Old Man and the Sea 2

The main conflict of The Old Man and the Sea is between the old man, Santiago, and an eighteen foot long fish. The conflict is a struggle between the two out at sea. Santiago wants to catch the fish and the fish wants to break free. The conflict was caused by the old man’s lack of success in his recent fishing attempts. Santiago has gone eighty-four days without a single catch. He goes out on the water and prepares to catch a fish. Depending on how one looks at the situation you could say Santiago starts off at a loss or a gain. He hooks the fish, but it is almost like the fish hooked him. The marlin becomes the one in control of Santiago’s direction. Although the fish is physically in control of the conflict, Santiago is mentally in control. Santiago is in two fights at this point. He is in a battle for control with the fish, but he is also in a battle with hunger. He was already running on a very low amount of food before he left, but now the only way he can survive is to catch something and eat it. Eventually he gains some help on the conflict by catching some fish to eat. His last control-gaining effort on the conflict is when he actually catches the fish. Then Santiago is at a loss when sharks show up. He must fight them off, but they eventually tear apart the fish that he has worked so hard to catch. At the end of his great adventure the old man has gained a fish skeleton, respect from all the other fishermen, and an amazing story to tell. He never would have gotten any of these if he did not go far out into the water and strive for a catch. He caught the biggest fish he has ever even heard of let alone seen, and he did it all alone at an old age while hungry.

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