The Old Man and the Sea Group

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racegirl
racegirl
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What is the major conflict of The Old Man and the Sea?

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Posted by racegirl on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 5:32 AM and tagged with conflict, the old man and the sea.

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  1. sullymonster Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    The central conflict of Hemingway's novella is man vs. nature.  Santiago is at odds with nature because he makes his living by it, as a fisherman.  However, the sea is not providing him with enough catch to survive on.  He is able to catch the large marlin, but the sea will not allow him to have it, and he returns to shore with nothing but the skeleton.

    Symbolically, however, the conflict is representative of man's conflict with overpowering forces in society, and man's resilience against those forces.  Despite being beaten by the sea, Santiago goes to sleep dreaming of more adventures.  He may have been physically beaten, but he is not emotionally beaten.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/omas/

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    Posted by sullymonster on Tuesday November 13, 2007 at 5:46 AM

  2. maus1
    maus1 Student
    High School - 11th Grade

    The main conflict is the epic struggle against nature, Santiago is not only struggling with bad luck but also with aging, and adversity, fighting the inevitable- a struggle all people endure .The supreme ordeal of this novel is of course his relentless agonizing battle with a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream, but simple on the outside, the story has more beneath the surface with many layers of internal and external struggle, and the universal battle that will be fought by all, physically and psychologically...Those who do not recognize the approach of age and death are onlookers.

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    Posted by maus1 on Friday April 4, 2008 at 11:07 AM