The Old man and the Sea (undercover jedi?)

(This analysis of Ernest Hemmingway's book, "The Old Man and the Sea", actually caused my highschool english teacher to CHANGE his curriculum to accomodate my ideas when he read it! And it's funny, let's not forget that...)

The Old Man and the Force

Why is, “The Old Man and the Sea” a classic? Why does this little story about an old fisherman reach out to us readers and grasp our interest so keenly? Every fisherman around the world has a story about, “the big one that got away”. What makes this one so special?
The reason is because this old man is an undercover Jedi. The old man’s inner strength, purity of focus and incredible respect for those very forces that so often do their best to destroy him are more characteristic of a defender of the galaxy than a meek old fisherman. If you gave Hemingway’s classic character a blue light saber and an English accent he’d be ready to teach Luke Skywalker a few lessons.
No two people would seem more different than a sad old fisherman and a mystical knight of the galactic republic. And yet in Hemingway’s hands the two are roughly the same. Both are old masters of their craft, veterans of a thousand battles and keepers of a hundred secrets. Both pit themselves against the mightiest personifications of adversity, the old man against the ocean and Obi-Wan against the Empire. Both are impoverished despite their wisdom and victims of a great tragedy; the Old Man lamenting his lost love and Obi-Wan the seduction of his finest friend to the dark side of the force.
But most significantly of all, both share an essential nature. They are indomitable heroes that can never be truly defeated. The old man puts this elegantly when he says, “A man can be destroyed but not defeated”. Obi-Wan expresses the same sentiment when he utters the famous line, “You can’t win Darth. If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”.
The kinship between Obi-Wan and the old fisherman goes far deeper than their outward characteristics; it goes right into their essential natures. This is a very important distinction. All good characters have very distinct attitudes and ways of seeing the world. These inner natures are then colored with characteristics such as experiences, accents, abilities and knowledge. However Darth Vader is still Darth Vader whether he’s in the Death Star or a supermarket.
Obi-Wan and the old man aren’t just similar, they’re the same. They react the same way in the same circumstances. This is not true of other well-written characters. Luke Skywalker and Han-Solo are crack pilots, galactic outlaws and heroic swashbucklers. They go through many of the same experiences togeather and fight many of the same battles. However they are both distinctly different characters. It would be simply odd to hear Han Solo say something like, “I feel the good in you” or for Luke to say, “Either I’m going to kill her or I’m beginning to like her.”
But the old man and Obi-Wan aren’t just similar, they’re the same. It would seem perfectly natural if the old fisherman were to ask, “Who’s the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?”
They also choose to react the same way in similar situations. Both Obi-Wan and the old man take on a student that promises to become even greater than them. The old masters want to pass on their secrets but respect the relative’s desire for the students to pursue more practical goals. The old man’s student is pressured into joining another, more lucrative fishing boat while Luke Skywalker is repeatedly forced to work as a farm hand.
In addition to this both Obi-Wan Kenobi and the old man teach their apprentice’s everything they can. The old man’s student is successful on his new fishing boat while Luke is managing to deflect blaster bolts blindly after only a few days of training. The old man also gives credence to the boy’s proficiency by saying, in response to the boy’s offer to buy him a drink, “Why not? Between fishermen.” Meanwhile, Darth Vader gives his own testament to Luke’s advancement by muttering, “The force is strong with this one”.
Finally the two apprentices make an essential decision by the end of the story; giving up their reliance on material things in order to follow their master. The old man’s apprentice announces that he is going to defy his parents and go back to fishing with the old man; despite the fact that he is making quite a name for himself sailing on his other boat.
Luke’s decision is more subtle than this blatant declaration but all the more powerful for that. When he makes his desperate run down the Death Star’s trench the fate of the galaxy literally comes to rest in his hands. If he makes the near-impossible shot into the Death Star’s exhaust port he will save the entire rebel alliance from destruction at the hands of the empire. If he fails all his friends will die horribly and the last hope of the galaxy will be consumed in fire.
But just as he is about to fire the all-important shot the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi tells him to turn off his targeting computer. Skywalker is suddenly swept into an unexpected inner struggle between his faith in his master and the indisputable logic of using the computer. The fate of the entire galaxy hangs on his decision and he has only seconds left to decide. He closes his eyes and with a deep breath he switches off the computer. In that moment he makes the choice to follow his master’s ideals, rejecting the material value of the targeting computer in favor of the ways of his master.
And so the story of the, “Old Man and the Sea” is the story of Star Wars. The only difference is that one took place in an ocean off the coast of Havana and the other a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.