Role of Manolin in The Old Man and the Sea

In ‘Of Grammatology’ Jaques Derrida writes that a supplement is not something extra that is added to something complete in itself. According to him, a supplement is not required to something that is complete in itself. Hence, a supplement exposes the ‘originary lack’. In terms of binary structure, the second exists so as to fill in the ‘originary lack’ of the first. In The Old Man and the Sea, the role of Manolin can be analysed from this point of view. The novella circles around the old man who stands on the edge of the precipice. However, the boy Manolin is a functional character who is required technically because it is through him that we come to know about the old man’s experiences. He is also the source of hope for Santiago. The name ‘Manolin’ is the fond diminutive of Manuel which is the name of the Messiah. He is a never-failing companion to Santiago providing him with hope and confidence. When the old man is cast down, the boy boosts his spirit. When he is zonked, the boy refreshes his mind with beer and hot coffee. Thus, Manolin exists to fill the void in Santiago’s character. He always takes special care of him: “When the old man sleeps in the chair he overs him with a blanket, goes out and comes back with supper. When the old man refuses to eat, he cajoles him into eating. He has brought black beans and rice, fried bananas, and some stew and two beer bottles from the Terrace.”

Manolin is a faithful apprentice. Santiago taught him the skill of fishing when he was about five years old. He is an affectionate soul. Though he is forced by his parents to leave Santiago because of his unluckiness, the warmth of love never cools down:

It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the faff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast. (2000:103)

Their mutual love rises above the barriers of age and blood that speaks volumes for their unfeigned hearts.

   Manolin is the only connection by which Santiago communicates with the mundane world. Santiago gets the information about the real world through the boy. P.G. Rama Rao observes, “The boy is not only a source of energy to the old man but his connection with the world- in short, his world. Hence, if he has to prove something it is to the boy (2012:103)”. Their conversation about the imaginary pot of yellow rice and fish is indicative of their closeness. They go through this fiction every day. This is a gesture to put at bay the harsh encroachment of reality.

   The old man tries to initiate him in this field through various methods. He tries to create him in his image. From the age of five when Manolin joined Santiago, the latter tried to impart his philosophy. Like a proper ‘Guru’ Santiago never dons the mantle of a preacher. He lets Manolin acquire the necessary attributes of a fisherman naturally without any intervention from him. When Manolin requests to Santiago whether he can procure some sardines for him, Santiago demurs and replies, “No, Go and play baseball. I can still row and Rogelio will throw the net.” Baseball is one of the ways of initiating Manolin into the ‘experienced’ world. Though this game he will learn manliness, determination and endurance. This shows that Santiago’s philosophy is not cliché; it is profound. It is not nomothetic but idiographic. Life at the sea is no pastoral idyll; it is a space hedged in with numerous adversities. Therefore, a properly-built mind is a necessary prerequisite to learn the craft of a fisherman. This education cannot be transferred overnight but requires years to learn. In the end Santiago bequeaths his spear with which he killed Marlin to the boy. This is a symbolic transference of the old tradition to the new. The spear is an emblem of legacy. Readers can decipher that after Santiago’s death Manolin will step into the shoes of his ‘Guru’ and carry on the endless struggle between man and nature, a process that is endless.

  While playing the tug-of-war with Marlin, Santiago thinks of Manolin again and again. He exclaimed, “I wish I had the boy.” On a superficial plane, this desire can be analysed as a cry for help, a desire for human support. But probed deeply, it might reveal the other side of the truth. Santiago is no ordinary fisherman. As a ‘Guru’ he wants that Manolin should acquire the first-hand knowledge about the real world. The encounter with the giant Marlin could have been an excellent opportunity for the boy to learn the basics of the fight: courage, commitment, sangfroid and discipline. The teacher-taught relationship could have reached its acme of culmination, an ideal moment of fruition.

    The old man depends upon Manolin in another respect as well. The expression ‘I wished, I had the boy with me’ is a kind of magical incantation which, when uttered, boosts up the confidence of Santiago. He feels the stir of new vitality as though some of the strength of youth was racing in his veins and sustaining him though the moments of crisis. Like the dream of lions, the image of Manolin is a foundation of courage. When the old man has to feed himself on raw fish to keep body and soul together and to replenish his fund of energy and strength to cope with the ordeal that he has deliberately brought upon himself, he thinks of the boy.

  While unfolding the character of Manolin Hemingway seems to have followed the method of the behavioral psychology. Behaviorism as a branch of philosophy rejects introspective method and tries to interpret behavior by measuring observable behaviors. This branch of philosophy originated in the U.S.A. in the early twentieth century by John Bradus Watson. Hemingway, influenced by this model, presents Manolin’s actions rather than examining his thoughts. His actions are indicative of his unconditional love for Santiago. The narrator does not depict Manolin’s sadness but delineate his actions that corroborate his unbounded affection for Santiago.

Works Cited:

Ghosh, Tapan Kumar (ed). The Old Man and the Sea. Kolkata: G.J. Book Society, 2000.

Rao, P.G. Rama. The Old Man and the Sea. New Delhi: Atlantic, 2012.

Singh, R.N. The Old Man and the Sea. New Delhi: Atlantic, 1999.