The Marlin of The Old Man and the Sea

While reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, many people may be surprised that one of the most significant characters in the story does not have one line dialogue throughout the story, and is not even a human being. This very important character is the marlin that Santiago catches in an attempt to end his unlucky fishing streak (Hemingway 44). The marlin is described as being over a thousand pounds and longer than Santiago's boat (Hemingway 97). He is also a light silver color with purple stripes (Hemingway 90). He has huge eyes and a large sharp scythe like tail (Hemingway 90). Santiago describes the marlin as being beautiful and noble in disposition (Hemingway 92). The marlin's character is described as being confident and strong-willed (Hemingway 84). The main role the marlin has in The Old Man and the Sea is that of the martyr. He is killed by Santiago who desperately needs to catch a fish, since he has not caught one for eighty-four days (Hemingway 94). Despite the love that Santiago feels for the majestic marlin, he must sacrifice the fish for his own gain (Hemingway 94). It is very sad to see the marlin die from Santiago's harpoon, but this is only an event that leads to the fish becoming a martyr. He becomes a martyr when his body, which is tied to Santiago's boat, is attacked by sharks (Hemingway 100). It was incredibly heartbreaking for both the reader and Santiago to see the marlin and his dignity shredded by the merciless sharks. While the sharks too need to eat to survive, it did not have to be the marlin that was already deceased and could not fight back. The brutal attack was the marlin's final humiliation, and is what makes him the victim of the story instead of Santiago. The marlin's only mistake was eating the sardines off Santiago's hook. Santiago's mistake was killing something he loved, then not being able to protect it once the sharks arrived to destroy his "brother's" dignity.

Bibliography:Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. 2003 ed. New York: Scribner, 1952. Print.