Old Man and the Sea 4

The hero in The Old Man and the Sea is Santiago. He is prideful and hardworking old man. When he sets out to do something he does it. He showed this attribute when he was in a day long arm wrestling match with another man and when he fought to catch a fish for three days. He did not stop in either situation until he won. Santiago shows pride in everything he does. He tells Manolin “I try not to borrow. First you borrow. Then you beg” (Hemmingway, 18.) Santiago is too prideful to beg for money, so he will not borrow it either. He takes pride in working for his money by fishing. He is in charge of his income and nobody can tell him what to do. Santiago has his pride and nobody can take it.
Santiago accomplished quite a bit even though it may not seem like it. He set out at sea with nothing and only came back with a shredded up fish carcass. But simply catching that fish was a great accomplishment. It had been a few months since he had even caught a fish, and this is what the old man does for a living. Catching the fish could be a sign that his bad luck is over, but he does not even get home with the marlin because sharks eat his catch.
At first Santiago is portrayed as a downtrodden, old man, but as the story progresses he is seen to represent a strong determination in himself. He is always determined to complete whatever task he is faced with. He will complete it even if it takes him over eighty days. He will even overcome sleep and hunger to do it. Santiago is an old man, but he his wise from experience. He knows he will be triumphant in catching a fish before he sets sail because he has done it before. He may not have caught a fish in a long time, but he knows how to catch a fish. His determination is the reason he catches the fish and gets home alive.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print.