The Old Man and the Sea: The Sea

Just like in many other books, the sea plays a deep role and has much symbolism. I can understand why Hemingway would do this because the sea itself is a vast and mysterious wonderland. In the story, the sea plays somewhat of a mysterious role. It provides some of the “characters” for Santiago to interact with such as the shovel-nosed sharks, the birds, and of course, the marlin. Due to this fact alone, the sea is vital in the book to keep the story moving along. Without the sea, there would be no marlin in the first place, let alone any other fishermen. With the marlin in the story, the shovel-nosed sharks add a large antagonistic role which also plays a vital part. I think what makes the sea mysterious is the fact that Santiago seems to almost trust the sea and love it even though it has betrayed him many times. Well maybe it is not that the sea is mysterious, but it makes Santiago a little mysterious. Santiago is a smart guy, so when he says that the sea is good, then I know the sea is good. I suppose he just means that nature just has to take its course of death. Santiago knows this, but he simply cannot stop it. The sea also lets the reader know just how smart Santiago really is. Throughout the story, he talks about some rather complex phenomena such as currents, winds, and friction. These are not just easy subjects to pick up. This shows me that Santiago is very skilled and dedicated to not only fishing, but he is dedicated to his whole way of life including every aspect which he must master. Knowing this fact, when Manolin says at the end of the novel something about him having much to learn from Santiago, it makes me think that one day, just maybe, Manolin will become as great of a fisherman as Santiago in his prime.