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Nestie Bryal C. Villaviray Mr. Mel GarciaMD 2Y1-5 Oct. 5, 2012

The Old Man and the Sea and its Connection to Suffering

  Short Summary

a) Santiago was a poor old fisherman, who after eighty-four days without catching a fishsuffered jokes from colleagues.

b) He had a faithful friend, Manolin  – his disciple, loyal to the old man- which was

forbidden by his father to accompany him in fisheries.

c) Alone, Santiago decided to retrieve the success and embarked to the high seas in his

small boat with a little water, only two baits given by the boy and feeding on fish, under

the blinding sun.

d) He feels a strong pull on his line, suggesting that is a great fish, a marlin.

e) Santiago’s left hand was cramping up, but he was determined to stay with the fish unti

catch it. It lasted through an entire day and night.

f) When he finally catches the fish, he had to fight against several sharks attracted by theblood trail of the marlin…another battle.

g) At the end of his journey, he arrives at the beach, exhausted, bruised and with only the

skeleton of the fish, but even so he received the admiration and respect of people.

  The Old man and the Sea connection to the life of Jesus of Nazareth 

•

When Santiago’s palms are firstcut by his fishing line.

• Santiago's marlin is approached

by a pair of shovel nosed sharks.

"Ay', he said out loud."

• The image of the old man

struggling up the hill with his mast

across his shoulders.

• When Santiago makes his way

into his shack and collapses into

his bed with "his arms out straight

and the palms of his hands up."

•

Christ suffering his stigmataand the hands of the

crucified Jesus.

• It is the sound a man makes

as his hands are nailed to

wood

• Christ's struggle to carry the

cross up the hill cavalry• The same way Jesus was

positioned on the wooden

cross. The image of Christ

suffering.

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Therefore, the incidents that occurred in the life of Santiago were very similar to theoccurrences in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Ernest Hemingway decided to construct his story toreflect upon the life of Jesus but did not make this too obvious to the reader. There are manyreferences to the crucifixion of Jesus. This shows that the old man and Jesus suffered in many of thesame ways. They were both fishermen. The old man was the fisherman of fish and Jesus was thefisherman of souls.

Closely connected to Santiago's recognition of the philosophical differences between the two

groups are his Job-like musings.

He wonders why sea birds are made so delicate when the ocean can be so cruel, which recalls Job's

question about why the innocent are made to suffer (as, of course, Santiago himself is made to

suffer). He also wonders why those who let their fishing lines drift are more successful than he is,

though he keeps his fishing lines precisely straight, recalling Job's question about why the unworthy

prosper. Santiago later answers both questions and more when he considers whether killing the

marlin was a great sin. He eventually decides that he killed the marlin not for food, but because he is

a fisherman. In his understanding resides the echo of God's answer to Job. Essentially, God's answer

was that suffering is in the very nature of the universe. Just as enigmatic, Santiago's own

understanding is that he did what he had to do, what he was born to do, and what his role in the

eternal nature of things demands. That acceptance is both God's and Santiago's answer to why the

good are made to suffer (why the sea birds are made so delicate, why Santiago has gone for so long

without a catch) and why the unworthy prosper (why those who let their fishing lines drift are more

successful).

*sorry if I forgot to include the list of sources/reference