Success In Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man And The Sea

“The Old Man and the Sea” Final Paper Ernest Hemingway wrote the story “The Old Man and the Sea” in a way that does not make manifest the point of whether or not the protagonist, Santiago, is successful after returning home from the sea. When seeing the sole person he cares about, Manolin, he feels relieved after having been gone for so long. At the same time the villagers realize that the feat Santiago had achieved was unrivaled by any of the other villagers’ accomplishments. The fact that he was even able to hook such a massive fish itself was an amazing feat. However, after returning with nothing but the bone and head of the fish, it would indeed be confusing to decide as to whether or not Santiago’s catch could be considered a success. The Old Man is indeed, however, successful. Success has many different definitions, however, as defined in dictionaries that provide, not moral, but literal definitions, success is defined as accomplishing an aim or purpose. Because their are so many different definitions of success that have been developed over time, and that are still being developed, …show more content…
At the end of the book, the boy himself says that he has a lot to learn, and that he wants to go fishing with the Old Man once again, which suggests that the two will later on go fishing together, which meets the circumstance that was to be met. In the book, it is also stated that the young boy, Manolin, when being told that the fish the Old Man caught was eighteen feet, the boy said, “I believe it”. The Old Man stated in the book that he loves the boy, and no matter what, in the end, everyone has a goal of wanting the one they love to trust and believe in them. By saying so, the boy shows that he trusts in Santiago, which shows that the Old Man had also achieved another form of success as