Eco-Criticism of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea

n this article, we examine the eco-critical dimensions of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea by looking at the intricate human nature and nature relationship portrayed in the novella. The study makes use of eco-criticism as a framework to analyze Santiago’s relationship with the sea, the marlin, and the sharks to uncover a story that is set within an ecological ethics and environmental consciousness. Compared to modern fishing practices, Santiago’s respectful and intimate relationship with nature proves him to be an ecological genius and a philosopher of ethical hunting.It represents the personification of the sea as the “la mar”, which Santiago loved and revered and the giant marlin is an icon or symbol of beauty and dignity of the world around us. The portrayal of Santiago’s struggle with the marlin is not that of a quest for dominance, but of doing what was necessary in order to survive with admiration and respect. The existential theme of human struggle against an indifferent universe is shown in the way the novella represents the sharks as scavengers performing their ecological role, and therefore there’s no possibility to escape the inevitability of nature’s cycle.