The Old Man And The Sea
(Ernest Hemingway)
The Old Man and the Sea
Written by Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea probes basic questions of life and death, and explores humankind's relationship with nature. Free of the sentimentality that often characterizes stories dealing with nature and animals, the story still carries emotional impact. Above all, it is an action story, with the great noble marlin, the malignant savage sharks, and the wise, skillful, and patient old man holding center stage.
The characters consist of Santiago, the old fisherman, and Manolin, the boy who has fished with him for years. The boy Manolin is very much attached to the old fisherman and wishes to fish with him even though he is hit with bad luck. There is a vivid description of the master master-apprentice relationship between Santiago and Manolin.
Santiago teaches the boy how to fish with skill and precision and besides this he also teaches him to live in a dignified manner in the society. He also has a great love for the sea and its treasures. The old man finds it difficult to express the paradoxical love he feels for the fish: "I do not understand these things," he thinks, "but it is good that we do not have to try to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers." Santiago's consciousness is focused in this quest story. Very much in the way that a traditional soliloquy or an interior monologue serves to reveal character, this novella functions as one long exploration of the old man's character. Also Santiago is shown as a Christ-figure. At the end of the book, Santiago struggles up the hill with the mast on his shoulder, a symbolic echo of Christ carrying the cross. Many "religious" images contribute to this symbolic pattern, while other patterns of symbolism center on baseball and dreams of youth.
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