How Does Santiago Cause Internal Pain

Santiago comments that the marlin is “wonderful,” “strange,” “strong,” “wise,” and “that his fight has no panic in it.”(48-49) Based on his description of the marlin, Santiago loves and respects him as a worthy opponent and brother, “Now we are joined together and have been since noon.”(50) Santiago is not only literally linked to the marlin, but also figuratively because the outcome of this battle will determine both their fates.

In Santiago’s journey to achieving his Personal Legend, he faces multiple situations where he has to choose one over the other.

The forces of the universe have crucified both Santiago and the marlin.  We see this when Santiago carries his mast cross-like to his shack and the author's description of his exhausted repose "face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms up" (Hemingway  122).  Yet, through this struggle, through this pride that made him go far out beyond all people, Santiago learns the meaning of life in a meaningless universe is humility and love.  We see this expressed most clearly in his mentor-like relationship with Manolin.  Human solidarity and interdependence may not make a man any more capable of beating the forces of the universe, but they are sustaining as much as the courage and dignity with which Santiago faces life "the boy keeps me alive, he thought.  I must not deceive myself too much" (Hemingway  106).  Before coming to shore, Santiago recognizes he has gained humility and he is loved.  He is appreciative the other fishers will worry about him.  They bring him food and newspapers to

As Santiago continues to struggle with the Marlin many characteristics become obvious, specifically characteristics that show a parallel to Christ. Referring back to the example used in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Santiago shares similarities to Christ. Throughout his struggle with the Marlin, many references are made to being alone and far from land. This isolation is similar to that of Jesus, and along with the doubts of his peers, puts Santiago in a similar situation as that of Christ’s. The old man also acquires cuts on his hands and “carries” the fish on his back. Jesus carried the cross that eventually killed him upon his back, and was pierced through the hands. This poses the question of whether Santiago will share the fate

Santiago valued all of the things he loves, respects, and honors, such as his boat, the boy (Manolin), baseball, and the fish. “Have faith in the Yankees my son. Think of the great Joe DiMaggio.” (Hemingway 17). During this quote, Santiago and Manolin are talking about baseball statistics and such from the paper. The Yankees were and still are a very good baseball team. The old man’s favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees and his favorite player is Joe DiMaggio. Santiago looks up to Joe DiMaggio and follows all of his stats in the paper. DiMaggio wasn’t fully healthy one season, but he finished the season very well and never told anyone he was hurt. So when Santiago was in pain when he was catching the fish, he was trying to be just like his favorite Yankees player, and not complain or make excuses.

When describing the man he said “the old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck (9)”. This depicts how old Santiago really was and how close he was to the end of his life. Hemingway also described the flag on his sail as “looking like the flag of permanent defeat (9)”. This quote foreshadows Santiago’s eventual death which was caused by going out at sea past his ordinary limits.

Throughout the whole book Santiago shows many signs of courage. In the beginning, Santiago gets in his boat and sails out into the sea. He usually stays near shore, like all the other boats. However, today “He elects to risk all by reaching beyond man’s reach by going ‘too far out”’ (a readers guide 192).   He is not a man with a lot of strength. He is very old and has to have someone help him do certain tasks. His hands are very brittle and there is times where he can not rely on them. They bleed and get stuck in the fist position when he does too much manual labor. Often times his left hand is what gives him the most trouble.  However, none of this ever stops him from doing what he believes in. Hemingway uses this quote to show readers that Santiago can still do anything he wants, “I will handle him with the right arm alone” (16). While his left hand is not much use, Santiago does not let that stop him from holding onto the line with only his right hand. In the end, after the fish dies he is finally on his way back home. With him being such full of courage “he did not need a compass to tell him where Southeast was. He only needed the feel of the trade winds” (Hemingway 27). He is not scared at all about getting lost. He knows exactly how to get himself home. He does not need anyone or anything telling him which direction he needs to travel. As he was relying on the trade winds he finally makes it back

Hemmingway is an allegorical writer. Meaning, in Hemmingway’s stories the reader often can discover hidden meanings of the story. So when reading Old Man and the Sea, the reader should expect for the story to be allegorical. Because there are many examples of Santiago suffering throughout the novel, one should suspect that Hemmingway was trying to use Santiago’s pain to prove a point. But if Hemmingway is trying to prove a point, then what is the point he is trying to prove?

Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea is the quintessential “Hemingway Hero”-a type of fictional character created by Hemingway in all of his books whose basic response to life appealed very strongly to the readers. The Old Man begins the narrative with all the elements of such a hero despite his senescence and poverty. He shows strength, determination, and dedication to himself despite his struggles. Santiago relates back to readers as a strong failure who picks himself up repeatedly.

​As a result of a reciprocal trauma, the marlin remains entirely defeated while Santiago gains strength and endurance from his initial defeat. Gregory Stephens and Janice Cools agree that “the inflicting of wounds is mutual” (83) between Santiago and the marlin as both are depleted by each other. Santiago, who suffers both physical wounds during the struggle to capture the marlin and emotional wounds after many futile attempts at a catch, is fortified as these wounds form scars. The marlin, however, is described as “more noble and more able” (Hemingway 63) but fails to surpass Santiago’s intelligence and eventually suffers to the point of death. The marlin and the struggle it brings to Santiago poses as a vital component of his regeneration

It is ambiguous whether the old man succeeds or fails. At first, it seems that if Santiago has failed. “He sailed lightly now and he had no thoughts nor any feelings of any kind” (Hemingway 119). It is almost like he has lost everything that he has worked for. The old man accepts defeat as is, without mourning or grief Fortunately, after all the damage has been taken, he keeps fishing. He built some sort of relationship with the marlin, but was later broken. He has since moved on.

In Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago demonstrates the traits of the code hero. The Hemingway’s code hero covers the principal ideals of honor, courage, and endurance in a misfortune life. Throughout the novel, Santiago shows a contrast between opposite attitudes and values which associate his behavior with the guidelines of the code. In this case, the depiction of conflicting values, such as dignity despite humility, perseverance despite despair, and victory despite defeat are aspects that help to describe and understand the role of Santiago in the novel, and reflect the reason why this character is perfectly suited to the heroic conduct established by Hemingway.

Over and over again he is remarked to be a strange old man, and he himself is the one to glorify that. He seems to struggle with the fact that he must prove himself to the other fisherman who mock him and believe him to be a fallen hero. He sets off to sea in his boat one day, but what he does not know that it will be the three most tiring days of his life. He first catches a smaller fish and instead of turning back, he decides to go farther out into the ocean to see what he can catch with that fish. He soon is dragged all over and back by a shiny purple marlin, that is two feet longer than his skiff. The response to Santiago’s poor decision or lack of creativity to harpoon the marlin instead of try to kill it another was as to not attract mako sharks was confusing. He is shown to be a man of intelligence and greatness, yet his decision to kill the marlin in this manner knowing what could happen proves that he had a distinct motive for harpooning the fish. By the words of Gery Brenner, “that motive is self validation-the need to prove himself”(Brenner 55). In the end, after the three day struggle, when Santiago returns to the dock, he is told by Manolin later that he was said to be lost at sea, and everyone was completely taken away by the length of the mangled carcass that he brought in. The take many get from Hemingway’s novel is

“Santiago’s ordeal, first in his struggle with the big fish, and then in fighting against the sharks, is associated by Hemingway with Christ’s agony and triumph,” (Bloom 2). When Santiago sees the second and third sharks coming, he shouts “Ay,” and Hemingway notes: “There is no

“Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated”Hemingway develops Santiago as a hero in order to show how fragile things can be strong in the inside.Even Though santiago seemed like a weak old man, while he was alone at sea trying to catch a fish;he demonstrates how strong,positive,and undefeated he is.