In many different books, religion often plays a variety of roles, whether it is a religious motif, symbol, parallel, or reference. Earnest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea shows much of these features. It is a story so simply written that it challenges the reader to "fish" for the religious parallels and symbols. The deeper you read, the more indirect references to Christianity and religion you find. The story of Santiago, the old man, involves many parallels to the story of Jesus Christ at different points throughout the story. Crucifixion imagery is used many times throughout the story.
In almost all of Earnest Hemingway's literature, he either puts a bit of his own life experience in or he lets his life influence the story. With the Old Man and the Sea, he draws much influence from his religious upbringing as a child. As a young child he was raised in a strict Protestant town and taught strong morals of the Christian faith. Almost as soon as he could, he immediately turned to atheism. Hemingway did not only not believe in God but regarded organized religion as a menace to human happiness (Great Minds: Atheist Quotes).
Hemingway's religious influences on the story are seen in the two religions mentioned in the book, Christianity and Atheism. During Santiago's struggle with the Marlin he states, "I am not religious, but I will say ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys that I should catch this fish" (Hemingway 64). Santiago not only states that he is atheist, but also mentions some of his superstitious beliefs.
Other than atheist references throughout the book, there are many more references and parallels to that of the Christian faith. The first reference comes at the beginning of the story when they talk about his first forty days out at sea with his young accomplice, Manolin. In those first forty days without a fish, Manolin's parents lost faith in the old man and forced him to go on a more successful boat (Hemingway 9).
