The Old Man and The Sea

A.    Introduction

      The greatest novel of Ernest Hemingway which is ever claimed by literary critical that is The Old Man and The Sea. It is also the last literary fiction works of Ernest Hemingway because after the publisher published his novel, Hemingway committed suicide by shooting his favorite gun. It is very ironically while a great author must die by suicide. At the age of 50’s, he wants to prove that an old man also can do what a youth does. Although he is an aging man now, through The Old Man and The Sea, he wants to show that he still has a passion to live; he still has a huge power to struggle the “shark”.

      This paper was conducted to analyze and examine the symbols which come up in this Hemingway work. First part, it will be explained the sea symbolism which is the major place setting of the entire story. Second part, it will be explained the shark symbolism which symbolizes the struggle of Santiago. The third part, it will be explained the lion which is always dreamed by Santiago. And the last part, it will be explained Marlin as the treasure symbolism of Santiago.

      The Old Man and The Sea seems a meaningless novel because the reader is just shown by a boring fisherman. He is just waiting for the Marlin for hours. He tries hard to draw out the fish but he cannot because he is just an old man.  Santiago, an old man, always wants to show what an old man should not be able to do. It is like a silly thing which is done by an aging man. That is why the reader seems to be served by the impossibilities things. So, the boring atmosphere when we read this novel will come, waiting for the impossible things, and struggling for nothing. But those are just the surface meaning when we first time read this great novel. More than that, the philosophical message and value is the precious virtue which can be got in The Old Man and The Sea.

B.     The symbolism in The Old Man and The Sea

Ø  Sea (showing the life/varied problems)

According to Hemingway, man was most able to prove himself worthy in isolation. The sea, in the novel, represents the Universe and Santiago's isolation in the Universe. It is at sea, with no help and no recognition, that Santiago faces his ultimate challenge. Sea may symbolize the unconscious thought or mind. It may symbolize the stage of life where the human being plays their roles. Sea contains of water. Sean can create a tidal wave. The unstable condition can be found in sea. Sometimes it is calm. Sometimes it is horrible. The changeable character as represented in this symbol is also found how human being character is. What Santiago hopes will come true when he sails into the gulf. How long he must stay on the sea, he does not care. The stubborn Santiago starts to prove that he can reach his dream although he is an aging man. He is not easy to give up because of insulting from others. He is not easy to give up for his fate. The representation of sea has represented how Hemingway’s life. He is not easily getting the noble prize. The same as sea, he must face the tidal wave. He must sail into the most dangerous wave. He must dive into the sharpest reef before he arrives at the calmness of sea.

Ø  The Shark (showing battle of life)

It is the number one killer fish. It causes death. It causes end of life. Fear of sharks means fear of death. it means that the fear comes closer into our life. As a result, the weakness of our life comes up earlier that we think. We fear means we are weak. We are weak to fight our fear. We are afraid of being lost in a struggle. Through Santiago character, the shark is not a fear to be worried but it is like a reef which must be broken. The shark can lead him into the pride of his life. Many times Santiago must face shark on the way home. He is not afraid at all. He battles with the five sharks at the same time. He does not feel that he is an old man. His spirit is like Manolin. The youthful spirit appears in the battle of Santiago and the sharks. So, every problem we face in our life is like the shark. We have to battle and fight hardly in order to reach what we want. Through battling with every problem, it can lead us into the hierarchy of life. The more we are clashed by complicated problems, the more we will be a great person who is able to see and face the life maturely.

Ø  The lion (showing the passionate youthful spirit)

The lion in Santiago’s dream symbolizes the power of youth which is contrast to Santiago. They represent virility, power, the promise of a better future and youth. The lion imagery at the end of the novel represents hope of eternal life.   The decreasing power of an aging man is like when he was young. The strength which is needed by Santiago to battle among the death sea now remains the aging power. It is like an ironic imagery. While the lion is dreamt, Santiago at his age now cannot be a lion. But, Manolin who is set by Hemingway is the appropriate character related to the lion. He can be concluded as the youthful representation of Santiago when Santiago was young. By dreaming the lion, this strong symbolism can encourage Santiago power and spirit in struggling with his fish. The lion also symbolizes the pride. The lion’s roar sparks the huge passion and power. In order to fight the shark, we need the lion’s roar and passion. How lion lives is how we endure our meaningless life into the brightness of life.

Ø  Marlin (showing the treasure he does want)

The marlin represents the ultimate opponent, one that brings out the best in Santiago. Marlin in this great work of Hemingway is considered as the treasure of fishermen. Everyone who is able to catch this precious fish will be regarded as the legend of fisherman. That is why Santiago tries very hard to get it in order to show that he can do the impossible thing although he is now an old man. In this case, Marlin is like the Santiago’s symbol of pride. The prestige and great acknowledgement will be got when Santiago can catch the Marlin. Someone who needs existence from others they must do everything in order to get attention and acknowledgement. It is also reflected by Santiago character. He sails for Marlin for eighty four days but he gets nothing for forty four days. But he decides to go to the gulf in order to show that an old man can catch the Marlin. How human being considers that something can be the media of prestige is depended on how the prestige causal opposes the society thought. Although we have chased and struggled, we need to prevent that our society may not commit to admit what we have done. The purpose of getting acknowledgement is just the existence need. Life is not only chasing the acknowledgement forms others but the most essential part in our life is how we can be a useful person for our own life and others. The acknowledgement does not need to chase but how this can come to our self by itself.

Ø  The lost harpoon  

Santiago loses the harpoon when he fought against those sharks. The lost harpoon represents temporary loss of power and strength. It becomes the symbol of individuals who lose faith in their life’s problem. Like Santiago, without a harpoon, persons with no faith are defenseless. They are easy to be defeated. They can be so weak.

Ø  Skiff  

It represents the old man himself. It is an old, small, and decrepit ship. It is only for a person. It looks like Santiago’s life. He lives alone. His wife has passed away and he is a poor fisherman. Moreover, patched-up sails and fragile frame also represent Santiago himself. He wears patched clothes like his sail. Because he is an old man, he is a fragile man.

C.    Conclusion

In this story, there are some symbols which have implicit meaning such as: sea, shark, lion, marlin, lost harpoon, and the skiff. They are the representation of life stages. Sea is a place where we live where we are faced to the hardest wave of life. Shark is the antagonist role who is able to breakdown our life but this symbol can lead us to the better life. Lion is the passion how we go along with our own world. Marlin is our destination or dream. The lost harpoon represents the loss of human power and strength. And the skiff represents Santiago himself. After passing by the stages of life, the treasure we have dreamt for years can be caught. The great symbols which are represented into The Old Man and The Sea can create a great inspiration for others in order to face the life maturely.