The Complicated Decisions of an Old Man at Sea.

In life people make decisions everyday and they have to life with the consequences that follow them. These consequences to the decisions that people make can either affect them in the long run or they can not really have an affect on a person's life at all. In the novella, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago makes decisions throughout the whole story, and some of the consequences are huge and Santiago would probably regret doing a couple of things. However, some of these decisions might of helped him.

Throughout the story it talks about how Santiago went through 84 pain staking days without catching a single fish. Santiago decides to go fishing everyday, but he just can't catch a fish. This shows how Santiago is a very patient person, and that he is waiting to catch the right fish. Santiago also talks about how he would rather catch a fish the right way with skill than not catch a fish at all. A quote that signifies how Santiago is a very skillful person is. "To hell with luck, I will bring the luck with me (125)." This quote shows how Santiago is a person that takes a lot of pride in what he does and doing it the right way. I believe that Santiago would rather go another 84 days of not catching a fish by fishing his way, the right way, than just throwing out nets and catching fish like the other fishermen do. It seems to me that Santiago enjoys fishing his way so much because it is peaceful and serene for him. I also think that Santiago feels that the only way to take honor in catching fish is by using a fishing pole, and that he also feels that other fisherman should fish like that. This shows that Santiago is very compassionate about fishing, and that he is respectful towards fish.

Santiago makes another huge decision by letting the mother of all marlins drag him out deep into the eerie and lonely waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I believe that Santiago decided to go out far with the marlin and to keep on fighting it because Santiago is extremely determined, optimistic, and confident that he is going to catch this fish. I also think that this marlin is very symbolic. It symbolizes Santiago's future and a chance for him to get money which he desperately needs. A quote that signifies this is, "...I'll stay with you until I am dead (52)." I believe that there are two consequences for this action. The first is that Santiago is able to catch the marlin that he has been fighting for several days now. The other consequence is that Santiago has to paddle all of the way back to shore with a marlin that is bigger than his skiff. This attracts the blood thirsty galanos, or sharks. I believe that Santiago wanted this marlin so bad that he did not thin about the bad things that could happen when he brings it home, he was only thinking about catching it and to finally get some respect from the other fishermen and to make Manolin proud of him.

According to Ernest Hemingway, Santiago struggles against fighting the marlin for days which makes him very tired physically and mentally. Santiago knows that he is tired, that he is going crazy, and that he is delirious, but he also knows that there is a huge marlin on the other end of the line that is more important than getting some shut eye. Santiago expresses his feelings by saying, "Now let me get through the eating of this dolphin and get some rest and a little sleep (79)." I believe that Santiago wants the marlin to stop fighting against him so he can get some deserved rest. Santiago decides to take a nap because he is so tired. The consequence for Santiago doing this is that he ia able to be fully recharged and is ready to keep on fighting the marlin. This results in Santiago catching the marlin.

In the book, Ernest Hemingway does a great job at allowing Santiago to make decisions and making the book very descriptive and precise for the readers enjoyment.These decisions are very important to the story and the consequences are also crucial. I think that the book would have been very different if Santiago did not fight the marlin because then he wouldn't of caught it and the rest of the book would be pointless. However, the consequences of decisions made by Santiago were huge and affected his life, consequences can also affect what happen in your life. Decisions and consequences happen every day, if you decide to not do your homework the consequence will be that you get a bad grade on your report card. That is why decisions are important whether it be in The Old Man and the Sea, or in your life.