Yash Patel
October 21st 2016
4B
The Existential Relationship Between Man and Nature
Unity between two people can have very different meanings and similarly, relationships between man and nature can have different interpretations as well. All of the Earth’s aspects of life is generalized as “Mother Nature” meaning humans already share an association with nature. The sea is a fundamental element of nature and shares a keen bond with mankind. This idea has been spread vastly throughout literature most commonly in the form of poetry. A good example of this is in The Lost Woman by Patricia Beer where her “ivy-mother turned into a tree.” The poem goes on explaining how the poet can see her mother in various forms of nature. Coinciding with this idea, the old man’s relativity with the sea in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea unites two different forms of life. Santiago’s profession as a fisherman portrays a unique connection with the sea through symbolism in his physical description, his affection towards the sea, and his relevance with the creatures within.
Santiago’s character has features, such as his eyes and his scars, that symbolize different aspects of nature allowing him to correlate with the sea. The “Quintessential American author’s” personal experience out in the ocean reflected onto Santiago’s physical appearance specifically his eyes. The fisherman’s eyes “were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated” (Hemingway10). The old man’s eyes allude to the sea allowing him to perceive his presence in the water without being there. The Cuban’s resemblance to the sea gives the reader a brief idea of how the Santiago can relate to it. His “cheerful and undefeated” eyes also coincide with characteristics of the waves of the ocean; being constantly moving forward and overcoming all obstacles in its way. Therefore, the old man has a kinship with the natural world reflected in his physical description. Hemingway’s history of traveling and seeing various forms of the earth allowed him to use earthly terminology to symbolize Santiago’s scars as effects of the sea. Santiago’s body is surfaced with scars but “none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert” (10). Given the fact that erosion occurs due to water over a period of time, it shows us that Santiago has spent most of his life on the water and over time developed scars. His scars symbolize the various rough times he had faced similar to the rough abrasion during erosions. As “none of the scars were fresh” it is possible to deduce that the old man had spent much of his life out on the deep waters. The use of a hyperbole, “fishless desert”, emphasize that Santiago was extremely old and so were his scars. The relationship between the two is not only shown by their physical similarities but also through fisherman’s affection towards the sea as a woman.
Santiago’s romance with the sea by how he personifies it to be a part of his life and its abilities of a woman help in developing the idea of his unity with it. Hemingway was known to have many relationships and this is shown through the way Santiago names the sea in honor of his love towards it. Santiago’s opinion is that the deep blue water is “la mar which is what people call her in Spanish when they love her” (29). After losing his wife, the fisherman did not seek any other woman but instead gives this position to the one thing he truly loves, the sea. Santiago has shared this affection for a long time as he “always” called it la mar. The Cuban’s intimate affection towards the sea is vital as it is essential for his survival. Hemingway never loved anyone as much as he loved his first wife despite having affairs with other women. This identity is reflected onto Santiago as he has an affair with the sea; a female companion he needs. Santiago did not publicize it “but the old man always thought of her as a feminine and as something…affects her as it does a woman, he thought” (30). Santiago’s shortfall of female companionship in his life allows him to find love with the sea. He compares its qualities to be able to give, take and care just like a woman. Along with his love for the sea itself, his brotherhood with the creatures also helps support his overall unity with the sea.
The Fisherman’s affiliation with the creatures by being able to relate to their feelings and considering them to be a part of his family helps establish a connection between him and the sea. Hemingway himself was very interactive with wildlife in Africa and the sea during his ventures which is portrayed on Santiago as his understanding of the creatures make the readers show a sympathize with him. Hemingway’s use of pathos connects the readers and the fisherman’s emotions. The Cuban relates to the turtles when he said to himself: “I have such a heart too and my feet are like theirs” (37). Santiago has a melancholic feeling towards the turtles after which relates the turtles to himself as they have the same heart and feet. The sympathy he shows tells the readers how close the creatures were to his heart and that he felt for them. This relativity is important as it helps identify the feelings of Santiago and his way of thinking. Hemingway had very strong companionship with his male friends like Gregory Fuentes, this is reflected onto Santiago as he portrays an idea of brotherhood with the marlin. After his great battle against the fish, with great accomplishment, he says, "I am a tired old man. But I have killed this fish which is my brother and now I must do the slave work" (95). Despite all the troubles the fish gave to the old man, he personifies the fish as his brother giving the ideology of family. He recognizes that just as the marlin was born to be a fish, he was born to be a fisherman. They are brothers in the inevitability of their circumstances, locked in the natural cycle of predator and prey. This brotherhood is important as it may suggest that one could do anything to satisfy their needs perhaps even reach the extent of leaving behind a brother.
This idea of man’s relationship with nature has been spread vastly throughout literature. Santiago’s complex relationship with the sea is a constant theme throughout the book and is continually developing. Santiago’s physical features, his traditional love towards the sea itself and his relational coherence with the creatures are factors that help support the old man’s relationship with the sea. Santiago's relationship with the sea is essentially an existential one; he exists because of the sea that provides him with all that he needs. As a fisherman, his being is defined by his relationship with the sea, and his happiness and sorrow depend upon his successes and failures on the sea. Indeed, it is the sea that is Santiago's essence and gives meaning to his life.