Ernest Hemingway was absolutely positive there was no symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea

 

The Order of Pen

"The Old Man and the Sea" is a novella by Ernest Hemingway that tells the story of Santiago, an old, experienced fisherman who has not caught a fish in 84 days. Santiago sets out to sea early one morning with his small skiff, determined to catch a fish to prove his worth. He rows far out into the Gulf Stream, where he finally hooks a giant marlin. The fish puts up a fierce fight, pulling Santiago's boat for days. Despite the struggle, Santiago is determined to land the fish and ultimately succeeds. However, as he is on his way back to shore, sharks attack and devour most of the marlin, leaving Santiago with only the skeleton.

The novella is a reflection on the human spirit and the struggle to find meaning in life. Santiago's battle with the marlin is a metaphor for the human struggle against nature, and the sharks represent the obstacles that can prevent us from achieving our goals. Despite his hardships, Santiago remains determined and never loses hope. His journey is a testament to the human will to persevere and find meaning in life.

The story also touches on themes of loneliness, love, and respect for nature, and the importance of relationships. Santiago's deep connection with the sea and nature, and his love for his boat and the sea creatures, make his story a powerful reflection of man's relationship with the natural world.

The novella is also an exploration of the concept of heroism and the idea that true heroism is defined by one's perseverance and willingness to keep going, even in the face of defeat. Santiago's determination to catch the marlin, despite the odds against him, is a demonstration of this heroism, and his journey serves as an inspiration to readers.

In summary, "The Old Man and the Sea" is a powerful and moving story of one man's battle against nature and his determination to find meaning in life, which is rich in symbolism, imagery, and themes, written by one of the most prominent authors of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway.

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  Sloan Bashinsky

  In the novel, The Old Man caught the great marlin with a handline, not a harpoon. 

  When I was a boy, my mother, knowing now much I loved to fish, gave me the serialization of the novel in I think Life Magazine. 

  The Old Man and the Sea was part of an American novels course I took as an elective in college. The professor thought there was Christ-like symbolism in the old man's saga. However, in Carlos Baker's book of Hemingway's letters, Hemingway was adamant in a letter to his Scribner editor, Maxwell Perkins, that there was no symbolism: the old man was an old man, the boy was a boy, the sea was the sea, the fish was a fish. That's all there was to it. 

  My professor also said Hemingway was about sticking with something regardless of how tough the going got, grace under fire; and you knew when you met the bad guy in a Hemingway novel, because he didn't drink. 

  I also read Baker's biography of Hemingway, and fancied myself a writer some day, but it was a long time coming. 

  After it came, I was invited to present at a writer's workshop, so I came up with a title for my presentation, "Writing as a mystical experience." Then, out of the blue, it came to me that The Old Man and the Sea, the last novel Hemingway completed, was his unconscious suicide note, despite what he had written to Max Perkins. The great marlin, a phallic symbol, represented Hemingway's manhood, which he was ever intent on proving. The sea represented Hemingway's unconscious and the sharks represented his rejected internal feminine, who came to claim her just due. The boy, whom the old man left behind at the dock, was the young boy Hemingway, rejected by his father. In the end, Hemingway had brain cancer, and instead of succumbing to going totally insane and dying an invalid in a facility, he blew out his own brains with his favorite double- barreled shot gun.

  The audience at the workshop was not interested in my theory, but they very much wanted to know what I did about writer's block? I said I didn't get writer's block. When it was time for me to write, I wrote and could not stop writing. When there was nothing of rme to write, I did something else.

  When later I lived in Key West, I was urged several times to enter the Hemingway look alike contest, because my heard somewhat resembled Hemingway's. I always declined. Sometimes I said why. I didn't drink. The contestants were old, inebriated, white-bearded men in Orvis fishing costumes. They didn't know how to write or fish, and I knew how to do both.

  
  
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    Sloan Bashinsky

    The writer's workshop was around September 1, 1990. ln 1992, I completed my first novel. In the fall of 1993, a lot of poetry started leaping out of me. In early 1994, a lot of prosaic verse started falling out of me, one slow word at a time, as if it was being dictated. Here's one:

    "Although he sometimes tries to write fiction, when the tale is told, every character is a character in himself, every plot a plot in him; there are no surprises - only his, to discover parts of himself he has forgotten, lost, thrown away, or never even knew were there."

sloanbashinsky@yahoo.com