'Oracle Sea'; The Art of Minimizing the Other by Assimilating the Empirical Philosophy of the Shore

Abstract

This paper explores how the ‘sea’ and the ‘sea shore’ bridge the gap between the self and the other by referring to specific critical ideas from the novels Chemmeen by T.S.Pillai and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway. The aim is to examine the true nature of the ‘self’ that emerges out of fishermen’s communities where their knowledge completely depends on oral tradition. As these men thrive between death and sea, it might seem to be formidable and coarse to many across the globe. But in the light of the comparative study of Chemmeen and The Old Man and the Sea, this paper analyzes how the concept of ‘self’ from the coast helps us to eliminate the ‘indomitable other’. The analysis highlights the impact of fishermen’s practical wisdom in minimizing the notion of the 'other' under the rubric of the modern philosophical term 'Empirical Philosophy. Sometimes the concept of ‘the other’ is formed from an extension of our fear and anxiety over our existence and position. The image of ‘Giant Marlin’ in The Old Man and The Sea, teaches about the presence of giant beasts in our life.