The Sea acts as the main setting of the novel, and is
shown as an uninvolved force of nature, not concerned with the actions of the living
things in and above it. The deep depths are a matter of concern for Santiago, as he
fears the marlin will dive and either snap the line or sink the skiff, and as he travels
farther from shore, Santiago worries about returning home safely. The Sea helps him,
soothing his burning hands, but also hinders him, hiding sharks that attack his
catch:
They
came in a pack and he could only see the lines in the water that their fins made and
their phosphorescence as they threw themselves on the fish. He clubbed at heads and
heard the jaws chop and the shaking of the skiff as they took hold
below.
(Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea, Google
Books)
Every action Santiago
takes is informed by his experience on the sea, and he doesn't resent it for its
uncaring nature, just accepts that it is more powerful than he is and that he should be
wary and grateful that he can survive on its surface. Without the vast sea, the story
would just be "The Old Man," and so have no impetus. His mastery of sea fishing is his
drive; the sea itself is his destination; the fish in the sea are his goal; in the end,
Santiago defeats the sea in staying alive, but leaves part of himself behind, deep in
its rolling waves.
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