By Patrick D.

In the classic story by Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago is faced with many struggles in his ongoing battle with the giant marlin. Obviously the largest and main obstacle Santiago must overcome is defeating the giant marlin. While doing this, he must battle with demons within himself. Not only these, but Santiago must return home through the shark infested bay area.

For three days and nights, Santiago battles the greatest marlin the world has ever seen. The battle is torture: Santiago must fight with mangled hands, an insurmountable hunger, thirst, unimaginable narcolepsy, and the constant turmoil within himself of whether or not to let the fish. Throughout the struggle, Santiago’s hands become wounded and morph into nothing more than bloody stubs desperately clinging to a sharp fishing wire. Santiago knows he must defeat the marlin, however; the fish is the only thing that may keep Santiago from death. The money and food it would bring him would keep him healthy for months. His will of iron is the only thing that keeps him alive during this agonizing battle: “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (103) The man’s pride is what wins him the fish; once Santiago has caught a fish, especially at this point in his life, he will not let it free: “You did not kill the fish only to sell or keep for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman.”(54)

Santiago has many inner feelings and demons inside himself, including his affection for the local boy, Manolin. Santiago chose not to bring the boy on this day’s trip, and he began to regret it shortly thereafter. “I wish I had the boy” (45) is obviously quite a blunt quote, showing his need for Manolin, but there are other references within the book that Santiago needs or wants the boy. The old man, hence the title given to him by the author, is getting very old, and perhaps is losing a bit of sanity. “Why haven’t I ever realized I talk to myself?” is showing how Santiago talks to himself out of pure loneliness. "He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of women, nor of great occurrences, nor of great fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength, nor of his wife. He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach." (25) The lion referenced obviously represents something inside of Santiago that is calling to him, but this quote does suggest that he may be a little tweaked in his head.

After Santiago conquers the great marlin, he must return to his home through the shark-infested bay. The marlin has pulled him out far, and he must let the fish hang from the side of his skiff, letting off a trail any shark within 100 miles could track. Santiago knows this and is prepared to defend his fish mentally, if not with proper weapons. For over a day, dozens of sharks attack his fish, each taking a large chunk from his prize. Santiago boldly defends it with what little he has, but by the time he returns, the fish is nothing more than a skeleton. “’They beat me, Manolin,’ he said. ‘They truly beat me’” (124) is the quote that shows Santiago knows he has lost, and is finally able to admit it after the great fights with the sharks.

Santiago faces many perils and struggles throughout Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Old Man and the Sea. He battles the greatest marlin ever seen for three straight days, defends it from dozens of sharks, and battles turmoil within himself. His struggles were great, but the profit nothing. For Santiago, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey” is taken to an all time high.