The Old Man In The Sea(the Relationship Between The Old Man And The Bo :: essays research papers

Under close inspection, people have had a hard time agreeing what to make of Santiagos adventure in The old(a) Man and the Sea. Is it just a good tip tale? One brave opus, one big fish, sounds Biblical, but is it? Are we dealing with anyegory, or parable, or fable? If so, what is the parallel narrative, or message, or moral? Different people have arrived at different answers, But I believe that Hemmingway is trying to array the relationship between Manolin and Santiago. How that to the world Manolin can only be one person yet to the world Manolin can mean everything.     The act of catching the fish is bound to the act of losing the fishthe red blood released by the mortal blow is the green light for the sharks. Whether he catches the fish or whether the fish snaps the extraction and escapes, the old man will not be able to bring the meat home. The fish is lost, either way. But the two scenarios are not equal. The man is welcomed back into the esteem of the fishermen, into Manolins company on the fishing boat, into society, solely because he broke with society and went out "too far", out beyond all others. He gains only by losing. This old man will never again chase marlin for days on end. He wont have to, because for the rest of his days he will have Manolin with him not only physically but mentally because of the fact that he knows Manolin will stick with him no matter what. level off if the odds are against him, and the two of them will catch big, but not giant-sized, marlin with the relative ease known as teamwork.      One could also make a case that the old man has neither gained nor learned anything. He did not care when the other fishermen mocked him so why should he care if they praise him? He had Manolins love before and he has it still, and the love and support of that one special person can mean so much to someone, and give them the confidence to go on. He had been a champion before, as an arm -wrestler, and knew he could be a champion again, as a fisherman even though in Manolins eyes he was always a champion. He was right, and has the skeleton to prove it. He had badly luck before he hooked the marlin, and he has bad luck after he kills the marlin.