Biblical Influence and Symbolism in The Old Man and the Sea :: Old Man and the Sea Essays

Biblical Influence and Symbolism in The Old art object and the Sea   piecey times, stories by Ernest Hemingway have much religious influence and symbolism.  In The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, numerous occurrences in the life of capital of Chile the fisherman are similar to the incidents recorded in the life of deliveryman of Nazareth.  The names of the characters translated from Spanish to English are just one of those many similarities.             The characters in The Old Man and the Sea are in actuality, major figures in the New Testament.  Santiago is an old man, yet he had young eyes.  No depicted object how defeated he was, he would never show it and he would look on the brighter side of things.  In my mind, these traits make Santiago a god-like figure.  Manolin, which translates into Messiah, is Jesus (Stoltzfus qtd in CLC 13280).  Santiago is the father who teaches his symbolic son and disciple, Manolin.  After catching the largest marlin, Manolin will leave his parents in order to follow the teachings of Santiago, his master, just as Jesus did (Stoltzfus qtd in CLC 13280).  Pedrico is actually Saint Peter, Jesus closest apostle and a great fisherman (Wilson 50).  Peter helped Jesus fish for souls as Pedrico helped Manolin fish for food.  Santiago gives Pedrico the go of the mutilated marlin which symbolizes Saint Peter as head of the Christian church and the first Pope (Stoltzfus CLC 280).               In the story, there are many references to the crucifixion of Jesus.  Santiagos hard injured hands evoke the hands of the crucified Jesus and three other situations reinforce this theory (Brenner, The Old Man and the Sea, Story of a Common Man 37). First, Santiagos marlin is approached by a pair of shovel nosed sharks. Ay, he said out loud. (Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea 107)  Ther e is no meaning of Ay, simply perhaps it is the sound a man makes as his hands are nailed to wood (Brenner, The Old Man and the Sea, Story of a Common Man 38).                Next, at a time back on shore, Santiago climbs the hill to his shack, with the mast on his shoulder, falling several times (Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea 121).  This is an obvious reference to Christs struggle to turn out the cross up the hill Cavalry (Crossan, The Historical Jesus 163).