In the novel The old Man and the Sea, Hemingway uses symbolism to help the readers understand the message he is trying to portray. The Old Man and the Sea isn't just a book about a simple fisherman who battles wit a fish. There are many hidden meanings the represent something else. For example, the marlin represents strength and our battles in life. Santiago's dreams about the lions represented lost youth and the loss of strength. Lastly Santiago symbolized a Christlike figure.
The marlin in Hemingway's novel The old Man and the Sea represented many different things. The fish symbolized strength because of the struggle he put up with Santiago. Since Santiago ended up tricking the marlin, Santiago saw the fish as more noble in his mind. This made Santiago realize that the fish was one of our "brothers." Another thing the marlin could represent is the big struggle everyone goes through in life. People can often can go out to far in life such as Santiago did at sea. When you reach the goal that doesn't mean your journey has ended. Once Santiago got the marlin hooked he still had to bring the fish home. Bringing home the fish brought further complications from the Sharks. The Sharks could represent people who try to tear you down or put you down for your success.…show more content… Even if the lions in Santiago's dream represented his decreasing strength along with his lost youth. When Santiago needed strength he thought about the dreams he's had and they seemed to put something in his mind that told him to just keep pushing forward. He just kept thinking keep up the work and don't stop. The lions could also represent pride. Santiago took pride in the fishing skills he thought he had and was able to block out the people putting him down. However, Santiago knew that too much pride wasn't good. Santiago was humble with being proud, because he knew that it was good to be