. Once again Santiago falls into the trap of the world, hurting
himself along side of it.
Santiago does push through, but it is people like the tourists in the end of the
no"el that could ruin any positi"e attitude Santiago had toward life as a
sherman. The old man$s battle to o"ercome is almost in "ein when the
tourists cannot tell the di5erence between a shark and a marlin. !t seems
6uite trite when the old man for three long and treacherous days fought long
and hard to con"ey this sh back to shore. Though in the end all that was let
of this great sh was a skeleton, this sh was one of the most ma'estic ones
the town had e"er seen. +ut then a few people who don$t e"en know the
di5erence between a shark and a marlin could ruin Santiago$s moment of
relief when he thinks that he is one with the town again. 2eople like the
tourists in the end of this no"el complete the tragic "ision of what hardships
and misunderstanding people ha"e put Santiago throughout his entire life.
The old man continues to doubt himself when he literally goes too far. *!n
#emingway$s story a man does go too far literally in the pursuit of the great
marlin. The old man gets lost in his thoughts as well as the sea, -Moseley
330. Santiago doubts his own ideas and falls into the trap that maybe people
would see him as something or someone if he caught the sh. So he tra"els
great distances and gets lost both mentally and physically. Santiago has no
idea as to what this sh has in store for him, which makes the hurt and pain
of this e"ent e"en more o"erwhelming than the doubt of himself.
To top the matter o5, not only does Santiago doubt himself, but he also
percei"es himself as somewhat of a worthless cause, which is beyond tragic.
The old man is willing to die while trying to kill the sh. #e knows this and
acknowledges it to the sh. Tragedy sets in when the man is willing to gi"e
his life for the sh 'ust to pro"e something to anyone but himself. 7or
Santiago to gi"e his own life to show others who he thinks he genuinely is 'ust
pro"es of how much of a worthless cause his ght is. !nstead of pro"ing glory
to himself for getting this far and 'ust returning to shore with his life, he
belie"es that he must pro"e and show to others what he has accomplished
which is truly worthless.
*The old man sees his fate and reali&es there is no sense in ghting. Tragedy
sets in because e6ual struggle does not e)ist, -+urhans .30. +urhans make a
statement such as this one because it gi"es the o"erall e5ect of the ght.
There is no e6ual battle. The whole ght and struggle that Santiago is facing
is doomed. The only one that seems to think that is it is worth ghting for is
the person who is trying to be someone he is not. The tragedy of the old man
is "ery powerful in the sense that e"ery corner of his life seems to be lled
with indignant anguish.
Santiago is *an old champion who must endure the handicap of pain,
-+urhans ..0. This old man$s life is pain and that is all Santiago knows and
will e"er know. #is life time and time again pro"es to be in some more subtle
then others, a worthless cause. E"en him trying to manage a friendship with
a young boy is too di8cult for Santiago because along with one, such as the
boy, comes the world. 2eople, especially the boy9s parents, did not see it t
for him to con"erse or learn from a man who has not caught a sh in o"er
eighty days.
The whole idea of Santiago e"en bringing the sh to shore is somewhat of a
hollow attempt. *A series of forty pound ripping and tearing are now gradually
to reduced Santiago$s eighteen%foot, fteen%hundred%pound marlin to the
skeleton he brings nally to shore, -+aker 3:40. Mishap after mishap keeps
on coming toward Santiago. The many sharks that he ga"e his untiring breath
to 'ust pro"ed to be more. The more obstacles this old man concord, the more
he had to face. The "ision of a man like Santiago actually bringing in a great
sh like this is truly a worthless cause. The was no way that 'ust this one man
could ght o5 so many sharks 'ust to bring his pri&e home to pro"e to others
what he had caught.
!t is entirely true when one would say that *The essence of a classic tragedy
is pointed out in detail after detail dramati&ing mortal "ictory out of physical
defeats of personal mutilation, loss of security, and lack of recognition by
e"eryone around Santiago, -Moseley 330. Time after time, Santiago is
reduced to nothing. 1ot only does the pain of reali&ation take a5ect of his
heart and body, but his soul as well. #e has fallen into the defeat the only
way to o"ercome with misfortune throughout his life is to bring this sh to
shore. 1ot only does Santiago not belie"e in himself but also his faith in all
that he has e"er done is a classic tragedy surrounding this one man$s life.
!n other aspect the tragedy of him being alone through this entire time frame
is e"ident. The elements that he persuaded was the choice to go out as far as
he did a now belie"ing that he is 'ust with the sh. *#e is old, alone, e)cept
for the friendship of a young boy, and how e"en dependent to a degree upon
the charity of others for his subsistence, -#andy 3/0. So this old man tra"els
out to great lengths too not only to try to gain the respect of others as well as
the young boy, but his attitude toward himself 'ust screams tragedy. #is has
no ambition toward his own doings, only those that would please others. This
is truly poignant and "ery disastrous.
;hen the pain of reali&ation takes a hold of the old man emotions <are wildly
throughout the hardships and struggles in this old man$s desperate cry
unleashed by his o"erwhelming tragedy of loss. Time after time Santiago
must deal with the o"erwhelming song of this sherman. #is life 'ust seems
to come crashing down as do the wa"es to the shoreline.
=emorse is one emotion that takes a hold of this old man during this time.
=emorse is e"ident when the "ictory is not gi"en to the "ictor because he will
not accept it. The old man belie"es that he has last the battle and the entire
ght 'ust because he did not bring the entire carcass of the sh back. Also
when the old man states *#alf%sh, but sh you were. ! am sorry that ! went
to far out. ! ruined us both, -#emingway ::/0. Santiago beyond doubt
belie"es that 'ust because at this time when part of the sh was being torn
apart that the entire ght should ne"er of happened. #e belie"es that he has
ruined this great sh in not gi"ing it the honor of bringing it as a whole back
to shore and he thinks that he has ruined himself because he could 'ust
imagine what others will say when he brings this skeleton back to land. These
feeling that Santiago has is "ery o"erwhelming and remorseful. #e not only
gi"es pity to the sh but to himself as well.
E"en after he kills the sh, and apologi&es, he forgets his moti"e. #e has not
caught a sh for eighty%four days now, and he does not seem to care
anymore. Santiago is "ery remorseful when he reali&es what he has done. #is
'ourney to catch this sh is denied when he apologi&es for killing him. The
whole intent of him to e"en go shing that day was to catch a sh that would
measure himself up to others e)pectations of himself. +ut now the glory and
happiness of catching this sh is gone when the sh is dead.
1e"ertheless, along with remorse comes the feeling of loneliness and all of its
e5ects. ;hen battling this sh, the entire time the old man kept wishing he
had the young boy with him. #e was lonely and not only could he of used the
boy$s help in defeating this great sh, but he could of also of used his
company. All of #emingway$s works including The Old Man and the Sea are
half%humorous, and half bitter acceptance of what the act of li"ing brings.
*!n The Old Man and the Sea, the mysti6ue of shing with its limited triumphs
and tragedies is transposed into a uni"ersal condition of life, with its success
and shame, its morality and pride and potential loss of pride brought on by
loneness, -+aker 3430. The whole concept of loneliness brings many a5ects
of others incidents from this old man$s life. Due to his loneness, his pride and
morality is 6uestioned. This man has to faces many battles on his own but his
authority o"er himself is controlled by his feeling of loneliness and that no
one is are to en'oy his "ictory but himself. O"erwhelming in this no"el is
sadness and sorrow brought on by loneliness.
Melancholy and sorrow are feelings that are constantly around the old man.
>atching a great sh like this one is what Santiago has desired his whole life.
+ut now he doubts catching hooking and killing the sh. The sorrow of the
potential life he took for the sh takes a hold of him making Santiago "ery
miserable and sad.
Another concept that made Santiago fell depressed is the fact the he failed to
bring the sh back as one. #e belie"es that he was truly beaten. Santiago let
himself be beaten by his own mind. 1ot only is this tragic, but the whole idea
of him gi"ing up on himself is "ery sad which made him in the rst place
seem so depressed about what he had initially done. Santiago gi"ing up on
himself is the greatest tragedy of all. #e has no hope and desire when he
belie"es that all is lost including him.
+ut e"en after gi"ing up on himself, the old man is somewhat hopeful. #e
reali&es on the town and trusts the town, which made him who he was, to
accept him now. !n The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago makes the statement
*! li"e in a good town, -#emingway ::/0. #e says this out loud not only to the
boy but also to himself as well because he wants to belie"e and he is now
hopeful that the town will accept him for who he is after only bringing home
the skeleton. #e is hopeful in the sense that people will sympathi&es with him
and not be 'udgmental that the sh as a whole was not brought to town.
Santiago is also hopeful in the sense that he wants to be something he is not.
Time and time again in this no"el the old man make the statement that it is
better to be lucky. Santiago is the e)act opposite. This old man is considered
in this town to be one of the unluckiest shermen e"er to e)ist. So when
Santiago claims that it is better to be lucky, he is stating to himself that he
wishes and is hopeful of the chance to ha"e a bit of luck.
Still, through pain and su5ering, Santiago has many aspects to be positi"e
about due to his tragedy. 7or instance, the young boy puts Santiago in a
content state. #e is the only one who has faith in the old man. Others talk
about Santiago behind his back and claim that he is a worthless cause. +ut
the boy is proud to be called a friend of Santiago. This young boy puts his
complete trust in Santiago and helps reali&e that he can only be himself if he
allows himself to be.
Also throughout the no"el the old man is optimistic e"en with the opposition
of his bad luck. +esides the young boy, the old man had to tra"el this road
alone. !n the end, his fate is o"ercome by the doom that the sh ne"er made
it to shore, only its skeleton and bones. +ut still the boy was there. #e
reassured him in his time of need making sure that the old man knew what
he did was a great defeat and honor.
!n The Old Man and the Sea, the old man reassures his future making himself
feel better about himself and his surroundings. This is a "ery positi"e point of
"iew. +y being isolated with indi"idualism and pride it dri"es him beyond his
true place. ?ife is de"eloping and wisdom of what he has done will lead him
to his true destiny.
One ma'or aspect when looking at the old man as a tragedy is that he sees
e"erything coming his way. #e knows how *far out, he is and that reaching
the inland is a rare chance with the sh. @et he presses on. Ander all the
doubtfulness is a bit a self courage and a belief that he can make it o"er he
ne"er would of taken this route that lead to his destiny.
1e"ertheless, not only does catching this sh pro"e to himself that he is a
man, but the old man sees it as an opportunity to show others. !f he is not
content with himself, he will fail as a person. Santiago belie"es though that if
he gets the appro"al of the town that he will measure up to what they want.
!n some sense this is a positi"e moti"e. Santiago 'ust wants to be a him, with
the help of the town along the way.
+ut other factors put Santiago in a better state of mindB being more pleased
with himself as well as other people and creatures -the sh0. #e nally
reali&es that in order for Santiago to be himself, he must pro"e to himself who
he is and not others. 7or instanceC
*The hooking of the sh is not only the rst clima) of the composition, it is a
passage of denition, an ob'ecti"e correlati"e, and a comple), if compact,
unity. The keys come to full collision for the rst time. They pound each other
in an almost regular alternation, and in the repeated shocks many of the work
are urgently set forth, -;illiams .30.
This concept is so true according to Santiago life. #e is the true denition of a
tragedy yet presses through due to his surrounding. Santiago surpasses the
e)pectancy that anyone including himself had toward him in any regards.
1ow to put others in perspecti"e, some see Santiago$s actions as careless
while others "iew the old man as bra"e. Some think it is tragic that one man
has become a failure in his own eyes as well as others. #is failure of catching
a sh past eight%four days casts doubt on his conscience. This doubt makes
him say that he has no more luck. !f this were true, it would be fair blow to a
sherman. +ut others as well as Santiago re'ect this thought after long
debates o"er the truth of the matter at hand and when or not Santiago is
truly unlucky.
;illiams belie"es that it$s a tragedy and it is tragic that a man who was once
a great sherman is now looked down upon by others. #e is old with old scars
and for him to get foodB a young boy has to beg for him. ;illiams belie"es
that this is the o"erall tragedy of this no"el that the man is doomed by his
own fate that people ha"e gi"en him.
*The tragic "iew of life comes out in his perennial contrast of the permanence
of nature and the e"anescence of man, -+aker 34D0. +aker belie"es that the
o"erall actions of the man are what led him to let e"eryone o"ercome his
thoughts. !nstead of letting nature take a hold of his life, Santiago let others
do that for him.
Santiago let others bring him down as well as his surrounding he knew so
well. 7or instance, the sea. !t represents chaos, death and a source of life. The
old man encounters all of these aspects on his 'ourney, yet chooses only to
focus on chaos. #e let the rage of the sea ll him along with others. 1ot once
in his 'ourney did he allow himself to take a step back and look at himself for
the way he truly was and was meant to be.
*The power of the enemy is e"oked in lines that set forth Santiago$s
continuing to an undeser"ed punishment, -;illiams .40. Once again, his
su5ering a pain of truth ne"er would ha"e began if he started with himself
rst. Santiago needed to ll a hole in his life and he belie"ed that others
nally know gi"ing him praise that he would become more on. Santiago was
wrong and did all for the wrong costs including trying to catch the sh in the
rst place.
Santiago$s pride was also of a cause for his doings. The irony of some though
not being able to tell the di5erence between a shark and a marlin in the end
of a no"el though, shows the true meaning of what he has become.
Santiago$s pride to catch this sh is lost. Though he may belie"e he did what
he did because he was a sherman, that fact of the matter is that he did it to
pro"e something to others more then himself.
+ut this old man did what he did and took action because of who he was. #e
was a sherman a proud one at that. The old man was considered to be
strange by others as well as himself. The fact is that he$s one of the most
sane and normal people in that town. Santiago did what he knew best, he
shed.
O"erall though, through maturity, the old man has gain wisdom through his
actions. Some think though that the old man$s wisdom and long years of
e)perience pro"es to be useless. 2eople belie"e that it is sad and tragic that
one old man must be lead to his destiny while his pain is in pain. #is wisdom
gi"es him no authority or control because it is the sh that is guiding him the
entire way. +ut in the some regards, others belie"e Santiago to ha"e used his
wisdom and knowledge that holding on to the sh was the best idea. These
people felt that the sh was not in control at any time but that Santiago knew
what was happening at e"ery moment.
The Old Man and the Sea, is the culminating e)pression of any concern in
re<ection to #emingway$s mature "iew of tragic irony of the man$s fate. The
old man is o"ercome with many obstacles including himself. Through many
oppositions though, the man by the town and himself is ultimately forgotten.
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