The Old Man and the Sea: What are the causes, gains, and losses of the conflict dealt with in this book?

The main conflict in this book lies in the struggle between The Old Man and the marlin he so desperately wants to catch. The Old Man wants to: A) catch the Marlin, and B) bring him home in order to redeem his bad luck streak and get money.  But many things get in his way: his own mortality, sharks, and the strength and will of the marlin try to keep him from these goals.  In the end though, this struggle has a much deeper meaning then just an old man going fishing. It’s almost an impossible feat that the Old Man accomplishes, and he has to overcome many things to achieve his goal. He had to have amazing courage and bravery to overcome the struggle, and it had many gains and losses.

There are several things that cause this conflict with the Old Man. The Old Man wants to catch the marlin, and he does, but in the end, he loses it. He achieves one goal, but then fails to achieve the other. But what caused this conflict? What made it so hard for the Old Man to catch the Marlin and safely bring it home? One thing was his own Mortality. Santiago is only a man, and he feels pain and hunger like everyone else. He had to bare the weight of the fish on his back, he cuts his hands on the line, (Hemingway pg.56), and his old hand cramps up, making it hard for him to do things (Hemingway pg.58). That pain that he feels makes it hard for him to do what he wants, and that contributes to the hardships he has to endure. The fact that he is alone and doesn’t have the boy to help him also contributes to the conflict. He often remarks, “I wish I had the boy.” In the story. (Hemingway) The sharks also contribute to the conflict, and hinder Santiago from accomplishing his goals. They get in his way and eat at the Marlin, tiring Santiago and tearing his prize fish to shreds. (Hemingway pg. 107-119) The will and strength of the Marlin also make it hard for Santiago. The Marlin has a determination he has never seen in a fish, and never gives up. He pulls Santiago for days and days without tiring, prolonging Santiago’s pain.

Santiago does have gains in this conflict. In the end, he DOES CATCH the Marlin, so he does achieve one of his goals. He gains a sense of respect for the Marlin. Santiago also, despite the fact that he doesn’t bring the Marlin home, does break his streak of not catching a fish for 84 days. Even though Santiago comes home empty handed, he gains the respect and the awe from the other fishermen and even some tourists. He brings home an eighteen foot long Marlin skeleton, which is an amazing catch. The proprietor even says to Manolin when talking of the Marlin, “There has never been such a fish,” (Hemingway pg. 123). The fishermen know that Santiago caught something that great, and even though he doesn’t have it in the flesh, they are still amazed at his daring and courage. He also gains a sense of inner strength. He CAUGHT IT, and did something no one else could have done.

Santiago loses some things. The main thing he loses is his fish. The sharks come and eat it away, destroying his trophy that he worked so hard to get. He loses some of his self-worth too, and is devastated that he couldn’t fight off all the sharks and that his unluckiness has followed him. He is crushed at the loss, but he blames it on himself saying, “I went out too far.” (Hemingway pg.120) he loses his fish and loses some esteem, but his gains outweigh his losses.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.