Ambition In Jaws And Steven Spielberg's

Hard-headed stubbornness, often called hubris, has been the downfall of men and women of all time periods across the world. However, Ernest Hemingway is not one of those men. It is clear to see that Hemingway has a solid grasp of the idea of humility. Hemingway said this at his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, "Having no facility for speech-making and no command of oratory nor any domination of rhetoric, I wish to thank the administrators of the generosity of Alfred Nobel for this Prize." The famous and well-regarded novela, The Old Man and the Sea, written by Ernest Hemingway, and Jaws, the famous movie directed by Steven Spielberg, both use themes of ambition and hubris, forms of desire. However, how the characters act on their desire, …show more content…
It is a shady grey area that has been discussed among historians, authors, and even theologians for millennia. Ambition is a very powerful form of desire and can lead people great places. However, ambition has an arguably more influential evil twin, his name is hubris. The award winning and boundary breaking movie, Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, shows excellent examples of characters using hubris to satisfy their desires. The disreputable fisherman that goes by the name of Quint decides on undertaking the mission of killing the man eating shark that has struck terror and paranoia throughout the Island of Amity. The first showing of hubris is presented to the viewer when Quint voices his desire to murder this beast alone. This shark is no mere fish, but rather a Great White that can only be conquered through teamwork.The hubris of the situation is displayed in the lone-wolf mentality that Quint is exhibiting. When Quint is finally persuaded to embark on the expedition with a team, he denies to use any of the technology that could help the crew in their mission. He even destroys the telephone on board that is used to communicate should they need help. Quint is so confident and so filled with hubris that he cannot see the possibility of failing, and needing help from an outside source. Quint’s unrelenting hubris eventually leads him to his death. Quint is grotesquely ripped in half by the voracious shark’s …show more content…
He had recently been going through a dry spell where he had caught no fish, but one afternoon he hooked the greatest fish he had ever encountered. Santiago was determined to catch this majestic creature, and he would stop at nothing until he fulfilled his desire. Santiago embodied an untainted, borderline divine, form of ambition. Santiago never once slighted or scorned the marlin. He rather commended the fish on its unquestionable beauty and strength. Santiago ends up catching the monumental marlin and ties it to the side of the boat. This placement of the fish symbolizes Santiago and the marlin as equals, they are both riding back to shore as victors in a glorious battle. However, the old fisherman could not celebrate his remarkable catch very long. Sharks began to surround the small skiff and devour the impressive marlin piece by piece. Santiago tries to defend his new friend by killing the sharks. He defeats three sharks before realizing he is outnumbered and under-weaponed. When Santiago finally drifts back to shore, the only account of his magical catch is the spine of the marlin that outstretches the entire skiff. Santiago was exhausted after the expedition and began to fall in a deep, peaceful slumber. Although Santiago did not technically bring home the marlin, he did manage to grasp the peace of mind and tranquility of life that Quint would never