In the Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway Ernest, relationship between characters is of great importance in the development of themes and characters. Friendship depends on mutual respect and admiration as depicted by the relationship between the big fish and Santiago. He finds brotherhood with the sea creature and the two portray determination to succeed in their mission. For the fish, being able to escape the trap is the biggest mission while the old man’s interest is to catch the fish. In this case, it is clear that there is no distinction between a friend and an enemy since the two qualities are tied. The notion of econcentrism is clearly depicted by the desire of the fisherman to spare the life of the fish despite going for several days without success. The brotherhood between the two makes difficult to identify the roles of Santiago as a fisherman engaging in fishing for survival and the marlin that is supposed to provide income to the fishermen, thus the relationship connects to the themes of friendship, econcentrism, and unity.
The story represent the place of human within nature as Santiago and the marlin represent pride, bravery and honor. Similarly, the two are subjected to the same eternal law in which they must kill or be killed since the world is full of predators. The two are like brothers since none of them is willing to accept defeat easily. However, transcending the natural law is possible through battling the inevitable and in this case; Santiago considers the marlin worthy of a fight. According to Leopold's essay, the wilderness is attributed to the presence of modern civilization (265). He refers to the wilderness in a manner that makes it able to provide life to humans and thus, to make them responsible for the developments that the humans have achieved and can now boast of. He looks at the changes that the natural ecosystem has gone through because of humans’ activities. The text looks at the invasion of the land through human activities all across the world whether well intended, unintended or maliciously just as Santiago invades the sea aiming to catch fish for sale. The relationship between Santiago and the marlin depict eco-centrism that emphasizes on ecological wholeness versus reciprocity while avoiding victimization of the autonomy and plurality of living creatures on earth. The struggle between the two reveals a conflict that exists between man and nature for survival. The marlin and Santiago have heroic qualities although the former wins the battle. The word brother represents the idea of struggling to survive amid challenges in life. The old fisherman struggles to kill the fish while the latter struggles to survive and none of them is ready to give up “he said aloud. And keep awake and steer” (53). Therefore, they are facing similar challenges that brothers may face in life as they work hard for their survival. Finally, Santiago manages to kill the fish but sharks consume most of his catch during voyage to the shore.
The story also develops the theme of loneliness experienced by humans and animals on earth, which leads Santiago to befriending the big fish and referring it to as his brother. The old fishermen says “no one should be alone in their old age ... but it is unavoidable” (48). In the sea, the only company he has is the dolphins and other sea creatures and misses he boy. Santiago pities the marlin he has caught which indicates that he identifies more with the sea and the creatures living in it. Therefore, the longer he stays with the marlin the more closer he becomes to it and the affection grows yet he has to kill it. He claims that he loves the fish and respects it but he has to accomplish his mission of killing it (54). The writer focuses on the connections between Santiago and his natural environment, which include the sea, fish, the sky, and birds who are considered as brothers or friends. In life, success and failure are inevitable although they do not affect the fisherman’s unity with nature. Thus, Santiago sees himself as part of the natural ecosystem and instead of competing with it he embraces its beauty although he does not want to be defeated by misfortunes. Through his relentless and stoic nature, the novel shows the efforts a man must make to be successful in life but at the same time, putting into consideration the role to play to maintain a balanced ecosystem. Thus, Santiago repeatedly identifies the marlin as a brother, which indicates that humans and creatures have a common goal in life that relates to struggle for survival. The story highlights the need to conserve the ecosystem by man by creating an environment that promotes unity such as through preservation of endangered species and immature creatures.
The theme of heroism is evident from the relationship that forms between Santiago and nature. In this case, a hero needs continuous laboring to the end as depicted by the struggles between the fisherman and the fish. The two put great effort in achieving their goals and it is difficult to separate the role of each. Santiago maintains that he has to kill the big fish for sale but the latter struggles to free for survival (47). The author tries to emphasize on the importance of natural phenomena by lengthening the period man has to struggle to finally kill the fish. In addition, brotherhood between Santiago and the marlin is clearly depicted when the fisherman argues that the buyers are not worthy to consume the marlin. In this case, the marlin is presented as precious and deserving greater respect from the community especially consumers. In addition, Santiago realizes that by the time he reaches shore, the sharks have eaten most of the meat. The author wants to reveal the importance of creatures in the ecosystem and their interrelationship as a means of survival. Although Santiago loves the marlin and calls him brother, he kills him for pride for travelling very far in search for the big fish “beyond all people in the world to catch the marlin” (50). He therefore achieves outer and inner success and showing his heroism qualities over the fish. However, Santiago loses his most of his catch to other sharks that attack his catch, which reveals that other natural creatures have power over humans. The fact that Santiago calls the marlin his brother shows appreciation of love for nature. In this case, people should love their adversaries even if they must kill them as well as stop worrying about people’s views about personal weaknesses. Santiago reacts to every creature that he sees depending on the situation, character, and usefulness. He has great admiration for the marlin and its strength as well as endurance. Therefore, he has a reason to call the big fish his brother but despises jellyfish for being painful and treacherous. Other fish such as the sharks are stupid and scavengers thus he hates them. In this case, marlin is the only creature that qualifies as a friend. The marlin is an important opponent since Santiago considers it noble and strong although he sympathizes with its suffering. It is difficult to understand the roles of Santiago and the fish since both are strange, determined, and powerful in their unique ways.
In conclusion, the brotherhood between the Santiago and the marlin makes it difficult to identify the roles of Santiago as a fisherman engaging in fishing for survival and the marlin that is supposed to be a source of income to the fishermen. Sometimes, especially in times of hopelessness and dire distress, people often forget about the value of the ecosystem and exploit it for self-gains. For instance, the state of hopelessness and need to survive has made the fisherman to kill the marlin and sharks in the sea. However, he still expresses a lot of ecocentrism towards the animal. Since at some point he questions whether Marlin should be eaten. He kills sharks in an effort to safeguard the, marlin but eventually resigns to let the sharks eat him even though that was his only catch in a long time. By calling the fish his brother and establishing the friendship, Santiago’s actions support human value for nature in addition to developing some important themes in the novel.
Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 1952." New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, (1952).
Leopold, Aldo. A sand county almanac: With other essays on conservation from Round River. Outdoor Essays & Reflections, 1970.
