When Santiago thinks, “there is no sense in being anything but practical”, it makes perfect sense when you consider what type of person the old man is. He is a survivor. After thinking that he should be practical, the old man immediately goes on goes on to say that he wished he had some salt so that he could preserve the fish. (59) He also mentions that he should eat it anyway, presumably so that he could stay alive. (59) The old man is independent and asks for no one’s help. He can make do with the supplies that he has. On the boat while he is fighting the fish, he exists with limited food and drink. (65) The fact that he copes with what he has proves that he is practical. While battling the marlin he always keeps his main goal, in mind and works out new ways to get through the tough situations. . When you consider the character that Hemingway created for Santiago, it is hard to think of him as not being practical.
Hemingway presents a series of shark attacks in a different manner in order to give pacing to the story and to focus on the theme of man versus nature. The series of shark attacks also allows the author to reinforce the determination of Santiago’s character and at the same time show the despair of having his prize marlin gradually eaten in the series of attacks. He had predicted that the sharks would come. (68) During one attack of galanos, Santiago shows ingenuity by strapping a knife to an oar and loses one quarter of the marlin. In another attack, his knife blade breaks. (101) In the next attack he uses his oar as a club to injure them. Finally the galanos come in a pack and eat the remainder of the marlin. (118-119) Hemingway designed his plot in this manner to make the story more interesting. If Santiago had caught the marlin and sailed back home a hero, it would have been just another adventure tale. By introducing the series of shark attacks, Hemingway shows Santiago going from “riches to rags”, refusing to cave in to despair. Even when he knew he was beaten, he accepted it gracefully. (119) This shows the reader that you can be a hero even if you lose a battle.
When Santiago says aloud, “A man can be destroyed but not defeated,” he is demonstrating his heroism and determination. For example, Santiago fights the big fish for days, hoping that the marlin will become exhausted as it pulls the boat. (74) Hemingway uses a powerful imagery to portray the strength of the marlin when he says that the fish jumped making a great bursting of the ocean. (82) In describing the marlin as being huge, two feet longer than the boat, (63) it shows the reader just how heroic Santiago is in challenging this creature. By the time the fish tires, both the hunter and the hunted are exhausted and Santiago again shows his courage by fighting sharks. (101) Armed only with a knife, he fights sharks that have come to eat his captured marlin. Santiago had predicted that sharks would try to scavenge his catch but he stood up to them. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated,” are not the words of a coward.
The story has a happy ending. It is a classic story of human endurance. Hemingway presents the old man is an archetype of a quiet hero. Santiago is someone who rises to a challenge late in life and beats overwhelming odds. He proves that he is brave, strong-minded and a lover of nature throughout the book. In this short time span during which the story takes place, we get to see the ultimate battle of man versus nature. Even though Santiago loses the fish to sharks, (119)in losing the battle he wins the war. His experiences have allowed him to win back his own confidence and self-respect. The book has a happy ending because through Santiago, it demonstrates that gaining respect for oneself (124) is as important as gaining the respect of others
