Which way to go? draft

Every decision we make affects us in some way whether it’s in the heat of the moment of for the rest of our lives. Sometimes we need to fend for ourselves rather then look out for others. The decisions we make are unpredictable of how it helps us in the future. Somewhere down the road in life, the decisions we make can make us or break us. In the Old Man in the Sea, Santiago makes a decision to have others live their lives and dreams rather then him being able to live out his own.

Santiago decides not to let the young boy come with him on his fishing trip even though the boy insists because he looks up and respects Santiago, only wanting to help him out. Santiago is a very unselfish man and just wants what is best for the young boy and thinks he should go with another boat, even if later on he wishes he had the boys help. “Santiago, the boy said to him as they climbed the bank where the skiff was hauled up. I could go with you again (10). The thoughtful choice Santiago made for the young boy not to go made him not be able to live a dream. He knows he did make the right decision though and by catching this fish by himself would make him feel powerful and strong, the feeling of being able to conquer anything. He knew he needed to stay optimistic and confident of himself.

If only Santiago had help from the young boy he wouldn’t have been in the frustrating situations he got himself into. If only he had some help, his problems could have been much easier and he may not have struggled so much. The great difficulty of catching the marlin made Santiago tired, lonely, and in very much pain. Being out on the boat for days with no one around him must have been forlorn. There was no one to talk to and no one by him side to be able to assist him with his problems. Santiago was used to being alone but he was willing to do anything to catch this fish. After working so hard for days he couldn’t have just given up, he was too devoted and instead he fought through it. It meant being a hero, and being looked upon by his peers if he caught this fish. He was once a champion, but not any longer. “For a long time after that everyone had called him The Champion...” (70). If only he could live it out one more time he knew it would be the greatest feeling in the world.

Santiago had gone through much pain trying to catch the fish that would make him the hero. His hands had cramped and his neck was torn down from holding the rope on it so long. If only he had someone by his side, they could take over letting Santiago take a rest. “’If the boy were here he could rub my hands for me and loosen it from the forearm, he thought,’” (62). No matter what kind of pain he was in he was devoted to his work. Although he would have liked the boys help and resented his decision, he knew he made the right choice by having the boy live out his life. Santiago had not caught many fish and only wanted the boy to be successful considering how much he had been there for him and how sincere he had been. It meant so much to Santiago that the boy always wanted to help him out and that someone cared for him, but he knew he had to give at least something back to the boy and not have the boy be stuck with him on a boat that hadn’t caught a fish in 87 days.

In the end, Santiago had been beat. He had caught the fish of his dreams and although the objective was to bring it all back, only a piece of the disjointed fish was left to show to his people. Being once so anxious to show his catching, he did not have the same feeling any longer. He worked so hard and made a decision to stay with the fish no matter what, and have no help. This may have been a frantic, stressful fight, but it made him feel confident knowing how close he came. Every decision we made may affect us in the long run, so we need to choose sometimes if we need to help our self or others.