The Old Man and the Sea - The Marlin Symbolizes Inner Conflict??

The marlin has to be one of the most important characters in the book. Even though it is just a character in the story, I feel that it has a more broad meaning. The marlin serves somewhat of a symbolic purpose. Before I talk about that, though, I want to talk about what we do know about the marlin. In the end, we find that the marlin measures eighteen feet in length and Santiago is unable to pull him up into the boat. The marlin fights just as hard as the old man for the will to live and be free. He too is starving and becoming weak.  The marlin knows he is going to die, which is a pretty sad ending to a life.  The marlin was determined and never gave up until his final moments. Where have we seen this before? Right. In the old man. The old man and the marlin both gave equally good fights for their lives. The marlin wanted to live and was determined to fight for it. Santiago wanted to capture the fish for the self achievement and so that he could earn money and honor. Because both of them were so faithful to what they wanted, their efforts were equal, so for a long period of time there was no winner.

If you look at the marlin as if it was a symbol, you can see how he represents the conflict of the story. If you also notice how alike the marlin and the old man are, you can see that the fight with the marlin could represent an internal conflict for Santiago as well as an external one. As we read about in the beginning of the story, we learned that Santiago has been looked upon as an outdated old man who cannot catch a fish anymore. He has not been able to catch a fish for a long time, and the people around him (besides Manolin) believe that he is inadequate. This makes the man feel horrible about himself. When Santiago finally catches the marlin on his hook, he realizes that catching the fish is the only way he could prove the villagers wrong. As he fights to reel in the fish, he finds that he is fighting for his dignity and pride. He desperately wants to show everyone that he is not just an inadequate old coot that cannot fish anymore. Sadly, when he fails to bring back the fish in one piece, he feels that he has failed. He knew that he caught the fish, though, so he felt that he had beaten his inner conflict.

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