Trace Out the Major Symbols in “The Old Man and the Sea.” 

Answer

 Trace out the significant symbols in “The Old Man and the Sea.” 

or Comment on the Major symbol in the novel  “The Old Man and the Sea.”

“The Old Man and the Sea” (1952) is a great novella by the Nobel Prize-winning (1954) American author Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961). The novella is rich in meaning. Virtually every element operates on two levels, revealing a deeper symbolic meaning beneath its literal function. The novella is an allegory, elevating the story of Santiago’s epic struggle with the marlin to humankind’s universal struggle for survival.

Here are some major symbols in “The Old Man and the Sea.”

Marlin: The marlin is the giant, 18-foot fish that battles with Santiago in the middle of the ocean for three days and three nights. The marlin symbolizes the majesty of nature. The marlin is a formidable opponent. Pulling Santiago’s skiff for several days proves its sheer size, strength, and tenacity. Santiago admires the marlin’s beauty and endurance. Though he loves it, he must kill it. Struggling against such an opponent brings out the best in an individual—courage, endurance, and love.

At the same time, because Santiago comes to see the marlin as an alter-ego—he identifies the marlin as male and imagines the fish is old—the marlin comes to represent Santiago himself as well. The old man says,

Now we are joined together and have been since noon. And no one to help either of us.

Santiago’s struggle with the marlin is, in fact, a struggle with himself. It is not a struggle of strength but rather of endurance and a refusal to accept defeat.

The Sharks: The sharks are Santiago’s fiercest antagonists. Although Santiago manages to kill most of them, they tear apart the marlin’s body. The sharks symbolize the brute force of destruction.  Santiago fights off the shark till the very end and manages to bring the skeleton of the giant marlin to the shore, symbolizing his undefeatable spirit. Hemingway relates,

A man can be destroyed but not defeated

The sharks also symbolize all the critics Hemingway faced in real life.

Lions: Both in his bed in the village and in his boat, Santiago dreams of lions on the beaches of Africa, which he saw when he was a boy on a ship that sailed and fished the coast of Africa. The lions symbolize Santiago’s lost youth as well as his pride.

He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach.

The lions also symbolize Santiago’s affinity with nature. Now that Santiago is no longer young and has lost his friends, family, and strength, he sees the lions only in his dreams.

Manolin: Manolin, the young boy who loves, admires, and cares for the old man, symbolizes hope and the future. He is Santiago’s only friend and companion; his help literally sustains the old man. Manolin is there every night to help pack up Santiago’s gear and provide food to make sure the old man won’t starve. Furthermore, he is the old man’s apprentice. Although at the beginning of the story, he fishes on another boat, Manolin has learned everything he knows from Santiago. Manolin symbolizes the future generation who makes sure Santiago’s legacy lives on.

Joe DiMaggio: Baseball champion Joe DiMaggio, the legendary New York Yankees outfielder whose 56-game hitting streak that ended in 1941 still remains the world record. DiMaggio achieved this feat despite painful injuries. DiMaggio is a role model for Santiago, from whom he draws inspiration to endure. Santiago says,

But I must have the confidence and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel.

Mast: The mast of the old man’s skiff is an allusion to the Christian cross, which in turn symbolizes pain and suffering for the greater good. At the novel’s end, Santiago’s honor wins out. Santiago carries the mast to the shack similar to the way Jesus carried the cross, symbolizing that Santiago has accepted his fate as Jesus accepted his.

In conclusion, the novella is rich in symbols. Hemingway brings out human endurance, honor, pride, and beauty with his expert use of symbols.