Reflection Paper on Old Man and the Sea

In the novel The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the main character, faces challenges in his life that can be related to our own everyday lives. In this book, Santiago has to overcome his age, self- doubt, and what other people think. Santiago has been a fisherman his whole life and now that he is becoming older and weaker, he’s afraid that his ability to fish will deteriorate. Fishing is Santiago’s purpose in life and once that’s gone, what’s there to live for? From the old man’s journey, there is much to learn from and consider in your own life. One life lesson you can take away from this book is to never give up. Once you decide on a goal and how to achieve it, don’t let anything stop you. Too often we see people start to pursue a goal and give up because things got to difficult or they let other people or even themselves doubt them. There will always be obstacles in our paths in life, so its important to stay strong and work our way through every problem. Focus on your goal and what your trying to achieve and know it will all be worth while. Santiago knew that he had to prove to the other fishermen and more importantly himself that he wasn’t done just yet and he wasn’t unlucky. Although most importantly he needed to know he hadn’t lost his purpose in life and the life he once knew and loved wasn’t slipping away. He had to work through the restraints of his age and injured hand and what people say and just believe in himself. Another lesson you can take from this book is patient and respect. Santiago, although he was trying to kill the fish, loved the marlin. He respected him and admired his strength and willingness to go on and keep swimming even when his future looked grim. He also showed respect for the ocean and showed the importance of becoming one with it and it’s creatures in order to understand it. Santiago also practiced patience by being towed around by the marlin for a couple days just waiting for it to either slowly die or give up. Santiago would