Santiago’s struggle in the sea with the sharks in The Old Man and the Sea

Santiago’s struggle in the sea with the sharks

            Santiago catches the marlin and kills it on the third day of his trip. The fish cannot be taken into the skiff as it is larger than the skiff. So he ties it to the skiff.

            The only weapon Santiago has with him is a harpoon but he is not frightened. A shark bites the marlin and Santiago pierces its head with his harpoon. The shark dies and goes down slowly with the harpoon stuck up in its body.

            Santiago becomes sad. He has lost not only his harpoon but also forty pounds of flesh from the marlin’s body. The problem is not over. The bleeding marlin attracts many more sharks. Santiago is deeply pained at the sight of the sharks and cries ‘Ay’. But he prepared himself to face the sharks.

            One of the sharks hides under the skiff and tries to bite the marlin from beneath it. The skiff is shaken up by it. Santiago drives the knife attached to the oar into the shark’s brain and the shark slide down dead. Anther shark tries to bite the marlin where it has already been bitten. Santiago plunges the knife into the shark’s yellow cat-like eyes. Though stabbed in the left eye, it hangs on to the marlin. Santiago thrusts the knife first into the shark’s brain and then into its jaws. The shark slides loose at last and sinks dead. The sharks had bitten off a quarter of the marlin’s flesh.

            Santiago feels sorry for having killed the marlin. For, only sharks are benefited by it. Another shark comes with its mouth wide open. Santiago pushes the knife into its brain and the shark dies at once and rolls over. This breaks the knife blade. Even now Santiago does not lose heart. He says that he will continue to fight with his two oars, a tiller and a club.

            Santiago again sees a pair of sharks coming. He hits them hard with his club. They move away only after eating a sizable part of the marlin. The sun goes down. Santiago is determined to fight even if sharks come in the night. He regrets having come so far. Only the front part of the marlin remains.

            Santiago sees the lights of Havana around ten o’ clock at night. He becomes tired and his whole body aches. At night sharks come in a pack. A fierce battle takes place in the dark. Santiago beats a shark with his club. The shark seizes the club and moves away. Santiago arms himself with the tiller and beats a shark which swallows the marlin’s head. The tiller gets broken. Santiago thrusts the sharp edge of the tiller into the shark and kills it. The marlin is now completely ruined. Only its backbone and the bones of its head and tail are left.

            In the night many more sharks come and eat what little flesh the marlin has. Santiago bothers anymore as there is nothing to lose. He longs for rest. It is dark when he sails into the harbor. Getting down from the boat, he shoulders the mast and walks home.