Part IV: Can I get the formatting right? (I promise I don't mess it up on purpose)
First off, I would like to congratulate the seniors that participated in Battle of the Bands this year. It took us four, hard-fought years, but we did it. A special shout out to Larsen who was the Winter Carnival MVP in my opinion.
I'm pretty sure addressing the meaning of the work as a whole is one of the things we have to do, so I'm going to try my best to put something cohesive together. Here goes nothing.
Here's the one-sentence summary of the end of the book -- the man catches the fish, it is eaten by sharks, he makes it home and goes to bed. Riveting. I have discussed how this book is pretty much strictly metaphorical, which means there are a lot of angles to interpret from. The one that stuck out most to me is the man vs. nature narrative which provides the story's foundation. So if this is a man vs. nature story, what is Hemingway try to say about man and nature?
On the surface, you could say that he is arguing that man's place in the world should not be too deeply intertwined with nature. After Santiago spends three days facing this giant fish, he returns only with its carcass. It is the pride and ambition of the old man which lead him to this solemn end of his journey. His idea that "everything kills everything else in some way" embodies this concept that man is better than the senseless death of nature. Santiago went to sea to catch fish for societal purposes -- making money, expressing his talent, etc.; yet, at the end of the day, all he did was kill a big fish. Perhaps Santiago's journey on the sea was less of a journey and more of a regular stage in the unending, cyclical killing of nature.
Perhaps not, however. Despite the bleakness of what Santiago did out at sea, the chase and kill of the marlin gave life to a dying man. Even when sharks have completely mutilated the prized fish, the man assures himself that "a man can be destroyed but not defeated." Though Santiago is a poor, old, tired man, he continues fishing, even following his eighty-four-day dry streak. Why? Because, as he puts it, "fishing kills me as it keeps me alive."
Despite the lack of material gain from the man's triumphant catch, he still finds solace in his victory over the marlin as a worthy opponent in combat. During his battle with the sharks, he even uses a makeshift spear, a weapon wielded by the ancient Greek heroes (maybe I'm reading too much into that -- sometimes a cigar is just a cigar). This metaphorical imagery is extended with all the aforementioned Christ stuff which I've been slowly figuring out. The narrator very specifically describes how Santiago's scream sounds like that of a man "feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood." Subtle, Ernest.
If his battle with the fish is likened with Christ's crucifixion, then the entirety of his trip on the sea could be interpreted as a rebirth. While he has been "destroyed" by the journey, he has come out the other side an undefeated man, whose accomplishment symbolically comes to shore tailing his boat in the form of the massive fish carcass.
So does man's place in nature lie on the sea, or off it? I still don't know if that question is explicitly answered by Hemingway, but here's my take: we as people often distance ourselves from the natural world, preferring our place on the island of society. We harness it for our own gain, like a regular fisherman, yet don't like to think of ourselves as one with it. What Santiago's journey illustrates is that this intentional distance we like to place between nature and human society deprives us of an invigorating world which we are only one piece of. Santiago feels like an outcast amidst society on the island, but becomes a worthy warrior once he sails far out into the sea. Likewise, humans need to recognize that we are a part of nature, and are not more dominant than a marlin or bird.
Is this true? How would I know? I'm just a kid.
I'm pretty sure addressing the meaning of the work as a whole is one of the things we have to do, so I'm going to try my best to put something cohesive together. Here goes nothing.
Here's the one-sentence summary of the end of the book -- the man catches the fish, it is eaten by sharks, he makes it home and goes to bed. Riveting. I have discussed how this book is pretty much strictly metaphorical, which means there are a lot of angles to interpret from. The one that stuck out most to me is the man vs. nature narrative which provides the story's foundation. So if this is a man vs. nature story, what is Hemingway try to say about man and nature?
On the surface, you could say that he is arguing that man's place in the world should not be too deeply intertwined with nature. After Santiago spends three days facing this giant fish, he returns only with its carcass. It is the pride and ambition of the old man which lead him to this solemn end of his journey. His idea that "everything kills everything else in some way" embodies this concept that man is better than the senseless death of nature. Santiago went to sea to catch fish for societal purposes -- making money, expressing his talent, etc.; yet, at the end of the day, all he did was kill a big fish. Perhaps Santiago's journey on the sea was less of a journey and more of a regular stage in the unending, cyclical killing of nature.
Perhaps not, however. Despite the bleakness of what Santiago did out at sea, the chase and kill of the marlin gave life to a dying man. Even when sharks have completely mutilated the prized fish, the man assures himself that "a man can be destroyed but not defeated." Though Santiago is a poor, old, tired man, he continues fishing, even following his eighty-four-day dry streak. Why? Because, as he puts it, "fishing kills me as it keeps me alive."
Despite the lack of material gain from the man's triumphant catch, he still finds solace in his victory over the marlin as a worthy opponent in combat. During his battle with the sharks, he even uses a makeshift spear, a weapon wielded by the ancient Greek heroes (maybe I'm reading too much into that -- sometimes a cigar is just a cigar). This metaphorical imagery is extended with all the aforementioned Christ stuff which I've been slowly figuring out. The narrator very specifically describes how Santiago's scream sounds like that of a man "feeling the nail go through his hands and into the wood." Subtle, Ernest.
If his battle with the fish is likened with Christ's crucifixion, then the entirety of his trip on the sea could be interpreted as a rebirth. While he has been "destroyed" by the journey, he has come out the other side an undefeated man, whose accomplishment symbolically comes to shore tailing his boat in the form of the massive fish carcass.
So does man's place in nature lie on the sea, or off it? I still don't know if that question is explicitly answered by Hemingway, but here's my take: we as people often distance ourselves from the natural world, preferring our place on the island of society. We harness it for our own gain, like a regular fisherman, yet don't like to think of ourselves as one with it. What Santiago's journey illustrates is that this intentional distance we like to place between nature and human society deprives us of an invigorating world which we are only one piece of. Santiago feels like an outcast amidst society on the island, but becomes a worthy warrior once he sails far out into the sea. Likewise, humans need to recognize that we are a part of nature, and are not more dominant than a marlin or bird.
Is this true? How would I know? I'm just a kid.
Congrats on the Battle of the Bands win. I was very impressed, especially with Larsen's multiple musical talents.
ReplyDeleteI'm also impressed with your post, Henry. The formatting finally works (sorry I had to), and you've developed strong ideas about the novel's meaning and done so in an approachable way and with a clear voice. Nicely done.