Discuss the Sea as a living entity in the novel,‘The Old Man and The Sea"
Earnest Hemingway has depicted the sea as a living character in the novel. The Old Man and The Sea. He has attributed many characteristics of a man to the sea which prove it to be a living character in the novel.
The old man always thinks of the sea as feminine because in Spanish poetry the sea is treated as a woman. People call her La mar means feminine in Spanish when they love her. Santiago thinks that some of the younger fishermen call the sea as el mar which is masculine.
They speak her as a contestant or a place or even an enemy. So different people call her by different names but as living character.The sea also plays a role of a teacher in the novel.
It teaches the fishermen how to lead their lives and earn their livelihood.
It teaches the old man how to ask help from God at the hard time of life. It proves to be a moral teacher for the old man. The old man loved the sea because it housed his friends and enemies. The sea is as colourful and beautiful as land for him. The man thinks it to be his home. He says that one is never alone at the sea because the living creatures provide company.
The sea is also a source of livelihood for the fishermen and to every fisherman, it gives his share of fish to feed and live on. It supplies livelihood to fishermen as a benevolent father. Fishing is a trade or industry which depends on the sea. Santiago and other fishermen living in Havana depend on the sea for their livelihood. So we can say that the sea is a living character.
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