The Old Man and The Sea
Through time, as distant as the early periods when Homo habilis first roamed the earth, man has incessantly entered into conflict with nature. As the primitive man has evolved, he has become over-dependant on nature to the point where he takes advantage of its abundance of gifts. Despite the fact that man has a tendency to desecrate nature, there are those who recognize and praise its power and make an effort to become one with it. Though it may sound refreshing to know that man can appreciate nature, being truly considerate of nature is virtually impossible. A person who has read Ernest Hemingway's final novel, The Old Man and the Sea, and has interpreted the protagonist as a lover of all creatures is manipulated by Hemingway's usage of biblical allusions to suggest a concealed Christ figure in the old man, Santiago. Hemingway's novel uses the timeless theme of man versus nature to tell a story, with the support of allusions to Christ, of an old man who, after losing his only reason for living, strives to prove himself a superior individual and discover the meaning of life through nature. The name Santiago is a biblical reference that translated into English means Saint James. Those who are direly active with the Christ
Santiago wears the mast of his skiff on his shoulders to give the image of a man carrying a huge cross on his back. Similar, Jesus Christ struggled to carry the cross on his back up the hill Cavalry. "He unstepped the mast...then he shouldered the mast...He started to climb again and at the top he fell and lay for some time with the mast across his shoulder." This passage describes the pitiable picture of an emaciated Jesus hauling a cross that is possibly twice his size. When Santiago finally reaches his shack, he places the mast against the wall and flings himself on his bed with his hands up-an action similarly done by Christ in the bible. "Then he lay down on the bed...he slept face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up." Though Santiago is suggested as a Christ, he lacks many of Jesus' qualities-one being his supposed love for animals. ian religion and have read "The Old Man and the Sea" perceive the old man as an indirect reference to Saint Francis of Assisi. In the bible, Saint Francis was born to a wealthy merchant and when he grew older, he distributed his riches among the poor. Saint Francis of Assisi was best known for his love of birds and was believed to have the ability to communicate with them. While at sea, Santiago speaks to all the birds that pass because of his loneliness caused by the absence of his fishing partner, Manolin. One fish in particular, a warbler, flew by Santiago and perched on the stern of his boat. Santiago then tells the fish that he looks very tired and should take a rest. "Take a good rest, small bird," he said. "Then go in and take your chance like any man or bird or fish." This conversation with the bird conjures up the admonition given by Jesus to his followers. Jesus said that if his followers fought and gave it his or her all, they would be rewarded in the end. This is a lesson that Santiago learns by novel's end. After trying his hardest to defend his hundred-pound prize, the sharks still manage to eat every ounce of flesh on the fish's bones; however, the bones of the gigantic creature remained and were the proof that he caught this enormous fish. The people of his village rewarded Santiago with fame and admiration. The final reference to the stigmata occurs while Santiago is asleep in his skiff. "He woke with the jerk of his right fist...finally his left hand found the line... and now it burned his back and his left hand, and his left hand was taking all the strain and cutting badly." First, the stigmata from the crown of thorns produced the tear of blood that rested on Santiago's cheek. Second, the marlin lurched powerfully and cut his right hand. Finally, the marlin lurched a third time, cutting his left hand a
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Approximate Word count = 1853
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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