In Ernest Hemingway's masterpiece, The Old Man and the Sea, much symbolism is used to help the readers understand the message he is trying to relay. The Old Man and the Sea isnt just about an old man fishing on the sea. There are many messages hidden inside the book that are often overlooked. Some elements are overlooked simply because they do not necessarily seem important. For example, the marlin represents many things including glory, strength, and beauty. The sharks represent death, and defeat. Even the old man, Santiago has a hidden meaning that may have been overlooked. He symbolizes Christ in many ways and aspects of life.
The marlin represented many different things. For example, he symbolized strength glory and durability by giving Santiago such a struggle. Santiago felt fortunate to have such a worthy opponent. His struggle led to him becoming a legend among the other fishermen. This struggle would be Santiago's last challenge. However, Santiago ended up tricking the marlin, which led him to see the marlin as very noble. Santiago thought of him as his equal, a sort of friend. This fish is my friend too (75). Even though the marlin was indeed his friend as well as his equal, the old man knew he still needed to capture and kill the fish to regain his acceptance from the other fisherman. This was very hard for the old man to do.
The sharks come about to represent defeat and death. The sharks tried to defeat Santiagos success by eating the poor marlin. Now they have beaten me, he thought. I am too old to club sharks to death. But I will try it as long as I have the oars and the short club and the tiller. Even though the old man admits his defeat, he is still set on not giving up. The sharks could also represent those who would tear apart anyone's successes. These repulsive, scavengers find delight in bringing torment, defeat or tragedy, to others. Similar to how some people react to other's successes.
The author chose to not only use animals as symbols, but also chose to use the main character as a symbol. Santiago had cramps in his hands from struggling with the fishing line all night while the boat as well as he was being pulled by the strong marlin. Hemingway also told the readers that the sounds Santiago made while struggling with the fish were similar to the reaction "someone would have while having a nail passed through their hand and into wood." This was the same experience Christ went through while being crucified. Hemingway included this reference to Christ deliberately so the reader would be able to compare and comprehend the similarity between the two situations. Following his voyage Santiago was limp and weak. While bringing in the mast from his boat he faltered several times under the weight resting on his shoulders. This was meant to symbolize Christ's walk carrying his heavy cross to the hill where he was crucified. Also, Santiago returned back to his shack where he fell asleep on his bed with his arms outstretched. This resembles the way Jesus was laid on the cross.
The importance of Hemingway's story was more than just animals, boats and fishermen. Christ used stories to help most people understand the concept of what he was trying to say. The old man and the sea had many hidden messages just waiting for the reader to find and hopefully understand. However, Hemingway later proclaimed that he did not intentionally put hidden messages inside his book. He stated that it was just a simple book with little meaning about a man, his boat, and a fish. However, many readers have discovered the hidden meanings and do indeed understand them. Hemingway, whether intentional or not left behind a great a powerful story that will be forever admired.
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