Santiago, the main character in The Old Man and the Sea, epitomizes a Jesus Christ figure, and Hemingway illustrates this through numerical proof. Manolin, the young man who goes fishing with Santiago is unable to fish with Santiago because his parents feel Santiago has poor luck after forty fishless days. "But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the was now and finally salao..." (Hemingway 9). Forty, an important number in The Old Man and the Sea and in the life of Jesus and the bible as well, Jesus teaches his disciples for forty days after his resurrection and Santiago teaches Manolin how to fish for forty days. "...Jesus stayed on Earth during the next 40 days and taught his disciples." (www.aolsvc.worldbook.com/cgi-bin/wbprint.exe 4). Hemingway uses the number forty in the novella, since the number clearly has importance in the life of Jesus, the number three also connects Jesus to Santiago. The third day after the death of Jesus he rose from the dead and came back to Earth, the fish also rose to the surface of the water on the third day. "On the third day, the fish rose and the old man speared and killed him. This refers to Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead, and then ascended to heaven." (www.albstudent.com/papers/English/hemmingway1.txt 1). The second day also exemplifies a connection between Jesus and Santiago. Both the followers of Jesus and Santiago pray on the second day of each of their situations. "On the second day, the old man anxiously awaited the rising of the fish to the top of the water. Santiago said ten Hail Mary's and ten Our Father's. On the second day after the death of Jesus, his follower's awaited his resurrection and prayed." (1). Numerical proof compels the belief that Santiago depicts a Christ figure.
             Ernest Hemingway applies physical evidence to portray Santiago as a Christ-like figure. &q...