Who Is Santiago A Hero

In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, the main character, is the protagonist of the story but in the end he turns out to be heroic. Santiago is a simple old man who lives in a hut by himself. Santiago goes on a forty day hunt for a Marlin to feed himself and his friend Manolin. A hero is “a person noted for courageous acts or nobility character” (dictionary.com). Santiago is a hero and he shows this through his words and actions. Santiago, the main character of the story, proves that he is a hero time and time again. Santiago is the man who takes pride in his profession and he is very modest. For instance, when Manolin tells him that he is the best fisherman, Santiago laughs and disagrees with him. Santiago went fishing for eighty-four days without catching a fish but he never gives up. He struggles for three days trying to bring the Marlin in even with the obstacles he faces trying to bring it in. Santiago said “I know I might not be as strong as I think, but I know many tricks and I have a resolution.” This statement makes it easier to think of him as a hero. Many readers can argue that Santiago is not a hero. There are many examples of Santiago being heroic but also showing some failure. For instance, when he looks at Manolin
Throughout the story readers will realize that Santiago becomes lonely, but lack of nutrition and company did not stop him. Manolin, Santiago’s good friend, offers him food but he does not take it because he wants to catch his own meal. No matter how hard Santiago tried, he could not catch a Marlin, that never stopped him either. Another way to describe Santiago as determined was that he went eighty-four days without catching a fish, but the next day he decides to stay out in the sea and sail far out until he caught something. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated” is another way of describing Santiago trying to catch the