Old Men Symbol Analysis

In Abraham Lincoln’s Farewell Address, images of old men surface multiple times to symbolize authority, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Lincoln uses the trope of the old man both to substantiate the emotional depth of his relationship with the city he is leaving and to establish his authority and wisdom as a forthcoming leader. As he attempts to capture the importance of the role Springfield, Illinois has played in his life, Lincoln states that he has lived there for “a quarter of a century” and that he has “passed from a young to and old man” there. An additional effect of this line about his own aging is to justify his preparedness for the job of becoming president of the United States. No longer a young, naïve man, Lincoln can be trusted by the people of Springfield—and, by extension, the people of the nation as a whole.

The image of the old man returns more subtly when Lincoln invokes George Washington, who became president in his late fifties and remained president until his mid-sixties. Most well-known portraits of Washington depict him as an older man with white hair, and this appearance bolsters the wisdom and power that people tend to associate with Washington for his success as a military officer and statesman. As such, Lincoln’s reference to this wise old man—and his claim that his own presidency will be more difficult than Washington’s—lets the audience know that Lincoln is up for the challenge of being president. Lincoln acknowledges that he will have to be just as shrewd and competent as a respected Founding Father if he is to lead the nation through the next four years.

Finally, Lincoln implicitly invokes the image of an old man when he brings in God. Derived from images of the Ancient Greek god Zeus, representations of the Christian God in art often depict him as an older man with long, white hair. The physical characteristics that come with age are meant to underline God’s all-knowing wisdom. The audience of Lincoln’s Farewell Address would have been predominately Christian, so Lincoln’s trust in and reliance on God gives him more credibility as someone who is wise, humble, and secure in his faith. By emphasizing his own age and comparing himself to Washington (an old man) and seeking help from God (who is often imagined as a paternal figure), Lincoln establishes the trustworthiness, patriotism, and seasoned knowledge that he is drawing on in his new role as president-elect.