The Old Man and the Sea Group at eNotes

In Santiago's room there are two paintings. One is "a picture in...

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:21:04 PST

In Santiago's room there are two paintings. One is "a picture in color of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and another of the Virgin of Cobre". These images are "relics of his wife", testimony to her strong Catholic heritage. Santiago had also once kept a "tinted photograph of his wife" on the wall, but after she died he had taken it down and put it on a shelf in the corner of his hut "under his clean...

What is the painting in Santiago's room in "Old Man and the Sea"?

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:18:49 PST

What is the painting in Santiago's room in "Old Man and the Sea"?

Santiago considers the fact that he "could just drift...and sleep...

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:32:44 PST

Santiago considers the fact that he "could just drift...and sleep and put a bight of line around (his) toe to wake (him)" in case a fish took his bait, but he does not do this. He says, "today is eighty-five days and I should fish the day well".Santiago has not had a good catch in eighty-five days, which is a tremendously long period of bad luck. He reasons that he should not slack off now, in case today is the day his...

He dreams of the lions on the beach in Africa, as he lived there when he...

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:43:05 PST

He dreams of the lions on the beach in Africa, as he lived there when he was a young boy.

Explain why Santiago decides against drifting and sleeping for awhile...

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:40:36 PST

Explain why Santiago decides against drifting and sleeping for awhile with a line around his toe to wake him up in "Old Man and the Sea".

Santiago is the pivotal character in the story; it is around him that...

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:26:23 PST

Santiago is the pivotal character in the story; it is around him that both the story line and the main themes are woven. Santiago is first pictured as an aging old man resisting and then defeated by nature. But at the end of the story he emerges as a heroic archetype as new definitions of "success" and "failure" are fomulated.I suggest you read the essay mentioned in the reference below as it gives greater insight into...

"Santiago is an old fisherman of undetermined age," and he was...

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:19:31 PST

"Santiago is an old fisherman of undetermined age," and he was the protagonist of this story. He was the main character. He is symbolic for the concept that man should never give up on his dream. He should fight to the end.

What is the role of the old man as a fisherman in the novel "The...

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:21:28 PST

What is the role of the old man as a fisherman in the novel "The Old Man and The Sea?"

The old man and the fish both do what they do with dignity, without...

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 16:03:31 PST

The old man and the fish both do what they do with dignity, without crying, and with courage. That's part of what Hemingway is about. Winning isn't important because sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. What is important is how you behave, that you carry yourself with dignity, behave according to the "rules." The old man loses the fish (the fish that fought bravely despite its "loss"), but that is not important...

Yeah I think that's one of the main themes of the book, the inner...

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 15:45:13 PST

Yeah I think that's one of the main themes of the book, the inner strength people can have.

strong old man

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 15:27:52 PST

I worried about the old man during the whole story because it's rather difficult for any person to spend some days without food and sleep

In his desperate battle against the sharks who are after the meat of the...

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:41:38 PST

In his desperate battle against the sharks who are after the meat of the great fish he has caught and secured to his boat, the first weapon that the old man loses is his harpoon. The old man "ram(s) the harpoon down onto (a) shark's head...(in) the location of the brain", and, after struggling for a brief period of time, the shark sinks into the ocean, taking with it the harpoon and all the rope. Left without his primary weapon,...

In "Old Man and the Sea", what are the first, second, third,...

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:44:27 PST

In "Old Man and the Sea", what are the first, second, third, and fourth weapons the old man lost?

You're not going to receive a lot of negative feedback on a classic...

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:38:10 PST

You're not going to receive a lot of negative feedback on a classic novel in the midst of a bunch of teachers. Here's my two cents: The story is a shorter read, which is good for classes. The plot does seem "elongated," mostly because Hemingway was trying to generate empathy for Santiago on the part of his readers. The best thing about this novel, perhaps, is the honest interaction between man and boy -- the conversations they have,...

Now that Santiago fishes alone, he notices that he often speaks aloud...

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:34:15 PST

Now that Santiago fishes alone, he notices that he often speaks aloud while he is out on the sea. It is "considered a virtue not to talk unnecessarily at sea and the old man had always considered it so and repected it...but now he said his thoughts aloud many times since there (is) no one that they could annoy". Santiago "(does) not remember when he had first started to talk aloud when he was by himself". When he had...

Now that Santiago fishes alone, what has he begun to do that other...

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:42:33 PST

Now that Santiago fishes alone, what has he begun to do that other fishermen might not approve of in "Old Man and the Sea"?

Santiago is one of my all time favorite characters. His determination,...

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:40:33 PST

Santiago is one of my all time favorite characters. His determination, his ability to make a decision and stick with it no matter what. I fell in love with this old seaman. The way the story was written actually drew me in even more. I didn't feel the story drag at all and I can remember reading it on a Greyhound bus. I actually cried throughout the section where he fights with those sharks. I was exhausted when he finally made it to...

Sometimes, novels seem long and drawn out for a reason. Think of the...

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:47:46 PST

Sometimes, novels seem long and drawn out for a reason. Think of the pain and suffering, self-reflection, and dread that Santiago was experiencing while at sea. It was his own personal "hell" on earth, yet he was exhilarated at his success. By bringing that fish home--even in the condition it was in--it restored the community's faith in him as a fisherman and in himself as a man. The elongated time on the sea gave him the...

My favorite aspect of the novel is the sense of dread that Hemingway...

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 22:14:52 PST

My favorite aspect of the novel is the sense of dread that Hemingway conveys as Santiago attempts to bring the fish home. As the sharks bite off more and more of the marlin, it becomes clear that the old man is fighting a futile battle in attempting to ward the sharks off. This part of the novel moves at a faster clip than the rest of the book.

Well, I did think it was good, but he enlongated time he spent at sea. I...

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 22:08:13 PST

Well, I did think it was good, but he enlongated time he spent at sea. I felt like i was out there for 12 hours along with him.