“There is no creation without tradition; the 'new' is an inflection on a preceding form; novelty is always a variation on the past.” This quote by Carlos Fuentes presents us with a contemporary perspective into the art and simple aspects of literature. In the novella The Old Man and the Sea and the novel The Great Gatsby, we pocket numerous “variation of the past” through the relations back to the bible. With these allusions back to biblical time, we are also exposed to protagonists that represent a Christ-like savior.
“The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, tells the story of a world lost to superficiality and greed.” Biblical allusions can entail all sort of symbolism and distinctive meanings. When the author first introduces Gatsby as
…show more content…
One way he uses them is to air the philosophy of bad things still happen to bad people. “You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who.” (92) Through this quote we can still how kind hearted the old man is, yet it seems that he is about to lose another battle on his 84+ day journey without a success. Hemingway further applies biblical allusions to his work in order to incorporate the new testament and the lessons that can be learned from it. “The sharks provide a final classic image in the story. Like the Furies, they relentlessly pursue Santiago until divine vengeance is wreaked upon him. Clinton S. Burhans comments that “the sharks [are] not a matter of chance nor a stroke of bad luck . . . They are the direct result of the old man’s action in killing the fish” (75).” We can gather other messages from the novella regarding the New Testament, such as the importance of work, discipleship and love and charity, all seen through the Old Man’s relationship with the