Santiago as a Christ Figure On its surface, Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea tells the story of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who has been 84 days without a catch; Manolin, the young man who loves him; and Santiago's tremendous struggle with a gigantic marlin. ... Soon sharks appear, and the old man breaks his knife after he kills just a few. ... Although Hemingway himself said this Pulitzer-prize-winning novella is about a real man and a real fish, the book can also be read as a fable or allegory, a symbolic narrative with deeper, spiritual meanings. ... Teaching "...

• Word Count: 1677
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

The Great DiMaggio is a recurring theme and symbol throughout "The Old Man and the Sea," by Ernest Hemingway. ... Santiago sees what DiMaggio has gone through and sees the ideal man, the man in which Santiago was to model. ... Any man could do it. ... His sword was as long as a baseball bat and tapered like a rapier and he rose his full length from the water and then re-entered it, smoothly, like a diver and the old man saw the great scythe-blade of his tail go under and the line commenced to race out" (63). ... Santiago is not a religious man, but it is hard not to see the blatant religi...

• Word Count: 1342
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School