"He slept face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up" Santiago lay there restless, in exactly the same position that Christ hung on the cross. This passage from The Old Man and the Sea has been analyzed by multiple critics and they are certain that this is not a coincidence. Throughout the novel, we encounter enough evidence to confirm that Ernest Hemingway intended to portray Santiago as a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. The Old Man and the Sea resembles Christ's journey to Calvary through the actions of Santiago, the protagonist. To begin with, Santiago's resistance to defeat symbolizes the first Station of the Cross. The first station is the declaration of Jesus's execution. In accordance with Scripture,
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It symbolizes the general idea of the stations. On numerous occasions, the author writes of blood dripping down Santiago's face. "The fish made a surge that pulled him down on his face and made a cut below his eye. The blood ran down his cheek a little way. But coagulated and dried before it reached his chin." This description gives us a clear image of Christ's face as he endures the excruciating pain on the way to Calvary. Later on, the eleventh station is depicted when the Santiago confronts the first of the two sharks. ""Ay," he said aloud. There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just a noise such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hand and into the wood." This passage clearly refers to the crucifixion, when Christ was nailed onto the wooden cross. Towards the end of the novel, we see the connection to stations two, three, seven, and nine. When Santiago returns from his voyage he is forced to carry the mast back to his shack. "Finally he put the mast down and stood up. He picked the mast up and put it on his shoulder and started up the road. He had to sit down five times before he reached the shack." After reading this, the reader visualizes Jesus Christ carrying the cross on the road to Calvary. Furthermore, we can envision the three times that Christ collapses due to the difficulty of his
It symbolizes the general idea of the stations. On numerous occasions, the author writes of blood dripping down Santiago's face. "The fish made a surge that pulled him down on his face and made a cut below his eye. The blood ran down his cheek a little way. But coagulated and dried before it reached his chin." This description gives us a clear image of Christ's face as he endures the excruciating pain on the way to Calvary. Later on, the eleventh station is depicted when the Santiago confronts the first of the two sharks. ""Ay," he said aloud. There is no translation for this word and perhaps it is just a noise such as a man might make, involuntarily, feeling the nail go through his hand and into the wood." This passage clearly refers to the crucifixion, when Christ was nailed onto the wooden cross. Towards the end of the novel, we see the connection to stations two, three, seven, and nine. When Santiago returns from his voyage he is forced to carry the mast back to his shack. "Finally he put the mast down and stood up. He picked the mast up and put it on his shoulder and started up the road. He had to sit down five times before he reached the shack." After reading this, the reader visualizes Jesus Christ carrying the cross on the road to Calvary. Furthermore, we can envision the three times that Christ collapses due to the difficulty of his