The Old Man and the Sea: Gains-Losses-Causes

Several events in the novel, The Old Man and the Sea, are important enough to be considered minor conflicts, but the one that tops all the rest would be Santiago's struggle with fish. Not only did the old man have to face many hardships on his journey to reach the fish, such as the comments made by other fisherman and losing his friend and apprentice, Manolin, but he also has to face several more obstacles on his way home. With every struggle that is faced, a lesson is learned and new knowledge is gained. In the case of Santiago, his journey resulted in a handful of gains. For one, the catching of the marlin put an end to Santiago's eighty-four day, no catching spree. The marlin also taught Santiago a little about himself. During the period of time when the fish was moving the boat in its own current, the old man was having a hard time staying alive, let alone keeping a hold of the fish. Santiago was eventually able to find the strength to kill the fish and continue on his trip home (Hemingway 75). This lesson taught the old man that he had much more strength inside him than even he knew he had. With these gains, however, Santiago suffered a few losses on his tough, four day journey. The obvious loss of his trip was the prized marlin he caught. The long journey home attracted some unwelcomed guests who took advantage of the old man's lack of strength and equipment, and they tore up the fish before Santiago could get it home (Hemingway 101). The old man had quite a powerful statement towards the sharks, one of my favorites from the entire novel. "I cannot keep him from hitting me but maybe I can get him. Dentuso, he thought. Bad luck to your mother (Hemingway 101)." All of these gains and losses would not have occurred had the conflict not arose. The conflict was caused because of the long period of time the old man spent without catching a fish. In order to end his streak, Santiago traveled a little farther out in his boat than usual (Hemingway 32). This, however, resulted in a long and dangerous journey for the old man.

[Biography]

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.