As he is considering how to measure the
marlin, he measures himself against the prototypical male: “I think the great
Dimaggio would be proud of me today” (97). Later, after
he had bludgeoned a shark to death, he calls on Dimaggio for
strength: “I wonder how the great
Dimaggio would have liked the way I hit him in the brain?” (104). Yet, the duality of his thoughts is revealed in the text. He begins by unconsciously exposing
himself: “The fish is my friend….
But I must kill him” (75). Then the
next passage reflects an increasing consciousness of his feelings: “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).
