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The heroic man will regard the struggle not as a burden, but as a challenge that prove his courage. And he should fight it on to the end even in the price of his life. I think the fight with the marlin is in fact the fight between the writer and the troubles in the society at that time. 4. The Shark —A Powerful Deputy of the Evil Force The shark stands for the evil side of the natural world. It symbolizes the destructive force of the society and the world. When Santiago is fighting with the marlin, the sea is calm, beautiful, which is harmonious with the nature. But the sharks smell the taste of blood, they come up one by one and destroy the harmony. Furthermore, they devour the old man’s trophy-great marlin, like the predators. Santiago hates them very much because they are sly thieves and the deadly creatures of the deep. What is more, they want to destroy his achievement—marline. In contrast to his regret over killing the giant marlin, the old man delights in stabbing or clubbing each shark. And the destructive force—the sharks also motivate the old man to struggle and transcend the destruction. When the first shark arrives, Santiago’s resolution is mentioned twice in a paragraph. First we are told that the old man is full of resolution but he has little hope. Then later, the narrator says: He hits without hope but with resolution. From these, we can see Santiago’s change, he at first does not fight for he thinks the enemy is too strong and impossible to be defeated. But then he decides to fight for his treasure. He determines to struggle against it to the end and ignores the result. Although he returns to Havana without the trophy of his long battle, he has acquitted himself proudly and manfully. The old man undergoes a remarkable transformation and renews his life through his struggle. It is easy to see that the destructive force can defeat the one who has been conquered by fate, but motivate a true man to struggle. In the dilemma to fight or leave, it is the shark, the dark force makes Santiago fight against his fate. With regard to the symbolical meaning of the shark, there are many explanations, such as the time, the jaws of death, etc. However, Hemingway has once said clearly and definitely. “The obnoxious shark is just like income tax. I work hard, come across good luck. I obtain a considerable sum of cheque, and then the income tax comes along like a shark, using their sharp teeth to bite”. Obviously, the “shark” here is a powerful deputy of the evil force in his world. The big fish that the old man has seen seems to be “nobler, more powerful”, we can also find the shark is “afraid of nothing”. In fact, writing the shark is to write the man. For the old man knows “What is a man can afford to do” “This one always wants to kill that one”, it is the symbol of “the weak being at the mercy of the strong” in the capitalism society. When the old man wants to fish a big fish, he really catches a unprecedented big fish, his praise for the big fish, the big size of the body, the grace of the posture, the hugeness of the power, the beauty of the color can make us reminds of it. Those sharks can be seen as symbols of the evil force that obstruct people to achieve the perfect condition. Why does the old man go to praise another shark which is called “Qingsha”? Because Hemingway wants to make use of the old man’s mouth to say the different attitude to several hostile powers. Hemingway has once said: “I would rather have an honest