In the novel The Old Man and the Sea, existentialism is shown throughout the .
Existentialism believes that you begin with .
nothing and you end with nothing. Throughout the book Santiago the man character .
shows honesty and respect towards the fish whom he is trying to kill, and the ocean .
where he fishes everyday. Santiago doesn't have the best of luck, but he doesn't cry he .
suffers with the utmost dignity for a man who went over eighty days with out catching a .
single fish.
Existentialism believes that honesty and respect is a key ingredient in the way .
men and women should live there lives. Santiago shows respect for the fish in various .
and sometimes hard to understand, but here he just tells it like it is, "Fish," he said, "I .
love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends," (54). .
This shows the love and respect he has towards the fish he is trying to kill, but Santiago .
also shows a lot of frustration in the sentence. This frustration has been built up over a .
very long time, and he is sick of not getting results. The words he uses in the sentence ar .
different from most of the sentences in this book. Santiago's respect for the fish will only .
go so far and it is present in this sentence, "I wish I could eat the fish, he thought. He is .
my brother. But must kill him and keep strong to do it. Slowly and conscientiously he .
ate all of the wedge-shaped strips of fish,"(59) Santiago's respect for the fish ends when .
he is without food he is trying to survive just like his "brother" but if one of them have to .
die Santiago isn't going to go down. In order to catch "the big fish" he must stay strong .
to do it like he says. Santiago is preparing himself for the fish that will not only bring .
him money, but bring him bring him respect to himself and the townspeople.
For a man who makes a living fishing, but hasn't caught a fish in over eighty days .
he might come to the conclusion that maybe fishing isn't the best thing for him.
