“But man is not made for defeat… A man may be defeated but not destroyed.” These eternal lines from Hemingway's novel, The Old Man and the Sea, reflect the strong Christian motif of hope and resurrection that is present as a strong undercurrent in the novel. The use of Christian symbolism elevates the text to the level of an allegory, almost a parable about the indomitable will of man that manages to remain undefeated, even in the midst of earthly losses. Therefore, God exists in the novel not in the form of Immanent Will, neither benevolent nor malevolent, but it is man's struggle in the manner of the passion of Christ that commands the greatest meaning and not the result of that search. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Christian symbolism that pervades throughout the text is prominently aimed at Santiago to delineate him as a modern Christ who keeps pace with his faith towards his struggles. In fact, Hemingway writes that the old man continues to suffer from headaches and spitting blood while fighting with the marlin which is very reminiscent of Christ's pain during the crucifixion. In fact, his passion finds a direct reference when the novelist says: "Yes... feeling the railing pass through his hand and into the wood..." This feeling is recreated when Santiago reaches his bed with "arms outstretched" and the "palms of his hands his hands up". All this reflects a Christ-like perseverance on the part of the old man and his transcendence towards the knowledge of life and existence on the sea of ​​"being". The fish also constitutes a very legitimate symbol of Christ carrying the philosophy of sacrifice. -sacrificed phenomenon, leading to acceptance of the Trinity. Joseph Waldman observes: "the phenomenon closely parallels the sacrifice of the Roman Catholic mass, in which a fusion of the man-priest with Christ takes place..." The repeated use of the numbers three, seven and forty, as the old one, goes without The number of eighty-seven days reminds readers of these key numbers of the New Testament, revealing the passion of Christ over such a long period of time. The reference to the forty days finds a parallel in the Christian liturgical calendar where the intermediate period between Ash Wednesday and Ascension Thursday is forty-four days. This actually indicates the extreme struggle that Santiago has to undergo, almost like in Pentecost, but in the end he emerges undefeated. The time frame of the “salao” phase of eighty-seven days followed by three weeks of fruitfulness (after the capture of the Marlin) for Santiago suggests the liturgical mystery of the Incarnation as it commemorates the affirmation of Christ as the son of God. Likewise, in Hemingway's parable, Santiago establishes himself as the hero incarnate: "Maybe I'm not as strong as I think... But I know many tricks and I have resolution." It clearly seems that Manolin's faith in Santiago is based on the three-week miracle, which he calls the "great anecdote" just like Christ's life on earth, as described in the Gospels. The old man responds to this praise from Manolin by saying, “It couldn't happen twice,” underlining the uniqueness of his incarnation. The importance of all this is to be found in the theological concept according to which only through the Incarnation of Christ can his sacrifice have redemptive value for humanity. In Hemingway's parable, the “great record” is juxtaposed with Santiago's three days of struggle on the sea, followed by his spiritual triumph that gives more meaning to his earlier redemptive virtues. The three-day period of struggle leading to Santiago's apparent defeat has been compared by many critics to the Mystery of the Redemption, especially when the.