Classic English Literature Notes

What is a tragedy? Do you think that “The Old Man and the Sea” is a tragic novel?

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Discuss “The Old Man and the Sea” as a tragedy?

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What makes Santiago a good tragic hero?

            Tragedy is a popular form of literary writing dealing with human sorrows and misfortunes of life. It is a tale of hard struggle and exceptional suffering resulting in the death, though not always, of the principal character. The tragic hero is a man of exceptional qualities of character who wants to overpower his opponent called the villain. By means of his valiant fight and great capacity for endurance, he succeeds in winning our sympathies as well as admiration. But the hero has some tragic flaw which brings about his defeat or destruction. Destiny and chance also play their own role in the downfall of the tragic hero. The heroic struggle and the tragic fate of the hero excite our feelings of pity and sympathy, besides suggesting some high moral and philosophical ideas about the system of life.

           The Old Man and the Sea can also be called a tragedy because it fulfils almost all the criteria of classical concept of tragedy. It depicts the heroic struggle of man against the hostile Nature. The novelist wants to show how a man can achieve admirable stature in the eyes of others by displaying the valuable qualities of courage, determination, endurance and ingenuity. lt is true that its protagonist or hero is not wiped out of existence at the end of the story. But he suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of the cruel forces of Nature which prove to be far stronger than him. His frustration excites our feelings of pity for him. He does all that can be humanly possible under the circumstances, But luck does not favor him and he is deprived of the fruit of his hard struggle. We cannot help sympathizing with him to see him engaged in a losing battle. The pathetic end of the story does not excite pessimistic feelings in the readers. It is true that the Old Man lying exhausted and dejected on his bed looks like Christ crucified. Yet he is neither disillusioned nor sunk in incurable despair. His heroic spirit remains undefeated and he does not reject the suggestion of Manolin that they will soon proceed on a greater adventure and will be making bigger catches in the future. So this novel is not a dark tragedy, showing the ignoble defeat and death of the hero at the hands of callous and unjust destiny. It is a glowing tribute to the heroic spirit of an Old Man who refuses to bow before his ill luck and succeeds in rehabilitating his image in the eyes of his fellow-men.

           Santiago, the old fisherman who plays the leading role in the story is presented in true heroic colors. He is an ordinary person without any social status or great powers like the Kings and Warriors of classical tragedies. But he has been made exceptional in human qualities which really matter in the struggle of life and which make man great in the real sense. He is a man of great physical strength, undaunted courage, indomitable determination and wonderful capacity for endurance. He is also very expert in his field of life and knows many tricks of hooking fish. The boy Manolin admits that he has never seen more skilful and experienced fisherman than the Old Man. His power of perseverance and the will to dominate his adversary can be estimated from the admirable way he defeated a Negro in the hand game and won the contest after a tenacious struggle of twenty four hours. He is so brave that he does not feel discouraged by his failure to catch any fish for eighty four days continuously. The other fishermen consider him an unlucky person but he remains confident of making some big catch some day.

             Like all tragic heroes, Santiago is also adventurous by nature. It is his epic struggle and great suffering which make the novel a tragedy. , He breaks the boundaries of the ordinary fishing area and goes far into the open sea where no fisherman with a small boat has ever ventured. By chance, the fish he succeeds in hooking proves to be far stronger than him and refuses to come to the surface. The baited fish starts swimming in the sea dragging the fisherman and his boat after herself. But the Old Man does not feel afraid and does not let the marlin go. He is determined to defeat the powerful sea creature with tact and experience. We cannot help praising the brave Old Man for waging a tenacious light against the powerful marlin which continued swimming for two days and nights without allowing him a moment of rest or sleep. At last he succeeds in making his adversary yield to his will and get killed, The same heroic spirit is shown by the Old Man in facing the ravenous sharks that want to eat the flesh of the dead marlin. He employs all the resources at his disposal and all the methods suggested by his intelligence, but fails to save his booty. His loss is quite pathetic and touches the deepest chords of our hearts. We feel for him being so unlucky but we admire him for proving his worth.

            Like all great tragedies, the Old Man and the Sea also raises issues of deep moral and philosophical significance. Hemingway wants to show that life in this world is a continuous battle against the hostile nature and the adversities of life. Man depends upon Nature for his livelihood. Nature has for man unlimited possibilities of progress and chances of greatness and glory. But the world of nature is also full of unseen hazards and pitfalls for those who prove to be adventurous and ambitious. Success and failure do not matter much in life because they are in the hands of fate. The real thing is the lighting, spirit, the desire to achieve something great and the determination not to be discouraged by the adverse circumstances. Greatness cannot be achieved by living an ordinary kind of routine life. But those who happen to be adventurous and ambitious invite the wrath of Nature and expose themselves to dangers. The Old Man realized that he had committed a sin by going far into the deep sea and was punished by nature in the form of sharks attacking the dead fish. This was his tragic faw which brought about his misery and unhappiness.