Homoerotic Undertones In Hemingway`S The Old Man And The Sea: A Study Of Santiago`S Desire For The Boy

Abstract

This study observes the psychological profundity and complexity of Santiago's association with Manolin, a young character in Ernest Hemingway’s famous novel The Old Man and the Sea, concentrating on the homoerotic undercurrents that can be construed from their relations. Santiago, a wife-less and elderly chap, is extremely secluded, and his friendship to the boy mirrors not only a longing for company but also an expression of suppressed bodily, emotional and physical desires. The study proposes that Santiago's wish for Manolin exceeds the role of a mentor-mentee affiliation. Rather it reveals a primary wish for physical relations. As a result of his solitude and the absence of female relations, Santiago’s love for the boy can be seen as an exhibition of his hidden and suppressed sexual needs. By revealing this aspect, the research suggests that the association between Santiago and Manolin presents perception into the intricacies of human needs, the search for contentment, and the emotional workings of aloneness in old age, without violating the boundaries of the text's explicit themes.