Santiago’s Portrayal of Manhood Hemingway’s heroic code can be described as: A man who lives correctly, following the ideals of honor, courage, and endurance in the world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful. Santiago shows manhood many times throughout this novel. First, Santiago shows manhood through his arm wrestling fight and not giving up. Next, he shows manhood by never giving up on the fish and fighting all the challenges it brought with it. Lastly, Santiago fought against his bad luck knowing that things could possibly not work out for him. Hence, Santiago embodies Hemingway’s ideals of manhood by persevering through the arm wrestling, the fish, and his bad luck. The first way that Santiago exhibits manhood is through the arm wrestling fight. Santiago demonstrated perseverance by not giving up and fighting for twenty-four hours. He also took it like a man by not complaining about his hard work or that the game was unfair. “They fed the negro rum and lighted cigarettes for him” (Hemingway, 1952, p.69). This quote means that the opponent was getting special treatment and Santiago was not. Santiago arm wrestled the strongest man on the docks; his name was Cienfugos. Santiago was not scared nor succumbed to suffering. Ultimately, the first way Santiago shows manhood is …show more content…
Santiago, while physically hurting, had to use his intelligence to outsmart the fish, which was the only way that he could win. He also was more worried about the fish rather than himself. “I could go without sleeping, he told himself” (Hemingway, 1952 p.77). This quote means that he sacrificed himself for the fish. Sharks were following the boat and eating the marin Santiago had killed. He tried with everything he had to fight the sharks off and he did it without. Therefore, my second reason Santiago embodies manhood is by fighting the fish and all the other issues that came along with
Santiago is an old fisherman who lives in a small coast town in Cuba. At the time that Hemingway wrote the story, he was also an elderly gentlemen and was such an avid fisherman throughout his life, that books such as "Ernest Hemingway, The Angler As Artist” were written on the sole subject of how this obsession influenced Hemingway's writing. Furthermore, he fished off the coast of Cuba so much that he decided to "buy the 'Finca Vigia' in Cuba, a substantial estate located about fifteen miles from downtown Havana . . .” For entertainment Santiago would "read the baseball." Meanwhile Hemingway often "relied on baseball analogies” in his writing, suggesting that he also loved the game. These similarities between Santiago's lifestyle and Hemingway's cannot be ignored or passed off as coincidence because they are much too precise. Already, from these prominent identical traits it is evident that Hemingway modeled the character of Santiago after his own person.
The quote, “Nothing happened. The fish just moved away slowly and the old man could not raise him an inch. His line was strong and made for heavy fish and he held it against his back until it was so taut that beads of water were jumping from it. Then it began to make a slow hissing sound in the water and he still held it, bracing himself against the thwart and leaning back against the pull. The boat began to move slowly off toward the north-west.”(44) creates in depth meaning into how the old man is strong because the fish possesses a determination equal in magnitude to Santiago’s. Santiago has a large amount of endurance, and is using it in the midst of following the fish. Another example of Santiago’s endurance throughout the novel is his strength with the physical pain he feels. For example, the old man has a lot of back pain while following the fish, and catching it, especially. “...”( ).........The old man also experiences physical pain when his hand is cramping and when it gets cut. The author states, “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
Santiago, the main character in the story, does not divulge in any pleasures what so ever. It almost seems as though he is trying to make himself suffer. Everyday, Santiago hardly eats anything but a little fish or coffee. He does not have any relationships with women in the story, as many Hemingway novels have included. While Santiago is out on the boat, he does not let himself stray from the task at hand even though it is very uncomfortable. The Hemingway code hero would be the exact opposite of Santiago. He would eat large meals every day, make love to many women, and never put himself in a position that he did not like. The code hero would do everything as though it was the last time he was doing it because he did not believe strongly in the presence of God.
Santiago can be compared to a Christ figure on the basis of his relationships with other characters in the novel. People look up to Santiago, as would a follower to Christ, hereby setting up a comparison between the two. (transition) Since the age of five, Manolin has aided the old man by working alongside him as an apprentice. Manolin is loyal to Santiago and looks up to him as if Santiago was his real father. According to Delbert Wylder, "Santiago has, in a sense been the boy’s spiritual father" ( 219). Manolin is in awe of the old man, who the town recognizes as an honorable fisherman. The boy states, "There are many good fishermen and some great ones. But there is only you." Like Santiago, Christ was also a spiritual father to his town; the town of Bethlehem. He performed miracles to heal the sick, and fed thousands of starving people. As Jim Auer says, "This demonstrates Santiago’s relation to Christ. They are both extremely unique, and were father figures in their communities" (15). ?The people of Bethlehem looked up to Christ as a father figure, and they had love and admiration towards him.? Likewise, "The love of Manolin for Santiago is that of a discipline for a master in the arts of fishing, it is also the love of a son for an adopted father" (Wagner-Martin 307). Through Manolin’s caring of the old man, he shows his love for Santiago. Even though Santiago is not Manolin’s biological father, he cares for him as though he was. "The old man was asleep in the chair and the sun was down. The boy took the old army blanket off the bed and spread it over the back of the chair and over the old man’s shoulders… and when he woke up he fed him supper" (...
Marquez reveals Santiago’s perverted actions through Santiago’s maid’s daughter, Divana Flor. Marquez writes, “Nasar grabbed her by the wrist… ‘The time has come for you to be tamed’” (Marquez 9). Marquez’s diction in the word “tamed” exhibits the male Colombian view on women and the treatment women endure. Denotatively, the word tamed means to make less powerful and easier to control and connotatively used to control an animal. This expresses a dehumanizing tone and disrespectful mood. Marquez wants to illustrate that Colombian culture as portrayed by Santiago shows the unequal treatment and disproportional respect demonstrated by men. Marquez’s voice in this novella accentuates how he criticizes the unequal and abusive treatment of Colombian men toward women. Furthermore, Marquez gives uncomfortable imagery for the reader to see. When the narrator takes verbal account from Diviana Flor about Santiago, she recounts, “He grabbed me by the whole pussy” (Marquez 13). This visual imagery written by Marquez gives a descriptive and uncomfortable imagery of Santiago sexual assaulting minor, Divana Flor during her childhood. By looking into the real character of Santiago the audience understands the disgusting nature of Santiago and his poor moral character that the rest of society could not see. Marquez wants to highlight the façade given off by people of the upper class. Marquez criticizes how looks mean so much to Colombian people, and how no one cares about moral aptitude. In contrast, Marquez’s character Xius has moral actions in juxtaposition to Santiago. Xius formed a long and faithful relationship with his late wife. While Bayardo attempts to buy his house with large sums of money Xius explains “you young people don’t understand the motives of the heart” (Marquez 36). This character development of Xius reveals how he uses his
Moderation is fully evident in Hemingway’s characters. Santiago, the protagonist of The Old Man and the Sea, firmly balances two contrasting qualities - his humility and pride. Santiago reveals his humble nature when Manolin asserts that he is the best fisherman to which Santiago replies “No. I know others better.” (The Old Man and the Sea 23). Meanwhile Santiago’s attempt to capture the fish and prove that he is a capable man despite his old age signifies that he retains a certain level of pride for his masculinity. Humility is the antithesis of pride, yet, the old man has the ability to retain both through moderation. Emotions are not the only characteristics to be moderated; actions as well as speech must be balanced. In “Indian Camp”, the father explains a mature topic –the act of givin...
Secondly, Santiago experiences material success because of the augmented physical strength he attains from the obstacles that he is forced to face. The old man is walking home to his shack after he returns from his strenuous journey, “He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack” (121). The old man is exhausted from his trip because he had spent so much energy catching the fish. Plenty of strength must have been gained from the exertion of this much energy. During the shark attacks, Santiago is optimistic about what good the bleeding from his hands will bring. “The bleeding may keep the left from cramping” (111). The old man is so strong that he uses the bleeding pain to suffocate a different source of pain. Not only that, but just the fact of keeping a positive attitude about a situation like this is a great accomplishment which can only be obtained from strength.
How do both Santiago and the marlin each display qualities of pride, honor, and bravery? I think that Santiago and the marlin both display many qualities of pride, honor, and bravery. I think that Santiago displays lots of qualities of pride. When Santiago catches the Tuna he is proud of himself because it was his first fish in 84 days. Then when Santiago Hooked up on the marlin he was proud of himself because he knew that he had a big fish on the line. In those two occasions Santiago showed qualities of pride. At one point in the story the marlin jumped and Santiago was so proud of himself cause he knew it was the biggest fish he had ever hooked. I think that that was my favorite part in the book. This point in the story showed qualities of
Hemingway's view of human nature was that happiness was rare and was found within a man and not in his outside circumstances or surroundings. Hemingway illustrates this in three ways. First, he portrays the human nature of Santiago, the main character, as being one of humility and compassion, full of strength and pride. He is shown not as a gleefully happy man, but one who meets life with a serene, quiet resilience. Second, Santiago's fellow villagers are shown as shallow and materialistic, with a narrow view of life compared to his. Their focus on appearances is in sharp contrast to Santiago's focus on intrinsic values. Third, it will be shown that his rare brand of happiness comes from within.
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, pits his strength against forces he cannot control. We learn from Santiago's struggles how to face insurmountable odds with bravery and courage. Though we find an indifferent and hostile universe as Santiago's stage, his unwillingness to give in to these forces demonstrate a reverence for life's struggles. Santiago's struggle is for dignity and meaning in the face of insurmountable odds. His warrior-like spirit fights off the sharks full-well knowing the fate of his marlin. Santiago loses his marlin in the end, but his struggle to keep it represent a victory because of the dignity and heroism with which he carries out his mission. However, as Santiago acknowledges, he is almost sorry he caught the marlin because he knows the animal and he have a great deal in common as fellow beings in nature. However, he only caught the marlin "through trickery" (Hemingway 99). Santi...
In a flashback Santiago describes a battle between himself and the great negro from Cienfuegos. The negro was known as the strongest man on the docks, but that did not scare Santiago off from challenging him to the hand game. After a rough two day battle Santiago defeated him and was given the title Santiago El Campeon. Later that spring there was a return match, "After he had a few matches and then no more. Santiago decided that he could beat anyone if he wanted to badly enough" (Hemingway 70). This shows that Santiago has great strength and he knows that, but he does not feel the need to prove his strength repeatedly to the rest of the people on the docks.
He faces the harsh pain from the cramp on his left hand that leaves Santiago in a continuous plea for the recovery. Santiago says, “It must uncramp. It is unworthy of it to be cramped,” and Hemmingway later narrates, “He was comfortable but suffering, although he did not admit the suffering at all,” (Page 64). Santiago becomes frustrated with the weakness of his body despite the fact he is a physically strong old man, but is even stronger mentally. When his body feels the pain and is on the verge of giving up, his mind keeps him from surrendering.
Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy, but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago’s feelings. He even offers to go against his parent’s wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore “unlucky”.
The great stories behind The Old Man and the Sea are what make it so wonderful. Because of this novels success released in 1952, it helped Hemingway ring in the Nobel Prize for 1954 for Hemingway (Hurse). He had a way of writing a good hearted, high spirited hero, who seemed in many ways to be at one with nature and himself. It is believed that Hemingway conjured up the character Santiago from a 92 year old man who crossed to Florida with other Cuban refugees (Baker 910). This makes sense considering Santiago is the main character, who is of old age. His characters although having many great qualities, still had struggles. Santiago is the man of hour, when speaking of The Old Man and the Sea. H...
The old man and the sea is a novella about an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago, and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin fish. Throughout the novella, Santiago is portrayed in different perspectives. He is tough and refuses to give up at any time. He withholds the will to continue and the courage to overcome what is believed to be the impossible. His persistence and confidence, his absolute determination and his unique way of accepting the reality makes him a noble hero.