The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea has many themes and conflicts throughout, but one of the things that stood out to me was Santiago's relationship with the sea and sea life. The old man personifies the ocean with the ways he talks to and about it. Santiago refers to the ocean as a woman when he says that "she is kind and very beautiful". He thinks of the sea as "la mar", as that is how the Spanish who love it refer to it as. Calling the sea "la mar" leads the reader to picture the sea as a feminine, strong spirit. Throughout Santiago's journey on the ocean, he is constantly talking to the ocean in a way someone would speak to a respected friend. Santiago recognizes the ocean's power and influence in his life. Sailing his skiff through the sea is not something he takes lightly, and he sees that the ocean has a mind of its own.

The old man truly appreciates the sea and its inhabitants both as his family and as powerful forces of nature. Through his journey he allows himself to become one with the sea and accepts its good and bad attributes. Santiago truly loves the ocean and sees it as a part of his soul. While he has a loving relationship with his apprentice Manolin, his relationship with the sea is what caught my attention. When Santiago is all alone on his boat, he has nothing but the sea and the animals to keep him company, and so his connections with both become much deeper.

Santiago becomes extremely attached to the marlin over the many days at sea. At times he feels deep sorrow for killing him, and wonders if he really should be a fisherman. Santiago refers to all of the fish in the sea as his brothers. He also ponders whether anyone is truly worthy of eating this fish that he now refers to as his friend. The whole journey back the old man is talking to the marlin, at one point telling him that he will fight away the sharks so that this whole ordeal was not "for nothing".

The relationship Hemingway creates between man and water is similar to other things we have read this semester. The protagonists in The River Why and A River Runs Through It both saw the river in the same way that Santiago views the sea. This loving and respecting relationship with water is a common theme found in our readings and learning.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, perhaps because I felt that there was not as much hidden "underwater" as there was in some of Hemingway's other stories. The novella was slow and at first read not very exciting, but after diving deeper into it both on my own and in our class discussion I found myself more appreciative of its unique style.