Santiago's Tragic Hero

What makes a hero be a hero? A hero has to have certain characteristics, such as; bravery, wisdom, etc. No matter what characteristics are pointed out, every story has a hero, or an archetypal hero. From a short stories to really long novels, you will have some type of hero. In the novel The Alchemist, the main character Santiago is a hero. The book is about how everyone should live their dreams and never give up on them. It follows a young man named Santiago who is following his own dream, or his own “Personal Legend”. It follows him and his struggles to achieve said Personal Legend. Santiago is a hero because he is wise, kind, and brave; He is also a hero because he displays characteristics of an archetypal hero..

Sometimes people have to do sacrifices, which appears in the rising action of the book. “‘Fish,’ he said, ‘I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before the day ends’” (Hemingway 54). Why did he have to kill it? Why couldn’t he hold on a little longer? Santiago sacrifices the fish for his self interest. In spite of the fact that he respects the fish, the old man’s determination reflects his belief that his purpose in life is to be a fisherman, and that comes first. As well, Santiago advises himself that he doesn't have Manolin, his beloved companion, with him and must battle against the fish by himself. It has been four struggling days of being pulled by the huge marlin, Santiago decided that that was enough. Even though

If you don’t take the journey you will regret it later in life. This quote reveals how Santiago is motivated and how he has a non-quitting mentality. Even though the journey through the desert could be lethal to him he doesn’t let go of his

In both competitions, Santiago demonstrates a great sense of will power and perseverance. For example, the arm wrestling match was also a test of endurance, just like his battle with the marlin: “They had gone one day and one night with their elbows on a chalk line…the odds would change back and forth all night…but [Santiago would] raise his hand up to dead even again” (70). Similarly, he fights the fish for three long days and does not give up. After this twenty-four hour arm wrestling game, “everyone called him The Champion” (70). This defeat was important for Santiago because it proved that Santiago once had enough strength to beat the strongest man on the docks, who is implicitly compared to the marlin. It is also interesting to note that during this part of the narrative, Santiago also remembers another worthy opponent: Joe DiMaggio, another hero who shows an amazing strength of will that helps him overcome adversity. With this flashback, then, Hemingway establishes a sense of heroic virtues as spiritual rather than physical qualities.

The greatest key takeaway that we found is given by Melchizedek. His point was to never give up. No matter how hard a situation “may be, give it your all. It may be hard at first, but as time continues on one will see that it gets easier and feel a sense of reward”. That is how Santiago felt. There is a variety of reasons why Santiago could have not followed his dream, but he does. He travels from city to city in search of this great treasure. During his journey he had many different people help him along the way. This story shows how a person could gain from a journey while still following a dream.

The third and fourth obstacle Santiago faces is his fear of defeat and realizing his dream. For example, “They made him continue digging, but he found nothing. As the sun rose, the men began to beat the boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his clothes torn to shreds, and he felt death was near.” The obstacle he defeated was the fear of defeat people will meet on the journey to fulfilling our destiny. People have to be patient in difficult times and know that the universe is conspiring in our favor, even if some do not know. Santiago had patience and allowed the men to beat him. Because of his patience they eventually left him alone

Santiago's Fight with the Marlin illustrates that determination blinds people to reality, humility proves that people appreciate the things they have, and independence proves separation creates loneliness and desperation. Santiago's fight for wealth and pride proves that determination blinds a person to the practical realities of life. After Santiago had been holding the line for a long time now his was cramping up. He says to his hand, “what kind of hand is that,...

While yes, Santiago did face many obstacles and challenges on his way to find the treasure, the main conflict of the story is not an external one, but an internal one. Santiago’s inner turmoil between choosing either to make sacrifices and take risks in order to complete his Personal Legend or settling for the comforts and treasures he already had was the key problem in the story. This also validated Santiago not only as the protagonist, but also as his own antagonist. There were many instances in which the story could have been cut short if Santiago had not taken a leap of faith. From the very beginning, upon meeting Melchizedek, he had been reluctant to make the decision between what he was accustomed to, his flock, and what he wanted, the

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

A possible theme for Oedipus the King by Sophocles is that one’s blindness can hide the inevitability that is his destiny. Oedipus is in this situation. He struggles to escape his fate: killing his father and marrying his mother and believes he is successful. Sophocles believes that the gpds control one’s destiny and the inevitability that a person will do what is destined despite there hero’s intentions.Oedipus represent the standards of a true tragic hero: he is well known, basically good, his punishment is out of proportion compared to his crime, the audience at some point feels sorrow and pity for him, and Oedipus has a tragic flaw. During the whole story Oedipus thinks that he may be able to change his fate a live life how he wants but he falls to that which is his destiny.For these reason Oedipus is truly an example of a tragic hero and is unable to avoid his tragic fate.

In the old man and the sea, Santiago is portrayed in many different ways. When thinking of a code hero people will think strong, courageous and has a will to survive. Santiago shows the attributes of a code hero in, honor, courage and endurance, in the face of a stressful situation of catching a large fish. The first attribute that is shown is honor, Santiago has much honor when he caught the big fish, this was a large accomplishment for him. He could say he caught a large fish.

However, for Santiago, pride is the motivating force that pushes him towards greatness. Whenever Santiago is feeling broken or feels like he want to relinquish, he simply tells himself that he is capable of anything. In addition, Santiago constantly recalls past experiences in order to boost his confidence. When he fears that his skiff will be attacked by sharks he remembers the time he won an arm wrestling match in Casablanca. “As the sun set he remembered, to give himself more confidence, the time in the tavern at Casablanca when he had played the hand game with the great negro from Cienfuegos who was the strongest man on the docks. They had gone one day and one night with their elbows on a chalk line on the table and their forearms straight up and their hands gripped tight... He had unleashed his effort and forced the hand of the negro down and down until it rested on the wood... For a long time after that everyone had called him The Champion.” This positive reinforcement helped Santiago feel invincible in times of trouble. Due to the his pride, the old man became fearless. When the sharks attacked, the he did everything in his ability to protect the marlin. Santiago knew that the attack was the destined tragedy that awaited him. He knew there was not a chance that the conflict would result in his victory. Nevertheless, he fought with all his might. He did not want to be overcome knowing he did nothing to avoid it. Moreover, Santiago has the unique ability to be self-loving yet humble. Santiago's humility is evident throughout the novel. “And the best fisherman is you" the boy told him, but the old man responds "No. I know others better.” Santiago does not allow his pride to control his body. Throughout the novel, he is not seen boasting a single time. He does not seek any attention or praise, his only desire is to enjoy life being the

The whole of him trying to catch the marlin has shown that he is a success. When Santiago can’t pull up the marlin, he told himself to try again and again, which shows a sign of courage. He never gave up even until the end when the sharks ate the marlin. In the very end, he still continues on with what he has left and sailed home. Patience is another reason why Santiago is a success.

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.

In the Old man and the sea, Santiago says, “A man can be destroyed but not defeated. (Page 93)” The true statement can be referred to throughout the novel. Santiago is in the end physically destroyed, but mentally he is not defeated. Santiago’s courage and pride pushes him forward throughout the novel, even when it looks like hope is lost, but is never defeated.