Q: Bring out the element of pathos in novel The Old Man and the Sea.
A note of pathos is struck in the very opening lines when we read that Santiago had been going to sea for eighty-four days without having been able to catch a fish. Manolin’s parents believe “that the Old Man was now definitely salao, which is the worst form of unlucky.” We also read that “it made the boy sad to see the Old Man come in each day with his skiff empty.” The sail of the old Man’s skiff now “looked (like the flag of permanent defeat.” A little later we read that many of the fishermen made fun of the Old Man but that he was not angry, However, some of the older fishermen felt sad at the Old Man’s plight. I t is obvious to us that Santiago’s greatness as a fisherman lies in the past.
The last section of the novel describes the Old Man's return to his shack and the reaction of the various people to his exploit. The whole of this short section is deeply moving- The Old Man’s journey up the hill, his having to rest several times on the way, his falling into a deep slumber, an examination of the marlin’s skeleton by the various fishermen on the seashore and, above all, the boy Manolin’s feelings on the occasion, these are all intensely poignant.
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