Santiago And The Marlin Analysis

In Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, an unlucky angler named Santiago sets out on a boat to ascertain his luck and successfully reel in a marlin he finds. Most view Santiago as the main persona of the book, as the tale unfolds through his eyes. However, obstacles, circumstances and thoughts—those involving the old man and not—seem to revolve around one thing: the marlin he pursues. There is obviously no story without the marlin, but there is no Santiago without it, either. Firstly, the marlin mirrors Santiago. During their three-day-long battle at sea, Santiago projects himself unto the marlin, finding connections in what he and the marlin are experiencing together. Santiago imprints his nobility and persistence onto the marlin, believing it to be even nobler than him (“…they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and able.” Hemingway, 63.) With the marlin, Santiago sees all the things he sees in himself and wants to pass on. As the days continue, Santiago identifies and empathizes with the marlin; he recognizes that he was born to be an angler as the marlin was born to be a fish. The marlin’s persona is significant because the protagonist shares it and can view himself through the character of the fish he aims to capture. Although the marlin fulfills its role as the key persona through …show more content…
With the scenario written through his eyes, Santiago is undoubtedly the protagonist, but is his persona the most significant? Through thorough analysis of its character, the marlin presented itself as a mirror to Santiago’s identity and as an equal. Additionally, as every event revolves around the connection between Santiago and the marlin, the very notion of the story depends on the marlin’s existence. The marlin influences Santiago as a character and the main sequence of events in the story, therefore proving it is the key