Human Nature- The Old Man and the Sea

The author's writing in 'The Old Man and the Sea', shows that he has a great understanding of human nature. In 'The Old Man and the Sea' , the old man will do whatever it takes to get his big catch. He risks his own health in order to reach his goal. He could have just kept the dolphin that he caught or some of the other fish and sold them for meat, and then he could have gone back home and been safe, but he risked his health and safety because he was so determined to catch that fish. He knows that the fish is much stronger than him, and the odds are against him catching the fish, but he continues to try and comes very close to death in the fight. The way that the old man acts in this book shows that the author believes that when a person is determined to get something, they will do whatever it takes to do so. The old man suffers for days in the hot sun with injuries in order to kill the fish. He thinks of the people who doubted him and called him unlucky because he went so long without catching anything. This shows that the author believes that people will go to great lengths to protect their reputation or pride. The old man worried that no one would believe him that he caught such a great fish unless he had the proof of the body when he returned. This is why he was so determined to kill the fish. He wanted to redeem himself and his reputation by coming home with his eighteen foot long marlin. The old man wanted to impress everyone and show them that they were all wrong about him being unlucky. In the book, the young boy was faithful to the old man. He looked up to the old man and wanted to continue fishing with him even though everyone was calling him unlucky. He helped out the old man every morning by helping him get his ship ready every day. The author uses the boy to show that people will stay faithful to others that they look up to.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.