Perseverance. It's a word we hear a lot of in our lives. But do we ever stop to really think about what it is to persevere? Do we really consider some of the things people in this world are forced to push themselves through, or what we may encounter and need to persevere through in our lives? It takes a lot of strength and determination to persevere through some things. Some people can't handle really persevering through certain situations. These people fall short and are never able to gain the great reward perseverance can bring. On the other hand, there are people who have incredible strength and are able to push through and accel in intense situations. These people can later enjoy the fruits of their labor.
In the novella The Old Man and the Sea, the main character, Santiago, must persevere and overcome many circumstances that are working against him thorughout the story. Yet, throughout the story, he doesn't give up hope and manages to persevere.
The night before setting out on his skiff, Santiago learns that Manolin will not be able to come with him. Without another person on the boat, especially a younger more capable one, fishing will be much more difficult. But, Santiago does not give up. He doesn't abandon his fishing and throw in the towel, instead "He fitted the rope lashings of the oars onto the thole pins and, leaning forward against the thrust of the blades in the water, he began to row out of the harbour in the dark"(28). He didn't allow a bump in the road to bring him down. He was determined to fish and break his streak of unluckiness. He wasn't going to allow the loss of his partner to stop him from doing that.
"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish" (9). 84 days. That's 12 weeks, or 3 months. It is also how long Santiago had gone without catching a fish. For a fisherman, that is extremely disheartening. With no catch, the fisherman cannot make any money, making it hard to sustain their own life, nevermind the supplies they need to fish. This doesn't stop Santiago though.
Without a single catch in eighty-four days, Santiago presses on. Many people would quit and find something else to do that would make them money. Or simply that rewarded them, rather than wasting time and effort on something that was not providing a result. Santiago, unlike these people, has faith. "Today I'll work out where the schools of bonito and albacore are and maybe there will be a big one with them" (30). Throughout the story, he doesn't give up hope. He maintains the idea that if he perseveres, eventually things will turn in his favor and he will be successful. It takes someone with incredible mental strength to maintain this kind of thinking. It takes a kind of perseverance that Santiago has.
A skiff, a hurt hand, bad supplies, and a 1500 pound marlin. This was the situation Santiago had on his hands as he sat, alone, out at sea. He had been sitting, waiting for the fish for three days, which would be enough to make most people give up. But he didn't. He waited as the fish swam around him. Waiting to finally reel him in. "'If you're not tired, fish,' he said aloud, 'you must be very strange.'" (67). Santiago spoke these words as he waited for the fish to finally jump in the air. But he didn't. Yet Santiago did not give up. He waited and waited until the fish finally jumped. With his perseverance and determined attitude, he was finally able to catch the magnificent fish.
Throughout this novella, Santiago is faced with countless challenges, but perseverance is what gets him through. He has that mental strength, that drive to never give up, this, in the end, provides him with great rewards. We can learn from Santiago. When the going gets tough, never give up. We can always make it through. All we need is perseverance.
