Gulistan state university department of the english language and literature

CONCLUSION
Old Man and the Sea Essay It is believable that Santiago is dead at the end of The Old Man and the Sea. This conclusion can be deduced from the various hints Hemingway used throughout the novel. The foreshadowing of Santiago’s death, his comparison to Christ, and his bad luck helps one decipher that the death of the old man took place at the end of the book. First, something that leads the reader to believe that Santiago is dead at the end of the book is foreshadowing. One event that foreshadowed Santiago’s death was the death of the marlin. The fish and the old man displayed similar qualities of strength, bravery and determination. For instance, the old man surpassed his natural limits by staying far out at sea, while the fish…show more content…
When describing the man he said “the old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck ”. This depicts how old Santiago really was and how close he was to the end of his life. Hemingway also described the flag on his sail as “looking like the flag of permanent defeat ”. This quote foreshadows Santiago’s eventual death which was caused by going out at sea past his ordinary limits. Another component that stood out in the novel to make Santiago’s death appear evident was his image as a Christ figure. There were multiple times in the book that Hemingway compared Santiago to Christ. For example, when Santiago returns to shore, “he shouldered the mast and started to climb ”. This is similar to when Christ carried the cross bar on his shoulders up to Calvery. Santiago fell three times on his way back to his hut, as did Christ. Hemingway’s comparison of Santiago to Christ implies that Santiago will die just like Christ did.
In addition, Santiago’s death may have been due to the fact that he was a very unlucky man. At the very beginning of the book Santiago is described by his fellow fishermen as a “salao, which is the worst form of unlucky”. Meanwhile, by the conclusion of the book his unluckiness is vastly exposed. The marlin is attacked by sharks, and then attacked again to the point of obliteration. Santiago also loses his knife to the sharks and falls three times on the way…