Santiago A Hero

In The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemmingway’s main character Santiago is an old, cuban fisherman who goes on a quest to catch a substantial fish to feed himself and others in his community. In the beginning of the book, Santiago and his young apprentice had gone eighty-four days without catching any fish. Later the young boy’s parents forced him to leave the old man and find a boat with more luck. The old man believed that on the eighty-fifth day his prolonged period of misfortune would end. Santiago decided that he was going to go farther out than any other fishermen. Several hours after he left a massive fish called a marlin takes the old fisherman’s bait. Unfortunately for Santiago, the marlin was so large when he tried to escape, he pulled

the boat along with him. The marlin pulled the boat farther and farther away from the shore. This continued for three days straight. On the third day. the old man managed to kill the fish with a harpoon. The blood of the marlin started to attract sharks. One by one, the sharks tore of chunks of the marlin to the point where all that was left was the skeleton. He brought the skeleton to the dock and went back home. The young boy finds the old man in his home he is relieved. The boy is eager to fish with Santiago again, he believes that he can learn so much more from him.
Over the years people have interpreted the meaning of the book in different ways, based on past experiences or personal beliefs.

As a result, some people can't decide if Santiago is or isn't a hero. According to a mythologist named Joseph Campbell, there is a hero sequence of actions: departure, fulfillment, and a return. In most hero stories there is a recurring idea of death and resurrection. The hero usually also has a transformation of consciousness. They change the way they think about something or act, because of a significant event in their quest. A hero can be described as: brave, strong, wise, generous, loyal, caring, and

determined.
The old man definitely does not carry all of these traits, but you do not need all of these to be a hero.

Santiago did go through the sequence of actions. The departure was when he first set out to go catch a fish. The fulfillment occurred when the old fisherman caught the fish and was able to bring it in to the docks . Finally, the return was when he pulled in to the dock and walked home. Some people will argue that he did not have a true fulfillment. On page 120 it says, “It is easy when you are beaten, he thought. I never knew how easy it was. And what beat you, he thought”. The sharks had eaten all of the fish and all that he brought in was the skeleton. No, it was not the fulfillment that he had hoped for, but it was better than bringing in nothing at all. The fact that Santiago survived the four day journey and brought in the skeleton is astonishing. He was able to inspire the people of his community and the young boy. The old man feels defeated in the last few pages of the book, but the boy encourages him: “‘Now we will fish together again’ ‘No I am not lucky. I am not lucky anymore’ ‘The hell with luck,’ the boy said. ‘I’ll bring the luck with me.’ ‘What will your family say?’ ‘I do not care. I caught two yesterday. But we will fish together now for I still have much to learn’”

(125).
The old man may not have been a hero on a worldwide scale, but he was to the people in his community and the young boy. He inspired the people around him to never give up, even if things go bad. People will say that their mother or their father is their hero, it's the same thing with Santiago and the boy. Most parents do not go on dangerous quest, or risk their lives to achieve something. A child will view their parent as a hero for little things in most cases. Even though Santiago did not fully succeed, the young boy saw all of his determination and strength. The young boy perceived Santiago as a hero because the old man inspired him to try his best even though he might not succeed.