Admissible Reparations

The truth, however masked or denied, is as TS Elliot puts it, “hell is oneself, hell is alone, and the other figures in it are merely projections”. Each and every person has the ability to choose his own actions, and therefore must be responsible for their consequences. Of course, the others in this ‘personal hell’ may have physically or mentally injured us; but that does not mean that we should, in this, result living in hell, but can rather choose to live in paradise. Take injustice, the easiest way to allow our lives to turn into sheer nightmare. Inequality, or discrimination happens in our society, purely because that one is of a different nationality, different status, different abilities and talents; to the point even when appearance could be taken in and laughed at. Injustice is everywhere, and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it entirely; as Kino from The Pearl (Stein) and Santiago from The Old Man and The Sea (Hem), the two protagonists from the respective novellas experiences. The former lives in poverty, right next to palaces; and the other has not, being a fisherman, caught any fish for a continuous eighty four days. These unfortunate events, however, is only the basis for their undeserved discrimination. Such happenings contribute to creating a ‘living hell’ towards the both men; it is only a place among internal conflict, pain and hardship that makes the protagonists who they are in the end. Both Kino and Santiago, strive for self respect to break the injustice that society forces onto them creating an illusion of a “living hell” while still coping with their struggle between internal and external conflicts. Immediately in The Pearl, the reader plunges in a world of absolute poverty; an entire village of dirt, littered with whimsy houses and fences made from brush, and teeming with tiny insects and creatures. Living in such an environment, it brings an obvious message compared to the nearby city of villas and palaces; that living in an said ideal environment with standards set by society immediately grants one certain rights and privileges. In the village Kino lives in, it lacks anyone of professional standards, which is sorely needed. Coyotito, Kino’s first born son, was sleeping when a scorpion “fell on the baby’s shoulder, landed and struck” (Stein 5). Such an living arrangement is not suitable for anyone, however, no one steps in to help. They, people with less fortunate financial support is to live with starving dogs and pigs, that, in a wild manner, “search endlessly for any dead fish or sea bird that may have floated in" onto the dirty, yellow stained beach next to the brush houses" (Stein 14); where the inhabitants in the "city of stone and plaster" (Stein 8) are bequeathed with the luxury of pets that reside in secret gardens with the singing of caged birds. For Santiago, in The Old Man and the Sea, his living situation does not immediately jumps out. Further in the novella, he is the very picture of an unsuccessful fisherman, without a cast net and suitable amount of baits and even food; but most important of all was the lack of fish he could catch. His friend Manolin, a young boy, who provides Santiago with all his bare necessities- meals, coffee and beer, companionship. He even scolds himself of being thoughtless as he remembers that winter is approaching, and that he should "get him another shirt and a jacket... some sort of shoes and another blanket" (Hem 21). This is extremely different from "the successful fisherman of that day were already in and had butchered their marlin out" (Hem 11). They must had other members to accompany them and help in case of troubles, or just the sake of company; whereas Santiago's only company was seabirds of sorts, the fish and himself, as no one dare to go with him, fearing that, like Manolin's parents says, "the old man was now definitely and finally salao" (Hem 1). The fishermen were all scared that Santiago's 'worst form of unlucky' would pass onto themselves if they went fishing with him. While Kino's hut was full of damp air, had a fire pit that was lighted and the structure made of brush; Santiago had a shack with tough royal palm on the outside, with only pictures as decoration on the brown fiber walls, cracks for breeze and it was dark. Kino and Santiago lacks basic needs of what is needed for survival, and yet the amount of help is bare minimal. This is the start of the injustice that the protagonists face, the start of their self-made hell; and as William Henley romanticizes, "beyond this place of wrath and tears, looms but the horror of the shade".

According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: Eighth Edition, the word 'injustice' is described as "a situation being unfair and of people not being treated equally; and unfair act or treatment." The said situations and people are seen throughout The Old Man and the Sea and The Pearl, from the very beginning till the end. There is, of course, the obvious one, the prejudices against a race. Kino, being a colored poor pearl diver, was bottom on the social ladder. Having to use physical strength at work was looked down on compared to other professions such as being a priest or a doctor. It didn't have anything to do with how skilled they were; the doctor in The Pearl had "(made)clumsy abortions... his corpses go into the church..." (Stein 9) Being Mexican, Kino knew of the prejudices belonging to the doctor's race, that they were thought as and talk to "as though they were simple animals" (Stein 9). Just because they had colored skin, and the appearance different; they were "beaten and starved and robbed and despised" (Stein 9), and this inequality had led to others, as the base of where all injustice. When the doctor was in needed to help Coyotito, who was stung by a scorpion, he refused to come. Even when Kino and his family went to him, he refused to come out by stating that he had "better to do than to cure insect bites for 'little Indians'" (Stein 11) and that as Kino had no money, the doctor would not help as he was "supposed to work for nothing- and I am tired of it" (Stein 11). Another inequality is formed on this- why doesn't Kino's village have their own doctor? Just because they are not rich or "white", they too are humans and need help and treatment when required. It is then shown the Doctor was later with a woman "whose illness was age, though neither she nor the doctor would admit it" (Stein 22). He would rather spend time with a person who couldn't be helped any more, just because she has money, than a baby whose life was in danger. This shows how prejudiced the Doctor's race was. Furthermore, Kino's race was taught to remain at their place in society, no matter how low it was and the disadvantages it brings. The priest even makes a speech each year, on how that every person was sent by God in order to "guard some part of the castle of the universe... And some are far deep in the darkness of the walls. But one must remain faithful to his post and must not go running around" (Stein 46), to discourage the colored race in gaining power. In fact, it was described as who would leave their "post" would receive great punishment. And as seen through Kino and Juana, who was religious that prayed and believed in gods, the village would too be superstitious and believe what a man of power in the Church may say. This results that even though that Kino wants to break through this hell he lives in, the door to freedom is set very high; similar to the opening in the well, where water try to ‘climb’ out against the smooth stones.

However, in The Old Man and The Sea, where unlike The Pearl, most of the injustice was based on ignorance due to limited understanding from the lack of education; this novella provides a more abstract way in describing in describing inequality. True, at the very start, an obvious injustice was how the fishermen that drank in The Terrace with Santiago and Manolin "made fun of the old man...the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad" (Hem 11). They were valuing him on his current situation, than his past catches and skill after years of experience. Even though Santiago had not caught any fish for an continuous eighty four days while his friend Manolin caught three good fish in a week, he was still a superior fisherman, for at sea he "kept his lines straighter than anyone did... and there would be bait waiting exactly where he wished it to be..." (Hem 32). His sail was worn, and looked like "the flag of permanent defeat" (Hem 9) it did not bother him, nor what the fishermen were talking about his, as he has faith in himself; his reactions were entirely different from Kino, for when the Doctor refused to see his son, he struck the gate with "a crushing blow with his fist" (Stein 12). Both men were different, as although an injustice, Santiago did not let it affect his mood or contribute to building his ‘hell’, but rather set out to prove himself; whereas Kino thought it was a great insult to his son and race and thus going deeper in his ‘living hell’. Later on in the novella, Santiago, at sea, finally ended his eight four days of not catching any fish by hooking in a great marlin. It was unjust for an old man, however strong he is, to catch a humongous fish by himself. Other fishermen had a crew to assist in the fishing; it was virtually impossible to bring down a large fish by oneself, let alone a great marlin which, to Santiago, "the biggest fish that he had seen and bigger than he had ever heard of" (Hem 69). However, he knows that he would have to single handedly kill the marlin, in order to rebuild his own self respect to prove to the fishermen in his hell that he was still capable of fishing. Another injustice is that after a few days of the marlin towing the skiff, Santiago started to pity the hooked fish. He thought of it as "wonderful and strange and who knows how old he is" (Hem 48). He had deduced this by the marlin's actions- how it was "too wise to jump" (Hem 48) and is said to be a true male, that took the bait and pulled the skiff; then is compared to a pair of marlin, who made "wide, panic-stricken, despairing flight" (Hem 49) with the great marlin, whose flight "had no panic in it" (Hem 49). Later on, the great marlin is said to be "(fish is) my friend too" (Hem 75), and later promoted to the ranks of being his own brother. Is there no greater injustice than having to kill someone that you truly admire and regard as your own kin?

In their hearts and mind, Kino and Santiago faced struggles between their internal and external conflicts; the forces of the heart and the mind, that left them in turmoil. In The Pearl, Kino was graced with the unfortunate gift of both injustice and conflicts that surrounded him and his family. It broke his relationship with Juana, his wife, the one out of the two people that he truly loved and deeply relied on. After finding "the greatest pearl in the world" (Stein 19), Kino set his priorities onto the pearl and this changed his behavior towards everyone. Kino, when asked by his wife, replied that he feared everyone, as they may steal the pearl for their own gain. He, at that time, did not that the term 'everyone' included his own wife; which he then had to make a difficult choice, as when Juana told Kino that “the pearl is evil. Let us destroy it before it destroys us. Let us crush it between two stones. Let us- let us throw it back in the sea where it belongs. Kino, it is evil, it is evil” (Stein 57) he ignored her. He was too overcome with the possibility of destroying the hell he lived in that he would do anything, that "(they) will have (their) chance" (Stein 57). The next morning, Juana decided to secretly take the pearl away on her own- to not steal it for her own gain but rather for Kino's sake, because she loved him. When Kino realized what his wife was doing, he was torn by his raging conflicts. He knew, in his heart, that Juana wanted the best for him and that the pearl was turning corrupt; but he said "I would face this thing. I will win over in" (Stein 57), and the temptation of redeeming himself to a position in society where he would be considered as "equals" where too great in his mind. Overcome by the prospect, Kino's "brain was red with anger (Stein 58) and "wrenched the pearl" (Stein 59) from Juana then beat her as his wife "fell among the boulders" (Stein 59). This he all did, and his self respect was gone as he physically lashed out at his wife; and with the lack of self respect, it was impossible to break the injustice that was formed around him, even if he had the pearl at the end.

The conflicts that makes Santiago life a miserable hell was found when he was sitting in a skiff, waiting for a fish to get hooked, to break his eighty four days of going back home empty. As he caught a marvelous fish, a great marlin, it seemed that his injustice and conflicts had ended. However, it turned out to be the very opposite- he had to face more struggles than before. Overtime, while he was being towed by the great fish, Santiago has come to the terms that he had a profoundly deep respect for the marlin, as it was a “more noble and more able” character than most men. Later on, this friendship turned into brotherhood, “they are our brothers like the flying fish" (Hem 48). In the line of these thoughts, Santiago only had a brief struggle between his internal and external feelings. In his mind, he knew that he was truly amazed and awed at the sheer greatness and glory that the marlin radiated. He respected the marlin, and he considered it as his equal. However, in his heart, Santiago wanted to prove that he was truly a fisherman, despite his age, to the people that mocked and jeered at him, or looked at him in pity. In fact, these little actions or words did not turn into bricks that built his hell even higher, but rather it was something that motivated him. This was why he did not let go or give up when he found out who his opponent was, he would die trying. At the end, his heart won out, and Santiago claimed that he would kill the marlin; but we can see his mind at work, trying to go against his heart, as “I’ll kill him though... although it is unjust, he thought” (Hem 66). And that is the only true purpose he has in killing his own friend and brother, as in his mind, aside from himself “there is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behaviour and his great dignity” (Hem 75); and this is the only reason he killed the fish, while destroying an injustice that had landed his way.

Together, Kino and Santiago tried their best to change their injustice filled life with raging conflicts that happen between their hearts and their minds, to make their life a better place to live in, to destroy their self-made hell. Kino was unfortunate enough to be overcome with the prospects of being part of society where he would be treated equally, that he concentrated on the fastest way possible to achieve the goal, which at the end was only one of the many illusions generated by the pearl. His world started to fall apart- his son was killed by himself, he murdered people, his relationship with his wife was crumbling. The great pains and troubles that he went to, to take down this injustice induced hell and solve the conflicts were for naught. For Santiago, when the novella wraps up its ending, was quite different. True, when he was coming back to his village, the sharks tore his precious marlin apart- even though he had begged God not to and prayed many prayers. Santiago had watched them, helplessly, as he had no weapons left to face the sharks, and injustice he had to see for the rest of his life, the skeleton reminding him of the events. However, he had proved to the world that although old, he was still a more than capable fisherman, with a skeleton of a great marlin to prove. This overcame one of his aspects of injustice, which was one more than Kino. Like the varying difference between the protagonists in the novellas, the amount of self respect that they had left in the end was entirely different from each other too. Santiago was blessed, even though it came as a form of injustice at the beginning, when he hooked in a marlin. This blessing extended as he came back, he had received his dignity back through catching a great fish in the lapse of eighty four days. Kino, on the other hand, all his acts were selfish and with despicable, that ended in tearing his self respect apart. He had throughout the novel repeatedly say that he was a man. However, the way he says it, with “‘believe me,’ he said. ‘I am a man.’ And his face grew crafty” (Stein 57). It was said as if he wanted to trick himself and his wife to believe in what he is saying, as though he truly knows that it was not true and wanted to reassure himself. Santiago, too, had said, to himself and the marlin that “I will show him what a man can do and what a man endures” (Hem 66). He had had proven himself true as he never lets go of the marlin, when his left hand cramped up and he had to force himself to eat a bonto so that he would “get all the juices” (Hem 58), even though in the beginning it was described that eating had bored Santiago, while all the while holding the cord and the fish. Another incidence was when his left hand was badly cut by the line, he still held on to the marlin even though it pained him. In the end, Kino followed his heart's desires and not his mind's logical thinking, and Santiago the very opposite; as the former was clothed with the prospect of the rid of injustice in his life that he was willing to sacrifice his wife and self respect; and the end he does not succeed as his self respect was already gone, but the latter still had dignity and pride thus self respect left due to how he conducted himself. Self respect is essential to annihilate one's own 'living hell'; and one succeeded while the other failed, each bring a life to sacrifice either way.

Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1952
Steinbeck, John. The Pearl. United States of America: Penguin Books, 1945.