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.
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