Sharks episode The crux of novel i.e., "But man is not made for defeat"

1. The Old Man and
The Sea
Ernest Hemingway
Instructor: Bibi Halima
Bibi.halima@uow.edu.pk

2. Highlights
• Episode of Sharks’ attack on Marlin
• Symbolic significance of sharks episode
• “But man is not made for defeat” significance
• Threats to self-esteem

3. Episode of Sharks’ Attack on Marlin
Hemingway tells his readers that after old man becomes successful at
killing and tiding the marling along the skiff, he is badly attacked by
sharks who are attracted by scent of blood and now air hungry to eat
the marlin. Moreover, he writes about two different types of sharks i.e.,
Galanos and Dentusos, who attack his skiff.

4. Santiago calls the first shark to hit the marlin a dentuso,
which means “teeth” in Spanish and refers to a mako shark.
The teeth within the mako’s replaceable rows are less like the
more triangular teeth of other sharks. Hemingway writes that
those of the mako are “nearly as long as the fingers of the old
man and they had razor-sharp cutting edges on both sides.”
Makos hunt marlin and tuna, the fastest fish in the ocean.
They have evolved a similar body shape and coloration.
“Everything about him was beautiful except his jaws,”
Hemingway writes of the mako. The shark bites off a huge
chunk of the prize marlin, but Santiago manages to kill it with
a harpoon.

5. But as the old man continues on toward Havana, another
species of shark appears.
“Ay, galanos,” he says.
As Santiago describes, they have shovel-shaped heads, brown
skin, white tipped pectoral fins, and tails with especially larger
upper lobes. The deep-water location, behavior, and
appearance of this particular galano as depicted in the story
fits best for the oceanic whitetip shark. Santiago respects
almost all the creatures of the ocean, but he hates these
galanos—and not just for eating his catch. The dentuso
approaches the marlin alone and directly with great speed; the
galanos swim underneath and attack the catch as a gang from
the bottom. The old man sees the galanos as evil and cowardly.
“They were hateful sharks, bad smelling, scavengers as well as
killers, and when they were hungry they would bite an oar or
the rudder of a boat.”

8. Fiercest Antagonists to Santiago
Sharks are presented as deadliest enemies in the novel, specially Galanos who are
most unwanted, coward, evil and hateful who stole Santiago's hard work (fish) by
trying to end his hopes and dreams.
Challenges and Battles
On this deadly expedition of old man, sharks represent challenges and battles nature
offers to man in order to become stronger and undefeated. They are entered to test
one’s strength as old man tries to kill each and every shark by hitting on the brain.
Disguised sharks also represent the reality of life that old man experienced and
inhaled every inch.
Unworthy Worries and Depression (people)
The mutilation sharks bring to Marlin and Old man alike also resembles to ravages of
worries and depression given by inhabitants of world. The sharks symbolize people
today, in that people are always looking for something. Since the Marlin is tied up the
sharks have easy picking on the marlin and will keep eating and eating until the marlin
is bare bones. People today keep taking and taking until there is nothing left.

10. “Man is not made for defeat, he can
be destroyed by not defeated”
Radical Courage of Man
In the Old Man and the Sea by Ernst Hemingway, Santiago says, “A man
can be destroyed but not defeated”. It simply throws light on the strong
determination of a person that never let him to give up any thing in life
irrespective of the count of failures he commit during achievement of his
target. Hemingway had beautifully epitomized these two words Destroyed
and Defeated in this statement which optimizes radical courage of a man.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far
one can go”
T. S. Eliot
“It requires more courage to suffer than to die”
Napoleon Bonaparte

11. Hemingway exemplified the fighting spirit of a man and firm determination
which only leads to success. Destruction is a temporary state of body,
while defeat is a permanent state of mind and it is clear that Mind is one’s
boss who is difficult to conquer
Destruction is a temporary state of body, while
defeat is a permanent state of Mind
The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven
of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
John Milton
The mind is everything, what you think you become
Buddha

12. A man can be destroyed, a man can be killed , a man can be ruined , a
man can be wrecked or shattered, it’s quite possible at times, a man can
become physically weak or disabled in its certain abilities to perform
tasks BUT the important thing is that even though if this physical
destruction exists, that man cannot be defeated and by defeat it
signifies lose of hope to win. The mental status of a man of not letting
its inner pride falling down, a never giving up attitude and zeal of
making goal even in the toughest of hard time field.
Inner Pride and grace
Santiago is Hemingway’s code hero:
 Who remains Stoic throughout the battle with self
Who is courageous yet humble
Who is fearless yet maintains his grace
Who is confident and acknowledges his skills
Who faces destruction yet keeps his hopes alive

14. Threats to Self-esteem
• Self-shame/guilt:
“do you think about sin?”, “I killed them in self-defense”
• Indecisiveness:
“Keep your head clear, old man”
• Hopelessness:
“It is silly not to hope”
• Self-pity:
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have, think
of what you can do with what there is”

15. Quiz
• Why does old man remind himself of defeat and
destruction when he says, “But man is not made for
defeat”?
• What words do old man use for sharks?
• How did Santiago fight with sharks?