Old Man and the Sea Response

        My favorite part of this book is when he travels back to the town with the fish on the side of the boat. I think it's the most important event because he starts to regret killing the fish as the sharks keep attacking. He tries extremely hard to save the fishes body, but despite his best efforts, the sharks still end up eating the whole body of the fish. It is very exciting when the sharks begin to attack because the old man needs to make improvised weapons to repel the sharks, including a knife on an oar, the tiller of the boat, and the fish bat. It is an important scene, because the man realizes that he made a mistake in killing the fish since it became worthless as the sharks devoured the remaining parts of the fish. In other words it makes the fish a false hope for the man, considering he was chasing it for so long and he just wanted to capture it, but when he does it goes away.

         I think the main theme of the book is the American Dream/possessions. The man chases the fish because when he catches it he wants to become a successful fisher therefore completing the American dream. Starting at the end of the chase and throughout the way back, he realizes the fish was a living thing and he says it was his brother, which shows him understand that living things are always greater than material possessions. This is why he has great regret in killing the fish after he does. When he finally returns to the town, instead of using the fish skeleton to gain money, he instead stays in his home and just hangs out with the boy. So again, he realizes he enjoys being with living things rather then gaining material possessions.