What happens to the fish that Santiago kills?
AIt is cooked and eaten immediately.
BIt is devoured by sharks as he brings it in.
CIt is kept alive to be released later.
DIt is put in a storage tank for display.
Answer:
B. It is devoured by sharks as he brings it in.
Read Explanation:
The Fate of Santiago's Marlin in The Old Man and the Sea
- Santiago, the protagonist, hooks a giant Marlin, which is significantly larger than his skiff. He battles with it for three days and two nights.
- After an epic struggle, Santiago finally kills the Marlin and lashes it to the side of his small boat, as it is too large to bring aboard.
- On his journey back to shore, the scent of the Marlin's blood in the water attracts sharks.
- Initially, a Mako shark attacks, and Santiago manages to kill it with his harpoon, but he loses the harpoon in the process.
- Subsequent waves of sharks, including shovel-nosed sharks, attack the carcass of the Marlin. Santiago fights them off using a knife lashed to an oar, and then with clubs and the tiller.
- Despite Santiago's valiant efforts and his determination to protect his prize, the sharks progressively devour the Marlin, leaving only its skeleton – its enormous backbone, head, and tail – by the time he reaches the harbor.
- This event underscores the novel's themes of man's struggle against nature, the concept of 'grace under pressure', and the idea that true victory lies in the effort and the spirit, not necessarily in the tangible outcome.
Key Facts for Competitive Exams:
- The Old Man and the Sea is a novella written by Ernest Hemingway.
- It was published in 1952.
- The novella was an immediate success and played a significant role in Hemingway being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953.
- It is widely considered to have contributed to Hemingway receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
- The story is often interpreted as an allegory for Christian themes, or for the struggle of an artist against a challenging world.
- Santiago is portrayed as a quintessential Hemingway hero, demonstrating perseverance, courage, and dignity in the face of insurmountable odds.
- The fish is often symbolic of Santiago's ambition, life's challenges, or even a spiritual quest.