“A man can be destroyed but not defeated”.
Ernest Hemingway
Life is always about struggle,
hurdles and problems and finally it ends with achievements. “The Old Man and the
Sea” novel also talks about struggle of life and about achievements. The darkness
we face in our tough time but still we fight for victory that thing is showed
in this novel.
“The Old Man and the sea” is a
novel written by Ernest Hemingway. He was an American author. The novel was
written in 1951 at Cuba and it was published in 1952. Ernest Miller Hemingway
was born on 21st July, 1899 at Oak Park, United States. He had
produced most of his work between the mid 1920s and the mid 1950s. He published
seven novels, six short story collections and two non- fiction work. Many of
his work are considered classics of American Literature. His first novel was
“The Sun also rises”, which was published in 1926.
After the publication of “The
Old Man and the Sea” Hemingway became an international celebrity. He won
Pulitzer Prize in May, 1952. In October 1954, Hemingway received Noble Prize in
literature. In 1961, he bought a house in Ketchum, Idaho and he committed suicide.
Hemingway’s family and friends flew to Ketchum for the funeral which was done
by the local Catholic priest, who believed the death accidental.
Thus, a person himself was an
inspiration for other and he ends up his own life.
Presentation of Life in “The Old Man and the Sea”:
“The Old Man and the Sea” mainly
focus on the idea of life and death. This novel clearly shows that how an old
man defeat his failure. The presentations of positive ideas are well portrayed
in this novel. The presentation of life is the sprite which old man shows for
those eighty-seven days. If we have to look at the presentation of life then we
can say that the character that survived and defeat their failure is the real
life.
Santiago as a life in the novel:
“A man can be destroyed but not defeated”
The line mentioned above is
truly defining the character of Santiago. Santiago was an old man. Through out
of his life he struggled a lot. Well, he was an experienced fisherman. He was
living in a village near Cuban. He was unable to catch the fish for eighty four
days. So he became laughing stock of his village. As he was old man, he was
also fighting for his existence also.
“Perhaps I should not have been
a fisherman.”
“But that was the thing that I
was born for.”
Santiago had committed to
himself that he would become a great fisherman and he decided that he would
catch biggest fish of the sea. This shows how he challenged himself to become
achiever and not to become a failed one. When Marlin was destroyed by sharks,
Santiago was broken down. He was fighting with those sharks since last three
days but he didn’t lose his pride. He thinks a lot and went to the villagers
and become happy. Santiago was able to secure his life and he was also sure
that he will never have to endure such an epic struggle again.
Santiago’s philosophy and his
inner power make him different from the other villagers. Santiago’s dedication
to his craft separates him from the primitive fisherman motivated by money.
The way Hemingway used to think
about life, the same thing he portrayed in the character of Santiago. Santiago
fights against death until he could and finally he didn’t destruct. He remains
dedicated to a profession he sees as a more spiritual way of life and a part of
nature’s order in the eternal cycle that makes all creatures brothers in their
common condition of both predator and prey.
Santiago’s life was not easy but
still he had enough fighting spirit that leads him towards his destiny. He was
an old by number not his eyes or his vision to achieve. The only thing makes
him different from other was his way of work, philosophy. In his old age also
he was having strength to prove his self. He was still young, cheerful and
undefeated. He was having best tools to win over the life and they are like
Hardship, Hope, Dreams, Faith and Absorption.
“I remember everything from when
we first went together.”
The old man looked at him with
his sun- burned confident loving eyes.
-The old man and the sea
Manolin as a life in “The Old Man and the Sea”:
Manolin was living with Santiago
since the age of five. Manolin’s life roams around Santiago all the time. He
always used to ask about everything. He cares a lot. He makes sure that
Santiago has food, blankets and can rest without being bothered. These shows
that one can forgetting his own needs can take care for someone else life. He
used to show so much concern about Santiago. His dedication to learning from
the old man ensures that Santiago will live on. Manolin had proved that he
never feel inferior with Santiago and Santiago also shown care like father to
him. These proved that how lively relation they have!!!
Presentation of death in “The Old Man and the Sea”:
“The Old Man and the Sea” novel
is all about life and the spirit to live the life. The way Santiago presents
himself that shows that there is no age limit or any other boundaries if we
really want to achieve something in life.
“You
did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You
killed him for pride and because you loved him after. If you love him it is not
a sin to kill him. Or is it more?”
These lines symbolically speak a
lot about death. Marlin was the fish who was killed by Santiago but before that
on eighty fifth day when Santiago go further in the sea to catch a big fish, he
caught Marlin. Marlin was so long and big fish. Marlin was that much heavy
weighted that at one point reader started thinking that Marlin would be able to
free from Santiago’s hand. Santiago and Marlin both were struggling for their
life at that time.
The spirit which Santiago got
was tremendous. He was not having fear of death but he had enough strength to
fight against failure. The way he fought for life shows that death was not acceptable
at all by him. At the end of the novel also, he didn’t die. He back to his bed
and again started dreaming of lion. That shows that novel was open ended.
Hemingway didn’t portray any particular death in this novel. So the death of
Marlin was the victory of Santiago. Thus, Hemingway’s style of portraying of
life and death was inspirational for the reader which gives strength to the
people to face the problem and come out of that and that will be true life.
