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Santiago Pride

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When Santiago was young, he observed lions on the beaches of Africa. This has remained a very important and meaningful memory for him throughout his life. The lions appear in times of desperation or hardship in the old man’s dreams and serve the purpose to show that everything will turn out okay. Hemingway used lions to symbolize pride, strength, and the idea of lost youth found in Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea. The lions seen in The Old Man and the Sea can be seen as a symbol for pride. A group of lions is, ironically, referred to as a pride. Santiago’s love for the lions, who are fierce predators, mirror his relationship with the marlin, whom he loves but whose death he believes to be necessary to his survival. When Manolin leaves, Santiago wraps himself in a blanket and falls asleep on a pile of newspapers that cover the springs of his bed. “He only …show more content…

Santiago is faced with a great battle against the marlin, which requires great strength both physically to reel in the fish and mentally to persevere for many days without success. When Santiago needs strength for the upcoming day, it seems he dreams about the lions. The first time the lions are mentioned in the novella is prior to a three day fishing trip Santiago made, the second was in the midst of his battle with the marlin, and the third was at the end of the book. “When I was your age I was before the mast of a square rigged ship that ran to Africa and I have seen lions on the beaches in the evening,” (Hemingway 22). This memory comes from a time of his youth where Santiago was very strong. Hemingway talked of arm wrestling competitions lasting over 24 hours that Santiago won, and the fish that he brought in with his crew. Now, the old man dreams of the lions when he is nothing but strong. He calls upon the lions as a familiar and happy memory to help him conquer the difficulties that he is about to

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