To: Jay Rubin

From: Your Name: 1A (Online)

Date: 7 May 2018
Re: Final Essay

Ernest Hemingway is a great writer who has won a lot of praise for his work. One of his best
works is The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway wrote the novel to reflect his love for sports
fishing as well as the tropical island of Cuba. The book was written in 1952 and it served as
the last fiction work that Hemingway did in his life. The story was surely a mark in
Hemingway’s career as it led him to win a Pulitzer Prize a year after it was released.
Additionally, the book was also the main contributor to Hemingway wining the Nobel Prize.
Therefore, it is clear that the story is a clear mark of Hemingway’s writing prowess.
The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago who is an old fisherman that has gone
for 84 days without catching any fish. The old man sets out optimistic on the 85th day that he
would get lucky. In the sea, he manages to hook the biggest marlin that anyone has ever seen.
The fish proves to be too strong and drags the man for three days. After it grows tired,
Santiago reels it in and ties it to the side of his boat. However, the marlin attracts sharks and
Santiago wrestles with them in vain until all that is left is the marlin’s carcass. Critics
consider the book as one of Hemingway's best works. The critics also find that there is a
religious aspect to the story, and so do I.
Critic Carlos Baker states that the reading is profound due to its religious undertone. Baker
states that the story’s profound power lies “between its parabolical and its Christian
meaning” (¶ 8). Baker praises the religious images and symbols that are depicted in the story
and praises them for making the story great. He references Santiago’s journey from his boat
to his bed. Hemingway writes that Santiago fell “with the mast across his shoulder” (120).
This brings the image of Jesus Christ in mind during the journey to his crucifixion. Thus,
Santiago’s mast acts as his cross.
I agree with the author’s observation about the religious symbolism. Markedly, Santiago’s
can be likened to some of Jesus’s disciples who were fishermen and had no luck in catching
fish. Hemingway writes of Santiago that “he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a
fish” (1). This is the same as these disciples. However, when Jesus got into their boat, the
caught the biggest harvest of their lives. This also happens to Santiago as he has never caught
such a big marlin before in his life. This shows that there is some reference to Christianity.
A critic from Time magazine suspects that there is reverence for the creator in the story. The
critic writes that there is “perhaps a new underlying reverence for the Creator of such
wonders” (¶ 6). The critic might be referring to the might of the merlin as well as the sharks
that terrorize the old man. When the old man catches the marlin, Hemingway states that “I
have never seen or heard of such a fish” (74). This might be interpreted as Santiago
experiencing the wonders of God. He also wrestles with big sharks all through the night on
his return to shore.
I agree with the critic and also think that there is reverence to the creator. Notably, Santiago
appears to be a religious man. He states that “I have all those prayers I promised if I caught
the fish” (Hemingway 115). This shows that the old man was religious since he offers to pray
to God. Further, it is clear that he had asked God to help him get a good catch and this is why
he now considers saying his promised prayers since he has caught fish after eighty four days.
This shows that Santiago had reverence for God. This aspect of the story helps to give it
profound meaning and makes it appealing to the audience.
Robert Davis thinks that the character of Santiago is heavily influenced by Hemingway. He
sees Santiago’s articulateness as well as the instances where he talks to himself as being a
reflection of Hemingway’s own thoughts and not those of Santiago. He notes that “the
references to sin” are synonymous to another of Hemingway's writings (¶ 15). In the story,
Hemingway writes about sin stating that “I have no understanding of it” (104). These are
some of the thoughts present in Santiago’s mind that Davis considers to be a reflection of the
thoughts of Hemingway.
I agree with Davis that Hemingway might have included his thoughts through Santiago’s
soliloquy. The thoughts about sin can be considered to be Santiago’s since they are in
agreement with his nature. Santiago states “I am not religious” before he proceeds to say the
Hail Mary and Our Father prayers (Hemingway 64). He also states that he does not
understand the concept of sin and seems to be confused about whether killing the fish was a
sin. Therefore, it might be interpreted that the old man did not want to think about sin since
he was not religious and thus the concept confused him.
Hemingway includes a religious aspect to the story that makes it profound. This is one of the
aspects that give the story its originality. It reflects the country of Cuba’s religious following.
Therefore, the story might inspire more people in the future to consider asking God for
favors when they are facing tough times. This might provoke even the nonreligious people to
decide and test God by asking for something in return for reverence.
 Bibliography
Baker, Carlos. "The Marvel Who Must Die." Saturday Review 35 (1952): 10-11.
“Books: Clean &Straight.” Time, 1952. 140.
Davis, Robert Gorham. "Hemingway’s Tragic Fisherman." New York Times Book Review 7
(1952).
Hemingway, Ernest. "The Old Man and the Sea. 1952." New York: Scribner, 1995.