Examples Of Defeat In The Great Gatsby

DEFEAT.
Merriam Webster defines destroy as damaging (something) so badly that it cannot be repaired.” In santiago's position to be destroyed is; to be ruined emotionally in a moment while still possessing the possibility of recovering. To be defeated is to lose all hope upon emotional ruin to a non recoverable extent. Defeat can also mean “ to cause (someone or something) to fail” as defined by Dictionary.com. Depending on the context the words “destroy” and “defeat” are used in, their meanings can vary, in the context of Santiago to be destroyed, or face defeat seem more appropriate. With variation amongst individuals existing, what destroys and defeats these people differs vastly and ultimately determines who they are as a person.
Strength and perseverance are key characteristics needed to deny defeat and accept failure to become stronger;nevertheless having these characteristics does not guarantee resistance to defeat. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald outlines this theory eloquently as, Jay Gatsby the main character inside of the book, possessed both strength,

perseverance, and more, yet succumbed to defeat only when he lost his life. From a beautiful house, fancy cars, and wealth to, a good character and a genuine friend, Jay only wanted one thing he didn’t have, Daisy Buchanan. "It was a strange coincidence," I said. "But it wasn't a coincidence at all." "Why not?" "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay."(Fitzgerald 78). Gatsby purposely bought a house on the side of west egg across the bay from Daisy just so he could be close to her; moreover Gatsby threw extravagant parties primarily hoping to attract Daisy. “'I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,' went on Jordan.”(Fitzgerald 63). "Half-expected" falls short of the high devotion required of the romantic view that Gatsby held Daisy in. In all the trouble Gatsby went through just for a girl, he still ended up losing Daisy, and later his life due to his unnecessarily kind acts of taking blame for the death of Myrtle Wilson; and essentially isn’t defeated until he loses his life. A man can be destroyed it just depends on the circumstances surrounding his loss that will determine if he is truly defeated or not.
Santiago begins his journey from a small shack in a poor village and very few belongings;yet after 84 days of not catching a fish, he like Gatsby, maintained hope in catching the marlin.

Santiago endured through all the hardship the fish could offer including dehydration, severe cuts to the back and hands, and exhaustion. “The Old man would have liked to keep his hand in the salt water longer but he was afraid of another sudden lurch by the fish and he stood up and braced himself and held his hand up against the sun. It was only a line burn that had cut his flesh, but it was in the working part of the hand.”(Hemingway 57). Here is a small amount of the suffering Santiago endured, as painful as this was Santiago never accepted defeat or lost hope. Unlike Gatsby he lived to return to his village destroyed but not defeated, and pass his teachings on to Manolin and to fish another

day.
Why continue to fight and struggle through pain and restlessness when it’s so easy to give up and let the pain and exhaustion diminish.? There are several instances throughout the novel “The Old Man and The Sea” where Santiago finds himself destroyed but never defeated.
Sheer willpower, mindset, determination, strength, and persistence are some characteristics Santiago possesses that allow him to never be defeated even when destroyed. To push through hardships and persist even when difficult is what develops a strong character, much like Santiago.“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”(Arnold Schwarzenegger). With Santiago constantly facing hardships it makes sense he never faces defeat because he always decides to push through his difficulties instead of surrendering to them. "Fish," he said softly, aloud, "I’ll stay with you until I am dead." He’ll stay with me too, I suppose, the old man thought and he waited for it to be light.”(Hemingway 52-53). The old man recognizes that the fish possesses an endurance to match his own, while both are destroying each other neither the fish or the old man accept defeat.
"A man can be destroyed but not defeated" (Hemingway 103). In Santiago’s case he was destroyed because he suffered many losses throughout the struggle of the catch. Because he didn't have as much to lose as Jay Gatsby and the fact that he survives, he is not truly defeated. Gatsby on the other hand, lost everything including Daisy. However it wasn’t until he died that he was defeated.