The Old Man and the Sea: Climax

I remember my exact reaction to the climax of The Old Man and the Sea. I was furious at the sharks for taking Santiago’s hard earned marlin. I know that they are sharks, and it’s only in their nature to attack easy prey, but I was still angry. I did not understand why Santiago did not just haul the sharks along with him back to shore. I think that if he had brought a few sharks to shore then maybe the dead sharks would make it back to shore in one piece. If they did make it to shore, the old man could have made plenty more money selling a couple sharks rather than one completely demolished marlin. I do not know why he did not, perhaps he did not have enough line or he did not think of it at the time. I suppose the restaurants may not want to purchase shark meat, either. I felt extreme sympathy for Santiago when he lost his marlin. He had worked so hard for so long to capture the beast, only to have it eaten from head to tail by sharks. I felt pity for him, too because he had to watch the sharks eat his hard earned marlin. I would be in tears from frustration if I had to watch something I had worked so long for just being torn from me, and I could not do anything about it. I think Santiago did his best to beat off the sharks, though. I do not know how many he killed, but it was a large amount. I also think he was very resourceful with his weapons, although if I were him I probably would have planned for sharks a little better. I would have brought something better than a small knife. I liked the way he tied his knife to an oar to stab away the sharks. I was hoping that Santiago’s marlin would make it back to shore okay, but it did not turn out that way, sadly.