Analysis

The Old Man and the Sea: Analysis

Setting: The setting of the book is outside the coast of Cuba, close to the city of Havana, in the 1940s.

Main Characters:
The old man (Santiago). This character may be either a flat or a round character; it depends on how you see him.
 

In one way he is indeed very round, as he develops from having little self-confidence, and a little bit sad, to having regained his good self-esteem, and being content and happy.
In another way he is flat. Santiago is an old man with great perseverance, and he is in many ways stuck in his past life, when he worked at the coasts of Africa. He is also a very determined man throughout the whole story.

The little boy (Manolin): The boy can be described as a flat character. He remains faithful to the old man, and he cares for him very much. Manolin stays friendly to the old man through the book. On the contrary, though, he may be seen as a round character, based on the fact that he stands more up to his parents towards the end of the book.

Plot: An old man tries to catch fish. After 84 days of bad luck, he finally catches the biggest Marlin ever. They struggle for 3 days before the fish is killed. On the way back, the fish is attacked and eaten by sharks. The old man returns home safe, but exhausted.

Climax: When the old man finally catches/kills the Marlin. This is the point of no return, when the story advances towards the end (rather than from the beginning).

Themes:

-Pride (regaining self-confidence)/Humility
-Perseverance
-Luck
-Friendship (Old man + boy, Old man + fish)
-Isolation – “old age”
-Suffering – pain
-“Grace under Pressure” – “Hemingway Hero”. The old man still keeps his honour, even when the tide is against him, and he is hungry and tired.
-Death – inevitable
-The purpose of life?
-Victory in/or defeat – self-satisfaction. Even though the old man is victorious over the fish, he loses it on the way back, and the only thing he has gained is self-satisfaction.

Interpretation:

You do not need to be famous; you need to be satisfied with yourself.
You do not need others to boost your self – confidence, you should be confident with yourself, that is what matters.
The purpose of life? Be satisfied, to endure/conquer? Challenge yourself.

Symbols:
Fish – pride, ideal / equal opponent
Sharks – obstacles, destructive laws of the universe
Sea – nature, surroundings
Lions – past, strength of his youth

Sources: Class discussion