The Old Man and the Sea

Assignment on ”The Old Man and the Sea”

First of all I would like to comment on the shape of the story. It is a long story because it has 109 pages. Such long story would normally be characterised as a novel, but since there are no chapters or parts in the story I would say it is a novella.

Themes: life/death, pride, growing old

The novella takes place in a small fishing village where most people are poor, especially the main character the old man called Santiago.

Santiago is a thin, gaunt man with deep wrinkles showing that he has lived a long life. On his nose he has blotches from the sun revealing that he spends his day in the sun. His hands carry deep-creased scars from handling big fish, but none of them are fresh and they further prove two things: that he is old, and that it is 84 days ago since he caught his last big fish, otherwise he would have had fresh scars. The only sign on him not being old is his eyes. They are cheerful and happy and describe his personality: that he is a spirited and satisfied with the way his life turned out. But there is one major thing he is unhappy with: getting old. He tries to keep up a facade showing that he is able to do anything without help, but during the days on the sea he realizes that he needs the boy, Manolin, now more than ever. What he also realises is how much he cares for the boy. The boy has always openly shown his love for Santiago. He brings food for Santiago and helps him with the skiff even though he is with another boat now. Santiago has never really shown his appreciation of Manolin but after his journey on the sea he tells the boy that he missed him out there.

Though he doesn’t really believe in Jesus or God, he is religious. He believes in the sea and respects it. He is in lead with nature. Ex. he doesn’t need a compass to find the way home from the gulf stream because he can feel it in the wind.

Santiago is a humble man for whom material things have little meaning. He likes his life the way it is.

The sea could be compared to God and Santiago to Adam and Eve. In the Story of the Creation God gives the world to Adam and Eve, like the sea gives Santiago the Marlin. Adam and Eve abuse their gift from God when they eat the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, just as Santiago does. His thoughts turn from staying alive to gain