The Old Man And The Sea: On Foreshadowing and Symbols

By Ma

In the previous articles, I provided my readers with a summary, narrative and writing style and the theme. As I have already dropped hints before, there are numerous symbols in the story. This time, I am going to explain why DiMaggio, the color of purple and the sharks are important symbols in The Old Man And The Sea.

DiMaggio

DiMaggio is mentioned in the beginning of the story for a few times. His personal life makes him a symbol of faith in the story. In 1934, he tore his ligaments and because of that he was almost compelled to give up his career as a professional basketball player. Fortunately, Scout Bill Essick convinced the New York Yankees that DiMaggio’s injury would be recovered and his club should give him a chance.

Since Scout Bill and DiMaggio have faith in DiMaggio’s future, the latter would be able to reach a new height in his career. Such an incident is parallel to the story of the old man, and thus is related to the theme – faith and fight for glory. DiMaggio acts as a symbol of faith.

Purple

Purple usually represents royal, nobility, power and ambition. It is very evident that the narrator uses purple to represent nobility and ambition. Before the marlin is hooked, the old man sees the sea in purple color, which symbolizes the ambition and the old man’s desire to succeed.

During the fishing process, the old man realizes that marlin has purple stripes on its sides. It represents the dream and ambition of the old man. However, after the old man has hauled and killed the marlin, the marlin ‘turns silver from his original purple and silver’. This is a good indication that the nobility and righteousness of the old man’s dream has lost. Consequently, the old man considers it as a sin. He loses his faith in his fishing dream which leads to his subsequent failure.

Sharks

This is a very straightforward symbol. Sharks symbolize hardship that hinders the old man from realizing his dream. They are also the old man’s catalysts for questing the faith. The story proceeds vividly and sharks are an important foreshadowing element, too. After the old man’s left hand is recovered, he says loudly, “Unless sharks come” and “If sharks come, God pity him and me”(p.68). Indeed, the sharks does not come, not until the marlin is killed and the blood attracts the first shark. The old man thus ‘foresees’ his encounter with the sharks.

Soon after he kills the marlin, he regrets it and begins to respect it like his brother. He temporarily loses his faith, which also leads to imminent hardship and the failure. It will be for the readers, however, to determine whether God pities the old man or not.

——————-END OF HEMINGWAY’S THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA SERIES—————–

Do you find other symbols or foreshadowing devices in The Old Man And The Sea. If you do, don’t hesitate and share your thoughts with us through the comments!

Reference:

Ernest Hemingway (1952). The Old Man and the Sea. Charles Scribner’s Sons. New York. [https://archive.org/details/oldmansea00hemi_1/page/n7/mode/2up]