Hemingway said:
No good book has ever been written that has in it
symbols arrived at beforehand and stuck in. ... I tried to make a real old man, a real
boy, a real sea and a real fish and real sharks. But if I made them good and true enough
they would mean many
things.
In light of this, it
might be said that if The Old Man and the Sea is read according to
the mode in which Hemingway wrote it, there are no symbols. However current critical
theory emphasizes reading literature from a perspective contemporaneous with the
reader's experience: reading literature from one's immediate current experience.
Therefore in a reading in accordance with this critical view, there are some significant
symbols in the novella The Old Man and the Sea. Also in accordance
with this critical view, there is more than one approach to recognizing symbols and each
approach is tied to the theme it emphasizes.
For instance
in one critical opinion the symbols support a theme of ultimate victory in the face of
the human condition in which Santiago symbolizes a Christ-like figure who is struggling
to fulfill the injunction found in Genesis to have dominion over nature, yet is hindered
by humanity's suffering, which was introduced into the world by the original sin
propagated in the Garden of Eden. Manolin is the devoted and loving disciple of
Santiago, while the blue marlin symbolizes the natural world that Santiago is meant to
have dominance over, and the sharks symbolize the suffering unleashed by original
sin.
Another interpretation builds different symbology
around the theme of humankind's noble struggle against encroaching defeat and death. In
this interpretation, Santiago symbolizes the conquering warrior, a Beowulf-type figure
engaged in a continual combat against opposing forces. Manolin symbolizes his loyal
squire and friend. The marlin symbolizes the mighty Grendel-type opponent, the opponent
of a lifetime. The sharks symbolize encroaching defeat and
death.
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