the old man and the sea by ernest hemingway. according to hemingway according to hemingway, in order...

The Old Man and The Sea

By Ernest Hemingway

According to Hemingway

• According to Hemingway, in order to be satisfied with one’s self:

• one must learn • To be a friend• To have a friend• To endure physical pain• To handle the death of a loved one• To pass knowledge on to others


• To respect greatness in others• To win with humility• To lose with dignity• To struggle with something bigger than

yourself• To handle adversity• To resist being discouraged by failure


• To appreciate and love nature• To master a skill• To resist following the crowd• To be able to be alone with yourself• To love an adversary even if you must kill him• To resist worrying about what others think of

you

Copy the following thematic statements into your notes.

• Life is a series of struggles.– Do you believe this is true?– What are some of the daily struggles people must

face?– Do people struggle to achieve goals in life? How?– Do life’s struggles become easier or more difficult

as a person grows older? Give examples.

Copy the following thematic statements.

• The personal qualities of determination, pride, and endurance can triumph over adversity.– How would you define each trait?– Why are these traits important? How are these

traits related to life’s struggles?– Can you give examples of successful people who

have these traits?


• Pushing beyond the normal limits in life is important regardless of whether you win or lose.– What does pushing beyond the limits mean?– What are the limitations that can be placed on a person?

What are some of the limits age places on a person?– Give some examples of people from sports or other areas

who have had great successes because they have not been content with operating within normal limits. What are the dangers of pushing limits too far.


• Suffering makes the human spirit strong.– Do you agree or disagree?– Can you think of people whose lives prove this

statement?– What are some of the effects of great or

prolonged suffering?– Can great suffering turn out to be a great

blessing?

Day One Reading Questions p.1-28

1. In what ways are the negative qualities of Santiago emphasized?– The opening paragraph emphasizes the extent of

his bad fishing luck. Next he is described as a wrinkled, worn-out. Only his eyes are described in a positive way. The author says they are “the color of the sea, cheerful and undefeated.”

Day One Reading Questions p. 1-28

2. What significance or importance might Santiago’s name have?– Santiago is Spanish for Saint James, a fisherman in

the bible and one of Christ’s disciples. This is appropriate because this fisherman is surrounded by religious imagery in the story.


3. How is luck important to Santiago and Manolin?Santiago has been 84 days without a fish. He goes out on day 85, hoping it will be his lucky day. The community thinks luck is important because they are fishing community. The reader learns this when Manolin is forced to quit Santiago’s trips and fish with someone else.


5. How is Santiago set off from the other fishermen?The younger fisherman laugh at him; the older ones respect him but also feel sorry for him because his luck is so bad. He fits into neither group is kind of an outcast.


6. How can Santiago be proud and humble at the same time?Hemingway distinguishes pride from true pride, which can coexist with humility. Santiago is proud of his skills, proud of his accomplishments as a fisherman, but not so proud or arrogant that he won’t accept help from Manolin or admit that he is getting too old.


7. Describe Manolin’s character and discuss why he might behave as he does.Manolin is more mature than his age suggests. He is partly responsible for supporting his family, and has had the benefit of Santiago’s lifetime of experience taught to him since he was five (remember that Hemingway said you have to pass on knowledge to future generations).


8. What in Santiago’s character makes him a hero?He is strange, has a history of spectacular physical accomplishments and feats of strength. He also rejects the careless ways of other fishermen. He is precise and careful so that he even knows what kind of fish he has hooked before he actually catches it. He also displays courage and intelligence as he battles the marlin, and he is a philosopher because he thinks about his relationship to his opponent, to nature, and the morality of killing a noble animal.


4. What is the relationship between Santiago and Manolin?They love each other and show it many different ways: first, Santiago is Manolin’s teacher; second, he is also his friend; third, Manolin looks after the old man like a parent would a child. He respects Santiago, and has faith in his ability.


9. How are the nightly precautions Santiago takes with his fishing equipment both realistic and optimistic?Twice we are told that Santiago knows that no one will steal from him. At the same time, he takes no chances – he takes the gaff and harpoon home.


• 10. What do the details of Santiago’s house reveal about him?– His basic good nature is revealed by the open

door. He trusts people. He is pious: he has religious pictures, and we know of his love for his dead wife by the hidden pictures of her.


11. Why do Manolin and Santiago talk about their cast net and fish and yellow rice?They both know that there is no cast net or pot of yellow rice and fish but they pretend these things exist. It is how they accept their poverty with grace and good humor: they don’t whine or complain about their poor circumstances.


• 12. Describe Santiago and Manolin’s differing reactions to the Yankees defeat.– Manolin is disappointed in the Yankees. Santiago

reprimands the body for lacking faith. The loss doesn’t discourage Santiago who believe that the important thing is that DiMaggio played at full strength. He is trying to teach the boy a lesson in courage, faith, and endurance.


• 13. Why won’t Santiago borrow money?– It is a matter of personal philosophy – he believes

that borrowing leads inevitably to begging. However, he does accept food and bait which is freely given.


• 14. How do Santiago’s and Manolin’s sleeping habits emphasize the contrast of youth and age?– The old man wakes up early, perhaps he says,

because the old want to have one longer day. Young boys sleep late and hard, perhaps because they expect to have many more days.


• 15. Why does Santiago dream about lions?– He saw lions on a far-away beach when he was a

boy. Manolin reminds him of his youth, causing dreams of his own childhood. The lions also represent the strength and vigor of the hunter, the strength and vigor (life force) that he needs to survive. The dream also reveals a longing to be free of everyday concern: to be playing instead of working harder and harder ever day.

Day Two Reading Questions p. 25-57

• 1. What is the boy’s reaction to being wakened?– He doesn’t want to get up but does so without

complaint because it is what a man must do. It is a small point, but indicative of his maturity.


• 2. How does this day’s trip differ from Santiago’s usual pattern?– He goes out past the deep wells- much farther out

than he normally goes.


• 3. Why does Santiago call the sea “la mar”?– In Spanish, la mar is a feminine name for the sea.

Santiago chooses it to name a beautiful, mysterious, and sometimes deadly force. Some younger fishermen who use a masculine name are less deeply moved by the sea. Again, this points to Santiago’s combination of both tough fisherman and sensitive, thoughtful thinker.


• 4. What are Santiago’s feelings for creatures of the sea?– He reacts to each creature according to its situation,

usefulness, and “character.” he enjoys the companionship of some birds. He pities small birds which must fly into high winds and stay aloft or die. Others he sees as fishing guides, telling him when and where and sometimes what kind of fish are in the water beneath him.

– The Marlin he admires for its strength and endurance. He hates the jellyfish because they are beautiful but painful and treacherous. He despises other fish like shovel nosed sharks for being stupid, or being a scavenger.

Day Two Reading Questions

• 5. Describe ways in which Santiago demonstrates his fishing skill and explain why this is important to a Hemingway hero.– Santiago knows exactly how to row in order to

take advantage of the Gulf Stream current. He knows how to disguise his hooks and place at specific depths. He can find food for himself in difficult circumstances, predicts fish behavior, uses a harpoon and knife with deadly accuracy, and so has mastered all the skills of his job.


• 6. What two signs indicate that there are fish nearby?– A circling man-of-war bird and a layer of plankton

are signs that fish are near.7. What might the Portuguese-man-of-war

symbolize?It is the beauty that hides a deadly poison. The conflict of beauty and treachery is typical of the sea and all nature. This comes up again and again.

Day Two Reading Quiz

• 8. Why doesn’t Santiago worry about talking to himself?– Santiago knows that other fishermen think talking

to oneself is a sign that one is crazy but he also knows that he is not crazy so he justifies his chatter on several grounds: other fishermen have companions and he no longer has Manolin, rich people have radios and he doesn’t.


• 9. How does Santiago know he has hooked a Marlin?– It takes the bait a depth inhabited by marlins and

nibbles the bait carefully as marlins usually do.10. Describe the steps Santiago must take in order

to make sure the fish is caught.He must make sure the fish is hooked, so he lets it take out all the line.


• 11. How does he know he’s caught a fish of extraordinary size?– The marlin pulls the skiff out to sea for hours.12. How does Santiago feel about the Marlin?

He believes it to be a worthy opponent because it is strong and noble. He feels sympathy for the fish’s suffering as well as for his own.

13. How does the story of Manolin and the two other marlin show that the boy is a suitable partner for Santiago? Manolin and Santiago both felt bad for the female marlin, showing they both have respect and sympathy for their foes.

Day Three Reading Questions

• 1. salt• 2. dolphin• 3. my two hands• 4.our fathers, hail marys, hail mary• 5 DiMaggio, bone-spur• 6. arm-wrestled, el campeon• 7. left hand, traitor• 8. dusk, dusk 9. slept 10. cooked, raw • 11. sacs, air, deep 12. two feet 13. sharks 14. salt, limes,

15. love, respect


• 1. Why does Santiago wish the boy were there?– For companionship, and to help with the work2. Why does the fish lurch?

Santiago thinks the line slipped on the fish’s hump.

3. How does Santiago’s comment about the fish’s pain help portray his own physical condition?He can empathize with the fish because his own back is throbbing.


• 4. What does the fish’s course tell about its strength?– He is heading north, but the current is flowing

eastward so the fish must be strong to fight the current and pull his boat at the same time.

5. Why does he want the fish to jump?He wants it to fill the sacks along its back with air and make it difficult for it to go down deep.


• 6. Explain how the old man can love the fish yet wish to kill it.– According to Hemingway’s hero code, there is no

contradiction. The true hunter or fisher respects his prey, and a victory over a worthy opponent makes the struggle that much greater.

7. In what ways are the fish and the fisherman alike?Santiago and the fish both are strange, and determined, and powerful in their own ways.

• 8. Describe Santiago’s right and left hands.– Both are injured, but for different reasons, right hand

has always been strong, but is injured when the right line rushes through it; the left hand is weaker, and a traitor, because it cramps up.

9. How might Santiago’s hands be seen as part of the book’s religious imagery?They contribute to the image of Santiago as a Christ-symbol. Christ was wounded in both hands, the thief on the right (dexter) was saved, the thief on the left (sinister) was condemned.


• 10. What qualities of the fish are stressed by the description of his jump?– The length is emphasized, and Santiago’s

astonished reaction stresses the combination of strength, size, grace, and beauty. The purple color suggest royalty.

11. Why does Santiago say that the fish is more noble than he?

The fish’s struggle is greater than his own.


• 12. In what ways does Santiago seem an unlikely Christ-symbol?– Santiago admits he isn’t religious, says prayers

mechanically in moments of stress to use them like bribes to argue or arrange his fate.

13. How are Santiago’s thoughts like the thoughts of a Hemingway code hero?He admires the fish for its strength even as he prays for its death. He respects his foe without fearing it.


• 14. In which direction does that fish turn– The begins to turn east and this tells Santiago its

moving with the current perhaps because it is getting tired.

15. What things does Santiago think of while the fish pulls? What do these thoughts have in common?He thinks of several things – the lions on the beach, baseball (and Joe DiMaggio), and an arm wrestling contest. They all represent strength and youth


• 16. What two things does Santiago do to preserve his strength? – He eats some dolphin and flying fish, and he tries to get

some sleep• 17. What two things does Santiago’s dreams show about his

present situation?– At first he seems to be aware of his location and his

problem. He dreams of the sea, then he dreams that he is uncomfortable and his arm has fallen asleep. Finally, he dreams of the lions, a peaceful dream, indicating he has left his problems behind for a moment.

Day Four Pop quiz

• 1. left, hands 8. 300, 50• 2. black spots 9. mako, fingers, forty• 3. sucking fish 10. look• 4. kill 11. defeat, defeated, destroyed• 5. noble 12. fishing 13. sin• 6. brother, slave 14. galano, ¾• 7. shrimp 15. tiller 16. broken 17.

DiMaggio 18. crucifixion of Christ, 19. S’s death

Day Four Reading Questions

• 1. How does Santiago know that the fish is about to circle?– He has studied the fish– He recognizes stages of the fish’s struggle


• 2. Why does Santiago rebuke his left hand?– It fails him in the crisis– He considers it a deliberate failure


3. How does Hemingway stress the endurance of Santiago?– He emphasizes Santiago’s tiredness while the fish

is circling– He is dizzy– He sweats– He sees black spots– He keeps pulling anyway


4. Why does Santiago want the marlin to stop jumping?He is afraid it will tear loose from the hook


5. How is the fish’s size described? Does the description make it easier or harder to visualize the fish?

Longer than a scythe blade, uses the words “huge” and “bulk” instead of exact measurementsFor some people, exact measurements help create a better mental image, but others can feel the fish’s size as they sympathize with the old man.The comparison between a scythe and the tail is an analogy, a comparison between two dissimilar things.


• 6. How does the last battle suggest Santiago’s (and Hemingway’s) respect for the fish?– Santiago continues to call the fish brother– He is awed by its beauty, size, and power– He says he does not care who wins the battle.– Even after the battle, he has to lash the fish

ALONGSIDE as an EQUAL. (symbolism)


• 7. How does the fish finally die? How does this forecast trouble?– He must be harpooned in the heart– The spreading blood will attract sharks


• 8. What is the slave work?– Lashing the fish alongside the boat– Setting sail for home– It is something he must do himself– It is not glamorous the way catching the fish was– It is the menial, labor intensive part of his job


• 9. At what time does the fish die? Do you suppose Hemingway chose this time for a special reason?– The fish dies at noon of the third day of the

voyage (the fourth day of the novel).– He was hooked at noon on the first day of the

voyage. – In the Bible, Christ was crucified, died, and was

buried, and rose again on the third day (symbolism)


• 10. In what new ways does santiago demonstrate his knowledge of the sea as he begins his journey home?– He lashes the fish’s mouth shut so it will not cause

drag– He sets his homeward course without a compass– He forages for food from the Gulf weeds


• 11. What is the strangeness Santiago feels after harpooning the marlin?– It is never identified, but it seems to disappear when

Santiago feels the pain in his hands and back and sees the body of the fish.

– This suggests that the battle and the victory were so far removed from any other experiences in Santiago’s life that they seemed illusory (like an illusion). Perhaps the strangeness was like the disoriented feeling one has if awakened in the middle of a dream

– Have you experienced déjà-vu or felt like you were in a waking dream?


• 12. How is the shark’s appearance announced?– The shark appears out of nowhere an hour after

Santiago sets sail for home. Its appearance is announced in the last sentence of a paragraph.

– Grammatically, the information is not even the main idea of the sentence. It’s as if Hemingway wanted to take the reader by surprise, to make the reader share Santiago’s dismay. Also, since it is stated that this is the first shark, a sense of future attacks being inevitable is created.


13. What qualities of the first shark are emphasized?

- It’s terrible beauty, efficiency, and ruthlessness are emphasized. You as a reader can see that Santiago and Hemingway must have a certain amount of admiration for this hunter.


• 14. Does Santiago despair? How do his reactions help define the behavior of the code hero?– He has no hope, but he still fights to win. The real

defeat lies in giving up; so when he loses his harpoon, he fashions a crude one with a knife and stick and continues to fight. He is determined and resourceful like an Hemingway hero.


• 15. What is Santiago’s answer to his questions about sin?– At first, he thinks it a sin not to hope to get most

of his fish back, but then he decides that he does not know what is a sin and what is not. He decides simply to act as a fisherman must act and not puzzle over such questions


• 16. What religious image appears in the description of the second shark attack?– Santiago is described as making a noise such as a

man might make as he is being crucified. This may be the most forthright of the Christ-images in the book. • Others include: Santiago’s name, his faith in DiMaggio,

and his hands


• 17. Distinguish the second shark attack from the first.– This time are two sharks, shovel-nosed, or

galanos, and they travel in packs. – They are brown and not as beautiful as the Mako– They are not noble hunters, but merely

scavengers– Santiago thinks they are cruel and stupid


• 18. Why do the attacks come in this order?– It is appropriate for the Mako to have the “honor”

of the first bit because it is a hunter, and tracked the smell of blood first. It was fastest and it came alone.

– The second pair are scavengers and come only after the Mako has spilled much of the smell of fresh meat into the water. After this, things go downhill for Santiago. It foreshadows more to follow.

Day Four Readings

• 19. Why does Santiago rebuke himself? Is the rebuke just?– He regrets having gone so far out. Perhaps he

thinks he should have known he couldn’t take the fish in from so far. Later he says that his luck was taken away to punish him. Clearly there is something heroic even in his defeat. Perhaps Santiago’s pride was foolish or evil, but it is also possible that Santiago is an illustration that even the best of sometimes behave foolishly.


• 20. Why does Santiago continue even when things are hopeless?– This determination is a basic part of the code

hero’s character. His achievement, as already pointed out many times in the novel, lies in fighting well, not in victory.


• 21. How does the description of his arrival home continue the religious imagery?– Many of Santiago’s actions recall Christ’s last

hours.– The old man has to struggle up the hill carrying

the mast the way that Christ struggled up the hill to Golgotha with his cross. Santiago stumbles and pauses five times, as did Christ. Perhaps even the sight of the skeleton of the fish as Santiago gazes at it from the hill suggests Golgotha, the Place of the skull.

Day Five Reading Questions

• 1. How has the attitude of the other fishermen towards Santiago changed?– They seem to have regained respect for him• Several of them marvel at the size of the fish’s skeleton.• The proprietor of the Terrace says he has never seen its

equal.• The man also pities Santiago for having lost so much

– The more a man has gained, the more he stands to lose. In Santiago’s case, he had all fisherman could want, but did he lose it all? Your answer and your defense of your answer will serve as thematic interpretation.

Day Five Reading Questions

• What effect does the tourist’s comment have on the story’s meaning?– The tourist’s confusion over the kind of fish

caught serves to emphasize the special knowledge of the people who participate in the code- Santiago and Manolin. On the one hand, it makes the tourist look ignorant, but it also puts Santiago’s battle in a new light. The tourist’s statement makes Santiago’s feat seem insignificant when compared to the rest of the world. Why?

What premonitions of Santiago’s death are there?

• He feels his luck has run out. • He feels he has been beaten.• He spat something strange and his chest feels

funny.• Manolin leaves the shack and cries

Is the ending hopeful or discouraging?

• The answer to this question is primarily a matter of interpretation. There is a sadness in Santiago’s despair and hints he will die.

• There is also hope in his desire to read the papers he has missed and teach Manolin what he learned during his great struggle.

Words to Own

• Become familiar with the following words as you read each day

• Part 1– skiff timid– gaff resolution– gaunt oakum– benevolent– attained

Words to Own

• Part 2– thole phosphorescence– tern shank tentative– garland plummets imperceptible– plankton iridescent pectoral– gelatinous filaments– carapace commenced– myriad annulled

Words to Own

• Part 3 – gunwale coagulated mew– Taut longitudinally– conscientiously undulation– cumulus treachery– ptomaine rapier– preceded burnished– sustenance comprehend

Words to Own

• Part 4– Ceding dorsal– Placid interminable– Thwart dignity– Dispersed malignancy– Vertebrae

• Part 5– tempered

How does Santiago measure up as a Hemingway hero?

• To be a friend– He is a friend to the boy, Manolin, and has taught him

about fishing • To have a friend– He has a friend in Manolin, and allows the boy to do

things for him, like take care of him when he is down and out

• To endure physical pain– Santiago endures lots of physical pain, especially in his

hands in the novel. • What makes his hands so painful for him?

What traits does he share with other Hemingway protagonists?

• To handle the death of a loved one– He has endured the death of a loved one: his wife

has died• To pass knowledge on to others – He passes on knowledge to Manolin about his

craft and experience• To respect greatness in others– He respects the greatness of the fish, of DiMaggio,

and of the Mako shark

Does he seem heroic to the reader?

• To win with humility– When he catches the Marlin, he is very humble and

very grateful to the fish • To lose with dignity– When the sharks destroy the fish, he doesn’t cry and

on the outside, he is still proud, old Santiago• What does he say about being destroyed but not defeated?

• To struggle with something bigger than yourself– He struggles with the Marlin, which is bigger than

him, and then against the sea and the sharks, which outnumber him and are bigger than him

Why does Hemingway make such a fisherman into a heroic figure?

• To handle adversity– He seems to be pretty tough and able to handle a lot of

adversity. He is poor, lonely, and just had the catch of a lifetime stolen from him, yet at the end of the novel, Santiago is making preparations to take the boy out again, so he is resilient

• To resist being discouraged by failure – He fails to actually bring the marlin back, but that not

discourage him from making plans to try again once he has had a talk with the boy

• To appreciate and love nature– He appreciates and loves nature very much. He feels a kinship

with many different species• What are some of the animals he feels connected with? Why?

How do Santiago’s troubles mimic the adversity that all of us have to face?

• To master a skill– He knows what kind of bait to use to catch whatever kind of fish he

wants– He knows what fish is on the line by the way it pulls and where he is in

the water– He knows all the animals and plants that live in the sea– He can fish for more than one fish at a time– He knows how to tire out a fish– He knows how to use a harpoon– He recognizes different kinds of sharks by sight

• • To resist following the crowd

– He doesn’t give in and believe people when they tell him he is out of luck and laugh at him

If Santiago is a hero, and overcomes adversity, what is the author suggesting to the Reader?

• To be able to be alone with yourself– He is comfortable being alone with himself out on the

sea• To love an adversary even if you must kill him– He loves the marlin, even though he must kill it, and

he seems to have a certain admiration for the Mako shark, even though he kills it

• To resist worrying about what others think of you – Santiago never seems concerned about what others

think of him, at the beginning or the end of the novel. He is a fisherman and that is what he does.

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