In Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea, there are numerous symbols that form a well-illustrated portrait of the human condition. Between the main character Santiago and the numerous trials he faces is the primary source of conflict in the novel. It's one thing to catch a gigantic marlin, but it's another to bring it back from the jaws of a pack of sharks. In the beginning, Santiago is unable to catch a single fish. After that, he sets out on a fishing trip and reels in the biggest catch of his life. He finally reels in the marlin after a long battle. During his return journey, the marlin is attacked by sharks, resulting in his death. The marlin has been devoured by the sharks when Santiago returns home, and he is worn out from the fight. Hemingway uses the marlin, Santiago, sharks, and lions as allegories in this storey. As depicted by Hemingway's use of symbols, perseverance is measured not only through sacrifice and suffering, but also by enduring to the end.
In the story, the marlin is one of the most important symbols. The marlin has a major influence on Santiago's thoughts and actions throughout the entire story. “‘I’ll kill him though,’ he said. ‘In all his greatness and his glory.’ Although it is unjust, he thought. But I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures” (Hemingway 66). Santiago's 1,500-pound marlin was a heavy burden, but he refused to let go of it. The marlin represents Santiago's physical and spiritual recovery after an 84-day fishing drought. In the process of catching fish, Santiago was afflicted with numerous physical injuries. He had cuts on his hands and a sore back as a result of his mind's unfair thoughts. Resurrecting his spirit by catching the marlin symbolises his spiritual transformation. After killing the marlin, he has regained his vigour and is ready to continue his journey. Hemingway's use of the marlin as a metaphor for Santiago's rebirth is an example of this. It is through the lions in Santiago's dreams that the reader learns more about Santiago's youth and his pride. Santiago was thinking about the boy while he caught the fish, and how much he missed him. He wanted to prove to himself that he is capable of accomplishing great things by catching the fish on his own this time around. “The thousand times that he had proved it meant nothing. Now he was proving it again. Each time was a new time and he never thought about the past when he was doing it. I wish he’d sleep and I could sleep and dream about the lions, he thought. Why are the lions the main thing that is left?” (Hemingway 66). Santiago's old age has taken its toll on him, and he has no longer has the support of his family or friends.
His pride is all that remains of the lions he once saw in the wild. As the story progresses, Santiago convinces himself that the sole reasons he continues to fish are to maintain his pride and to make a living from it. Even though Santiago was defeated, his pride of lions serves as a powerful symbol of perseverance in the story. Christ is one of the story's most prominent symbols. Many of Santiago's actions are interpreted as emulating Christ's life and teachings. Santiago struggles to carry his mast up the hill and to his home after returning from a long journey. “He started to climb again and at the top he fell and lay for some time with the mast across his shoulder. He tried to get up. But it was too difficult and he sat there with the mast on his shoulder and looked at the road” (Hemingway 121). Christ is shown here carrying his cross to the place of execution, Golgotha. Imagery such as this transforms Santiago, an elderly, ineffective figure, into a symbolic Savior. Santiago's journey is a metaphor for Christ's ordeals, making the text more meaningful during Santiago's travels. When Santiago returned from the greatest battle of his life, he had nothing to show for it. This shows Santiago's perseverance because he caught the marlin, fought sharks, and battled the sea in his old age, even though he didn't bring home the entire fish. Hemingways' narration depicts Santiago as Christ.
In the course of Santiago's journey, he came across sharks. “‘Ay,’ he said aloud. There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just a noise such as a man might make, involuntary, feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood” (Hemingway 107). Christ's death on the cross is symbolised by the nail going through one's hands. Hemingway compares Santiago's struggle to Christ being nailed to the cross with his hands. The sharks approach Santiago as he struggles through the torturous voyage across the sea. To save their own lives, the sharks are shown to be vicious and barbaric. As in the case of Santiago, the people of Jerusalem are also represented by the sharks, whose rash actions led to Christ's crucifixion. Even though the sharks eat the marlin, Santiago still has a successful day of fishing to show for it. Santiago, the protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea, represents Christ's trials and tribulations. The marlin is a symbol of both Santiago's spiritual and physical recovery from his fishing drought. The sharks represent the influences that caused Santiago's suffering as a result of his relationship with Christ. Santiago's pride is symbolised by the lions as he fights old age and frailty. Resilience is a willingness to keep going even if you don't get what you want at the end.
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