Santiago As A Hero In The Old Man And The Sea
A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." By Christopher Reeve. A great example of a hero is found in the book, The Old Man and the Sea. This extraordinary hero goes by the name of Santiago. As an individual, he faced a difficult, and laborious task. He was determined to capture the "great fish" regardless of his aging, and withered body. In the end he found strength and accomplished his goal. First off, Hemingway writes that Santiago was defending the fish by fighting off the blood thirsty sharks. (107) But, previously his encounter with the marlin damaged his hands and caused his energy to slowly decrease. Not only that but he was left with a little amount of food
and water which would lead him to dehydration and malnutrition.(107-125) Yet his hopes are high in bringing the big catch home. Secondly, Santiago was courageous and suppressed the pain that he recieved from his injuries. He was fearless and confident in himself. (Hemingway 84) He stated, "I'll fight them until I die." (Hemingway 114) The statement "fight them till I die..." showed determination, willingness to prolong, and perseverance; attributes that often are shown in a hero. Lastly, one of the important attributes that defines a hero is patience, which then leads to endurance. Santiago was an old man who had patience, and was committed to get home with that fish. At times a hero has to face nature, in this case it was man vs. nature or more accurately Santiago vs. nature. He may not have brought home the whole entire fish, but at least he brought home some of the fish. In this case something or anything is better that nothing. Santiago's past was his experience and he learned from those experience. His present was his responsibility, and his future was his challenge. The old man prepared for the journey ahead and knew that there would be consequences later on in the obstacle, but he held his head high and continued to press forward. Hero's have divine qualities that makes them who they are. Santiago may not have had all the attributes of a hero, but then again who does?
and water which would lead him to dehydration and malnutrition.(107-125) Yet his hopes are high in bringing the big catch home. Secondly, Santiago was courageous and suppressed the pain that he recieved from his injuries. He was fearless and confident in himself. (Hemingway 84) He stated, "I'll fight them until I die." (Hemingway 114) The statement "fight them till I die..." showed determination, willingness to prolong, and perseverance; attributes that often are shown in a hero. Lastly, one of the important attributes that defines a hero is patience, which then leads to endurance. Santiago was an old man who had patience, and was committed to get home with that fish. At times a hero has to face nature, in this case it was man vs. nature or more accurately Santiago vs. nature. He may not have brought home the whole entire fish, but at least he brought home some of the fish. In this case something or anything is better that nothing. Santiago's past was his experience and he learned from those experience. His present was his responsibility, and his future was his challenge. The old man prepared for the journey ahead and knew that there would be consequences later on in the obstacle, but he held his head high and continued to press forward. Hero's have divine qualities that makes them who they are. Santiago may not have had all the attributes of a hero, but then again who does?