Endurance and Ecology: An Ecomasculine Reading of The Old Man and the Sea

This paper explores Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea from the perspective of eco-masculinity, an interdisciplinary approach that connects environmental ethics in relation to masculinity studies. The paper moves beyond the typical renditions of Hemingway’s stoic and stern men, it argues that Santiago embodies a humiliated, empathetic, and spiritual man of the natural world, with help from R.W. Connell, Hultman and Pulé, as well as ecofeminist views, the paper analyses Santiago’s relationship with the marlin, the sea and other creatures as a form of redefined, relational masculinity. By refusing traditional masculinity, this eco-masculine identity emphasises traits that include care and endurance in addition to a consciousness of the natural world. Using insights from eco-criticism, eco-feminism, and relational ethics, the paper provides a critique of the binary opposition between man and nature. The paper also contributes to the understanding of ecological masculinities and provides a careful analysis of The Old Man and the Sea, which relates literature to contemporary themes of the environment and gender.