What does the big fish symbolize in The Old Man and the Sea?

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Marlin

Magnificent and glorious, the marlin symbolizes the ideal opponent. In a world in which “everything kills everything else in some way,” Santiago feels genuinely lucky to find himself matched against a creature that brings out the best in him: his strength, courage, love, and respect.

The Lions on the Beach

Santiago dreams his pleasant dream of the lions at play on the beaches of Africa three times. The first time is the night before he departs on his three-day fishing expedition, the second occurs when he sleeps on the boat for a few hours in the middle of his struggle with the marlin, and the third takes place at the very end of the book. In fact, the sober promise of the triumph and regeneration with which the novella closes is supported by the final image of the lions. Because Santiago associates the lions with his youth, the dream suggests the circular nature of life. Additionally, because Santiago imagines the lions, fierce predators, playing, his dream suggests a harmony between the opposing forces—life and death, love and hate, destruction and regeneration—of nature.

The Shovel-Nosed Sharks

The shovel-nosed sharks are little more than moving appetites that thoughtlessly and gracelessly attack the marlin. As opponents of the old man, they stand in bold contrast to the marlin, which is worthy of Santiago’s effort and strength. They symbolize and embody the destructive laws of the universe and attest to the fact that those laws can be transcended only when equals fight to the death. Because they are base predators, Santiago wins no glory from battling them.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway takes place on the seas of Cuba and conveys the story of an old man who struggles with catching fish for 85 days. Santiago, an old fisherman, participates in literal battles throughout the span of the novella. Over the course of the story, Santiago goes up against a giant marlin that proves to be a feisty competitor, a group of vicious sharks vying for the marlin, and he is also challenged by the difficulty of transporting the mast of his skiff to his shack once he returns from his trip on the sea. With the usage of characterization and symbolism, Hemingway demonstrates Santiago’s tenacious persistence, in order to show that hard work doesn’t always result in a positive outcome. On his 85th day out to sea, Santiago encounters a marlin who resists his attempts at catching him leading to a two-day feud. Once Santiago makes it to sea he manages to get a strong and huge marlin to fall for his bait. This is reminiscent to another time of his life when he went a prolonged time with bad luck and wasn’t able to capture anything, but when he finally made a catch, it was a giant fish. Instead of the marlin allowing Santiago a quick kill, he fights back and refuses to stop swimming, dragging along Santiago’s skiff with him. In Santiago’s mind, he isn’t that bothered or worried about the fish putting up a fight thinking, “This will kill him… He can’t do this forever” (Hemingway 45). Santiago, though, couldn’t have been more wrong.

dorado (Spanish) gilding or gilt (literally); here a descriptive term for the golden dolphin. El Campeón (Spanish) The Champion. flying fish a warm-sea fish with winglike pectoral fins that enable it to glide through the air.

What does the old man find inside the dolphin?

Though he rested, he did not sleep, and he knew he needed to. Next, he slit open the dolphin and found two flying fish inside. The old man ate half of the dolphin and one of the flying fish.

What fish is in The Old Man and the Sea?

One of his most famous works, it tells the story of Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Cuba.

What kind of bird was in The Old Man and the Sea?

A small, tired warbler (a type of bird) lands on the stern of the skiff, flutters around Santiago's head, then perches on the taut fishing line that links the old man to the big fish.

What does Santiago decide after eating raw dolphin?

He decides that “everything kills everything else in some way.” Two hours later, a pair of shovel-nosed sharks arrives, and Santiago makes a noise likened to the sound a man might make as nails are driven through his hands.

The Old Man and the Sea | Short, Animation

What was the saddest thing the old man ever saw?

What was the saddest thing the old man ever saw? Once he hooked the female of a pair of marlin. The male fish stayed close to her all the time. When Santiago and Manolin brought her aboard the boat, the male fish stayed by the side of the boat.

What do the sharks symbolize in The Old Man and the Sea?

The Shovel-Nosed Sharks

As opponents of the old man, they stand in bold contrast to the marlin, which is worthy of Santiago's effort and strength. They symbolize and embody the destructive laws of the universe and attest to the fact that those laws can be transcended only when equals fight to the death.

What do the turtles symbolize in The Old Man and the Sea?

In addition, both of them do what they must to stay strong and survive, and stay determined to go on when life is rough. In conclusion, turtles are symbolic of Santiago throughout The Old Man and the Sea.

What type of fish does Santiago battle?

Convinced that his luck must change, Santiago takes his skiff far out into the deep waters of the Gulf Stream, where he soon hooks a giant marlin.

What does Santiago use for bait for the dolphin?

Rowing farther and farther out, Santiago follows the seabird that is hunting for fish, using it as a guide. Soon, one of the old man's lines goes taut. He pulls up a ten-pound tuna, which, he says out loud, will make a lovely piece of bait.

What does the lions symbolize in The Old Man and the Sea?

The lions symbolize Santiago's lost youth as well as his pride (a group of lions is called a "pride"). Santiago's love for the lions, which are fierce predators, also mirrors his relationship with the marlin, whom he loves but whose death he feels is necessary to his survival.

What does a blue marlin fish symbolize?

The Old Man and the Sea is rife with religious symbolism. The marlin is no exception. In addition to symbolizing redemption for Santiago's unlucky stretch of fishing, it also symbolizes redemption in a religious context. The marlin is a symbol for Christ and Communion, the symbolic ritual of The Last Supper.

What fish did the old man catch first?

What fish did the old man catch first? The first fish the old man caught was an Albacore.

Did the old man catch the fish?

The old man expertly hooks the fish, but he cannot pull it in. Instead, the fish begins to pull the boat.

What happened to the fish that Santiago kills?

The fish is very tired, and Santiago questions his own strength as well. The fish finally gets close enough for Santiago to use the harpoon, and the old man puts everything he possibly can into thrusting the harpoon through the fish's heart. The fish dies, and its blood pools out into the water around them.

What does the old man think of porpoises and flying fish?

What does the old man think of porpoises and flying fish, and the pair of marlin he had hooked before? He thinks of them as brothers in the natural world. Santiago often wishes the boy were there.

What second fish did the old man catch and what will he do with it?

What second fish did the old man catch, and what will he do with it? He caught a dolphin and saved it to eat later. Santiago tries to justify killing the big fish by thinking of how many people he will feed.

What is the importance of the fish in Old Man and the Sea?

At the beginning of the novella, it is revealed that the old man has gone 84 days without catching a fish. This means that for nearly three months, the old man, who is a fisherman, has been defeated by the sea. Toward the end of the novella, Santiago is once again bested by nature.

What does the boat symbolize in The Old Man and the Sea?

The mast of Santiago's little fishing ship does more than just resemble a cross, but symbolizes the sacredness of Santiago's perseverance and struggle. It illuminates Santiago as a Christ figure in 'The Old Man and the Sea'.

What does Joe DiMaggio symbolize?

DiMaggio represents the ultimate hero—young, skilled, strong, and resilient.

Why does the old man drink shark liver oil?

People on the coasts of Norway and Sweden have used shark liver oil for centuries to help heal wounds and treat respiratory and digestive illnesses, according to the American Cancer Society.

What animal symbolizes endurance?

Endurance: Sea turtles are one of the longest-living creatures, which makes them a symbol of endurance.

What does the harpoon symbolize in The Old Man and the Sea?

The lost harpoon

Santiago loses the harpoon as he fends off sharks, symbolic of individuals who lose their faith as life's woes attack. Much like Santiago without a harpoon, those without faith are defenseless.

What is the meaning of like a pig to the trough?

Constantly trying to focus on catching the fish.

What are Santiago's 3 dreams?

Lesson Summary

Santiago, the old fisherman in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, ponders youth and old age during his three-day fishing journey. Santiago dreams of lions, which symbolize youth, strength, and virility.

What is the fish in The Old Man and the Sea?

The Old Man and the Sea, short heroic novel by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1952 and awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It was his last major work of fiction. The story centres on an aging fisherman who engages in an epic battle to catch a giant marlin.

What are the symbols in The Old Man and the Sea?

In the novel The Old Man and the Sea the symbols which the researcher considers as individual symbols are the old man as a symbol of someone who has optimistic life, Manolin (the boy) as a symbol of hope, Joe Di Maggio as a symbol of strong desire, harpoon as a symbol of skill, bird as a symbol of help, marlin (great ...

Why did the old man refer to the fish as his brother?

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.

How does Santiago feel about the marlin What does it symbolize to him?

12. How does Santiago feel about the Marlin? He believes it to be a worthy opponent because it is strong and noble. He feels sympathy for the fish's suffering as well as for his own.