The Old Man and the Sea

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Hemingway’s unique style of writing is exemplified through short, concise sentences and
a factual approach to the events he portrays. Within the novella, a reader will come
across complex themes of strength and perseverance, as well as symbols of perfection
and age which are all addressed directly.

The Old Man and the Sea Themes

Hardship and Perseverance

Of the variety of themes to be found in The Old Man and the Sea hardship and the
perseverance needed to surmount those hardships is one of the most prominent. The
majority of the novel, whether Santiago is onshore or at sea, is punctuated by struggle.
It’s clear through context clues, as well as Manolin’s desire to care for the old man, that
Santiago is very poor. He suffers without complaint in his poverty. It’s seen through his
small shack, the bed he sleeps on, his lack of food, and in the eyes of the other
fishermen.

Once he gets to sea his suffering only increases. He bears the weight of the fish as it
pulls his skiff along. The line cuts into his hands and his back. His body, which was not in
a good state, to begin with, is forced to contend with three days at sea without real rest or
respite from the pressures the hooked marlin imposes on his body.

Suffering, at least in the snapshot the reader gets of the old man’s life, seems central.
But, so is perseverance. These two themes are linked because Santiago’s perseverance
is the reason he continues to wake up every day, go out to sea, and return empty-handed.
Only to do it all again during his eighty-four days of bad luck. His ability to withstand pain
and hardship, while keeping in mind his end goal of killing the fish, is remarkable and is
one of the defining features of his personality. Plus, there is the suffering at the end of the
story, after the sharks eat the much labored for marlin to contend with as well. These
moments can also be connected to another theme, man vs. nature.

Friendship

Another prominent theme, friendship, between human beings and amongst the wider
non-human animal world spans the length of the novella. The most important human
relationship is that between Santiago and his young pupil and fellow fisherman, Manolin.
The boy cares deeply for Santiago, often berating himself for not doing more to take care
of him. They share a passion for baseball, something that helps sustain Santiago while
he’s at sea.

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A reader must also consider the relationship between humans and animals. Santiago
spends a great deal of time while sailing thinking about the relationship between himself
and the marlin. He feels as though they are brothers, connected by their mutual existence
on earth and desire to survive. In fact, the old man feels as though he is the brother of
every living thing on the planet and shows the utmost respect for the lives he encounters.

The Past
Memory, and the power it has over the present and future, is important in The Old Man
and the Sea. While Santiago navigates the Gulf of Mexico he often becomes distracted
by thoughts of the past. He can recall the strong young man he used to be and believes
that some of that strength should still exist inside him. There are moving moments in the
novella when Santiago thinks back to one specific memory that doesn’t seem to fade. He
recalls the time he spent on a turtle fishing boat along the coast of Africa. While there, he
saw lions playing on the beach. He isn’t sure why, but this image continues to come to
mind. In fact, it ends the novel.

Analysis of Key Moments in The Old Man and the Sea

1. The novel opens, the reader learns that Santiago hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-four
days.
2. Santiago spends time with Manolin, their relationship is defined.
3. He heads out to fish the next morning, prepared to go to a distant spot.
4. The old man considers his relationship with the natural world and thinks about the
past.
5. He gets a fish on his line but isn’t sure how large it is.
6. Santiago commits to catching this fish, coming to the understanding that it’s
enormous. He wills it to jump and show itself.
7. The old man catches a dolphin and eats.
8. After a prolonged battle, he kills the fish with his harpoon and ties it to the side of
the skiff.
9. Sharks descend on the vessel, he kills some but they take the majority of the fish.
10. He returns to land, collapses in exhaustion, and everyone marvels over the fish’s
remains.
11. The novel ends with Santiago dreaming about the lions once again.

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language

Hemingway was known for his concise, to-the-point style of writing. His syntax is
straightforward and simple. This is mostly due to the time he spent working as a
journalist. Throughout this novella, he doesn’t employ complicated metaphors or refer to
things far outside the average reader’s understanding of Cuba, fishing, and the battle

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between life and death. He is best known for his “iceberg theory”. When reading, there is
a little information on the surface, but a breadth of detail to explore beneath the waves.
Hemingway described it as “seven-eighths” of the story existing below the surface.

In regards to mood, it is quite depressing and solemn. Throughout much of the novel, the
frailty of life is exemplified through a very human struggle for survival that ends in defeat.
The tone is less emotional. Through Hemingway’s style of writing, it comes across as
factual and at times sympathetic and hopeful.

Hemingway makes use of multiple narrative perspectives in The Old Man and the Sea.
The story begins with a third-person, omniscient narrator that doesn’t have access to
Santiago’s thoughts. But, as the story progresses, the reader receives a third-person
narration of Santiago’s state of mind and musings on the past and present. He speaks to
himself, creating the majority of the dialogue in the novella.

The most prominent uses of figurative language include personification, hyperbole, as

well as metaphors, and similes in which two unlike things are compared with or without
using like/as. Personification occurs when a poet imbues a non-human creature or object
with human characteristics. This is obvious through the way Hemingway treats the
depictions of the marlin, as well as other fish and the birds in the sky. Hyperbole is an
intentionally exaggerated description, comparison or exclamation meant to further the
writer’s important themes, or make a specific impact on a reader.

Analysis of Symbols

The Lions
The lions on the beach are a mysterious symbol in The Old Man and the Sea.
Hemingway does not reveal what exactly they represent but the reader can come to a few
conclusions. They seem to be symbols of the past, dreams, other worlds, and harmony in
nature. Santiago’s mind returns unbidden again and again to the African seashore as a
place of respite. The lions represent a perfectly functioning world Santiago would like to
return to.

The Marlin
The most obvious symbol in The Old Man and the Sea, the marlin represents the
unattainable. It is Santiago’s ideal foe, one against whom he can measure himself. The
fish is magnificent, enormous and seemingly one of a kind. It also represents the past and
an attempt to return to previous ways of being as Santiago seeks to regain the strength of
his youth.

Santiago’s left hand

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His hand is a less obvious symbol, but one that connects to the larger struggle in The Old
Man and the Sea. His left hand, which Santiago believes he didn’t “train” properly,
“betrays” him throughout the novella. It cramps up when he needs to use it, and only
comes to his aid, seemingly, when it chooses. As it weakens, along with the rest of
Santiago’s body, he becomes angry, punishing it with harder tasks. It represents the
fragility of old age and foreshadows disappointment and defeat.

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