The Old Man and the Sea

Twice, Santiago uses his harpoon to kill a large fish. The first time, he raises it above his head, like a bullfighter in an arena, and thrusts it down, deep into the side of the marlin and through its heart. The second time, he uses it against a large shark that takes a big chunk out of the marlin’s flesh. This second use is more brutal, as Santiago drives it through the shark’s head. The shark jerks away and swims off to die, taking the harpoon with it and removing from Santiago’s limited armory his best weapon. Santiago jury-rigs a second harpoon by lashing his knife to an oar. That weapon, too, is soon lost, along with a makeshift club fashioned from an old oar handle. As his weapons are taken from him, he becomes like a torero who must defend with his bare hands a downed bull from the depredations of a raucous mob.

Like their relatives the swordfish and sailfish, marlins possess long, sword-like snouts and elongated dorsal fins atop their bodies. They are apex predators that can swim up to 60 miles per hour, grow to 15 feet or more, weigh up to a ton, and live as long as 20 to 30 years. Using their snout, they often hunt prey hundreds of feet beneath the ocean surface; this is where Santiago sets his bait lines. The marlin he hooks is gigantic, a magnificent creature that pulls on Santiago’s boat for two days before finally giving in. Like a deadly bull on the attack, the marlin demands of Santiago his very best effort if he is to survive and prevail. The marlin symbolizes the greatest challenges that people face during their lives: the ones that offer victory or death.