The Old Man and the Sea, Hopelessness and Christian Faith
I recently read The Old Man and the Sea one more time. This is a fascinating book for more than one reason. It is well written. It raises existential issues of universal interest, and it exalts love as a virtue that needs no explanation. And yet, it conveys a hopelessness and unrest that, in the end, leaves the reader with a bittersweet taste.
Since the work of art cannot be separated from the artist, I would venture to say that this author projects some of his struggles and philosophical concerns in the main character of his book, Santiago. Although he never announced it publicly, Hemingway was an atheist. [1] His atheism took the form of an existentialism in line with Albert Camus, with whom he shared the idea of the absurdity of existence. Hemingway and Camus believed that there was no ulterior purpose to existence, no absolute truth, no creator, and no life after death. The angst caused by this hopelessness would naturally lead to suicide, but Camus proposed another option: to fight the absurdity of existence by doing our duty with dignity and courage, even knowing that our fight has no other purpose than to give us a reason to continue living. This idea is expressed in his philosophical essay, The Myth of Sisyphus, published in France in 1942. The gods decided that Sisyphus would push a rock up a mountain and, upon reaching the top, the rock would roll down again, leaving Sisyphus to start over. That was his punishment but also his way of cheating death. Santiago’s fight with the fish—and later with the sharks—conveys the same idea as Sisyphus's struggle with the rock. Alone, Santiago fights a losing battle in a sea that is cruel and indifferent and where God is absent.
Loneliness and the absence of God occupy a prominent place in Hemingway’s book. Loneliness is punctuated by the countless times the old man expresses his wish that the boy be with him:
“I wish I had the boy”, the old man said aloud... Then, he said aloud, “I wish I had the boy. To help me and to see this…” “I wish the boy was here,” he said aloud… Aloud he said, “I wish I had the boy.” “But you haven't got the boy,” he thought. “You have only yourself…” “I wish the boy were here and that I had some salt,” he said aloud… “If the boy were here, he could rob it (his hand) for me and loosen it down from the forearm,” he thought… “If the boy was here, he would wet the coils of line,” he thought. Yes, if the boy were here. If the boy were here. [2]
On the other hand, the absence of God is recreated with irony and humor through a sudden outburst of religiosity exhibited by the old man. In the midst of his almost unbearable struggle with the fish, Santiago promises to say ten Hail Marys and ten Our Fathers if he catches it. Then, when results are not yet apparent, he increases his promise to one hundred Hail Marys and one hundred Our Fathers:
“I am not religious,” he said. “But I will say ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Marys that I should catch this fish…” “Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord is with you”… Then he added, “Blessed Virgin pray for the death of this fish. Wonderful though he is…” “God help me endure. I'll say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I can't say them now…,” etc. [3]
To the painful hopelessness of atheistic existentialism I’d like to counterpose the hope of our Christian faith. Believing in God completely changes our perception of reality and existence, as Katherine Sonderegger says:
If God is Real, nothing is as before. For there is a Mystery that Lives, that is—Who is!—the Source of Reality and is Reality Itself. The One Lord God manifests Himself, communicates and radiates the Light He is, His own Unique Subjectivity as Object. He sets aside and remakes our categories, our forms of thought. This is not to say He is irrational, no. The Reality of God is supremely Rational: He is Logos, Utter Sheer Truth, and Reason. But Almighty God just is there. [4]
Faith in a God who loves us to the point of sacrificing his own Son to save us from spiritual destruction is not only thrilling but also transforming, firstly of ourselves, and then of the painful reality that surrounds us. Faith in God help us to understand that the current chaos, pain, and evil prevailing in the world are temporary, and that there will be a day when all things will be renewed in Christ:
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4 [NIV])
Faith in God gives meaning to our life and provides us with the emotional and spiritual strength necessary to endure the harshest realities. That is why, “we do not lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:16a) and “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1Thess. 4:13b).
1. In his book A Farewell to Arms, he states: “All thinking men are atheists” (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1957), 8.
2. All quotes are taken from The Old Man and the Sea (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1952), 45, 48, 50, 51-52, 56, 62, 83.
3. Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, 64-65, 87.
4. Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), 36.
