The power of nature is often overwhelming, especially when one is ill prepared. Nature can change the course of events in story, a movie, or even someone’s actual life. In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway’s character, Santiago, constantly battles with the unchecked power and unpredictability of the sea, and many of the creatures that inhabit it. He fends off sharks, battles with a giant marlin, and weathers the harsh conditions that he encounters.
Of the many obstacles that face Santiago during the story, the marlin us surely the greatest. After 84 days without catching a single fish, Santiago finally has a chance to prove to Manolin, the other fisherman, and himself that he is not a failure. In a way, Santiago needs this fish. “When the sun had risen further the old man realized that the fish was not tiring”(53) The way that the marlin is battling to get away and Santiago refuses to give up, shows that the marlin represents Santiago’s fleeting self pride. Santiago will go to great lengths to recapture this pride, even if that means sacrificing his body, and possibly dying at sea.
In order to catch a 1,000 pound fish, tremendous strength and physical shape is required. Santiago is very old, and his body, while still relatively strong, is beginning to weaken. Santiago’s less than ideal physique makes his task incredibly difficult. Well aware that he is not as strong as he once was, Santiago likely feels as though catching the marlin will be a task much too daunting for him, but instead fit more for a younger fisherman. “ Then the fish came alive, with his death in him, and rose high out of the water showing all his great length and width and power and beauty”(94). Santiago’s determination helps him to overcome the arduous task of capturing a giant marlin.
As is stated in the title of the novella, the sea plays a large role in the story. This is one of the most challenging obstacles that Santiago faces as he fights to capture his prized marlin and return it to shore. As previously stated, the Marlin is Santiago’s greatest challenge. The sea represents Santiago’s life, and the struggle between the fisherman and the marlin represent Santiago’s desperate attempt at reinstating his pride as a great fisherman. In order to free himself of his shame, Santiago needs to defeat the sea, and capture the marlin.
One’s pride is not to be taken for granted. A man who has lost his pride will go to incredible lengths to regain it, which is proved by Santiago. He struggles for three days against a fish five times his size, perseveres as his body withers, and combats the unstoppable sea and the creatures that dwell in its midst. Santiago’s story is one that we all can learn from, and is a story that should be told for ever.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Third Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
Serena by Ron Rash. Harper Collins, 2008. Genre: Fiction
Serena is the fourth novel written by Ron Rash. The newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton move to the mountains of North Carolina. There they have a logging company, and George also has a son that he had with a local girl. Serena quickly proves that she is worthy of the respect of every man in the camp. Serena learns that she is incapable of bearing a child, and so she tries to kill the baby that Pemberton had with the local girl. Pemberton tries to protect the baby without Serena knowing, but she finds out. This causes a rift in their relationship, adding tension to the plot.
“Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor.” (Book Jacket) This quote sums up the general idea of most of the story. Pemberton and Serena, surviving in the mountain wilderness, making their permanent marks on the lives of everyone the come into contact with.
As you can guess, the conflict of the story is the fact that Serena wishes to kill Pemberton’s son, and he has to try to protect his son, while at the same time appeasing his wife. Apart from the well-developed conflict, the setting was described with great detail. Rash uses uncommon adjectives to describe some things, but it always leaves you with a clear mental image of the scene that he wished you to see. The time period, 1929, is also portrayed very effectively. The characters all wear the type of clothes that would be worn in the in the 1920’s, and the dialect also sounds as if Rash actually traveled back in time and studied the dialect and diction of the era.
It may seem odd, but the writing style of many authors annoys me a great deal. At first I thought that Ron Rash was going to be another one of those authors that I can’t stand reading. Well, it turns out that my assumption was far from accurate. I am not sure whether it is the balance between contemplative thought and hectic commotion, but something just kept me interested in the story, even in the slowest, simplest parts of the story. I would gladly read another one of Ron Rash’s stories, and I very well may do just that next quarter.
Serena is the fourth novel written by Ron Rash. The newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton move to the mountains of North Carolina. There they have a logging company, and George also has a son that he had with a local girl. Serena quickly proves that she is worthy of the respect of every man in the camp. Serena learns that she is incapable of bearing a child, and so she tries to kill the baby that Pemberton had with the local girl. Pemberton tries to protect the baby without Serena knowing, but she finds out. This causes a rift in their relationship, adding tension to the plot.
“Together this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor.” (Book Jacket) This quote sums up the general idea of most of the story. Pemberton and Serena, surviving in the mountain wilderness, making their permanent marks on the lives of everyone the come into contact with.
As you can guess, the conflict of the story is the fact that Serena wishes to kill Pemberton’s son, and he has to try to protect his son, while at the same time appeasing his wife. Apart from the well-developed conflict, the setting was described with great detail. Rash uses uncommon adjectives to describe some things, but it always leaves you with a clear mental image of the scene that he wished you to see. The time period, 1929, is also portrayed very effectively. The characters all wear the type of clothes that would be worn in the in the 1920’s, and the dialect also sounds as if Rash actually traveled back in time and studied the dialect and diction of the era.
It may seem odd, but the writing style of many authors annoys me a great deal. At first I thought that Ron Rash was going to be another one of those authors that I can’t stand reading. Well, it turns out that my assumption was far from accurate. I am not sure whether it is the balance between contemplative thought and hectic commotion, but something just kept me interested in the story, even in the slowest, simplest parts of the story. I would gladly read another one of Ron Rash’s stories, and I very well may do just that next quarter.
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