In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is challenged to fight his way through multiple forces. Him trying to overcome these obstacles are not just because of the threat to his survival. He does it for his own personal content and confidence. All throughout the book, the Old Man has to face the power of the Marlin, the sharks, the ocean, and his lack of energy. His peaceful fishing adventure changed to a not so happily ever after ending, unfortunately. Without breaking down these barriers one at a time, Santiago would never have been able to progress like he did. Though he did not end up bringing home the Marlin as proof, Santiago is motivated with his determination.
When Santiago goes on his little adventure, he has to have perseverance to continue with his goal. During the day, the Old Man offered to himself that he “could drift, he thought, and sleep and put a bight of line around my toe to wake me. But today is eighty-five days and I should fish the day well’ (54). Even though Santiago knows that he could just relax for the day, he chooses to have a good day of fishing well. He would rather have a chance of catching a fish with hard work than to be at ease for the day. Santiago thinks to himself “What will I do if he decides to go down, I don’t know. What I’ll do if he sounds and dies I don’t know. But I’ll do something. There are plenty of things I can do” (78). Santiago is
thirsty for determination in the novella, because it’s a natural feeling to him. Though the Old Man does not know what will come to him, he will know what his plans are at the time of the moment. Because Santiago knows that he can do what he wants, he chooses to go to the path of patience and adventure to make himself fell accomplished.
Throughout the entire story, Santiago is facing all the elements within the ocean including the Marlin, sharks, finding food, and he does it with his endurance. Because Santiago has to hold the rope at all times while the Marlin pulls
Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1952.