Classic English Literature Notes

Do you think that The Old Man had philosophical bent of mind?

OR

Describe some of the deep thoughts that occurred to Santiago when he found himself alone on the wide sea.

           The Old Man and Sea can also be called a character novel. Its story is meant to illustrate the different qualities of the character of the old fisherman who plays the role of the hero in it. It is his personality which remains the centre of our attention throughout. We remain interested in his thoughts, feelings, interests, fears, desires and memories of the past. Hemingway has refrained from making his hero a philosopher or psychologically split personality. He shows no spiritual cravings and no dissatisfaction of life like a romantic hero. Rather, Santiago is a common kind of person with a practical mind and realistic attitude of life. However, he is a man of experience and practical wisdom, having his own common sense ideas and views of life.

                It is true that Santiago, the old fisherman, is a poor and uneducated person of humble position. Yet God has gifted him with a reflective mind. During the period of two days and nights that he spends on the wide sea alone, he continues pondering on the things that strike his attention. It is like the ruminations of an idle mind. His thoughts serve as a running commentary on his inner state of mind and the outside world seen by him. During his struggle with the marlin, the Old Man gets a deeper insight into himself and a better understanding of his relation with the system of life around him. For example, he realizes that the vast ocean, like a beloved, has many favors to give to man as well as to hide from him. He felt satisfied to bait a huge fish, but then felt pity for the sea creature that had fallen a prey to human deceit. He thought that the marlin had decided to live in the deep sea, far away from human society.

        She meant no harm to the Old Man, whereas he had put her in great distress without any justification. He thought that he should not have been a fisherman. Then he realized that according to the divine system, he was born to be an angler just as the fish was created to be preyed upon. After killing the marlin, Santiago tried to justify his cruel act by thinking that he had put the fish to death to keep himself alive and to feed a number of other human beings. At the same time he realized that he had killed the marlin for the satisfaction of human pride also. He had feelings of respect and love for the powerful fish that had given him tough time. He wondered how many of the human beings would be worthy of eating the meat of that brave sea creature.

               After remaining all alone on the wide sea for a day or two, the Old Man realized how painful isolation was. He thought that no body should be left alone in old age. When a tired Warbler descended to rest on his line, he welcomed it as a good companion. Then he realized that the life of sea-birds was perhaps the hardest of all creatures. Man was required by nature to catch fish for his livelihood. How difficult his life would have been if he were required to catch and kill such distant things as stars? The Old Man felt guilty after losing the baited fish to the sharks. He thought that perhaps he had committed a sin by going too far into the deep sea. But he consoled himself by thinking that everything in this world was killing something else for its own survival. When he was returning home empty handed, he thought of the comfortable bed. He said that the bed was the only source of comfort for a defeated person. Such stray thoughts are a sufficient proof of the fact that the Old Man had a philosophic mind.