Santiago's Destruction
Destruction and Defeat
Could you imagine catching an 18 foot long marlin? The marlin, eaten by a shark on the way home, could not defeat the fact that catching the great fish is a victory. Santiago did this in the book the Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway. He is victorious at the end of the story for multiple reasons-he has endurance, he is never defeated, and he does not lose faith throughout the entire story. Santiago's ability to endure the harsh life he lives gives even more meaning to his belief, "Pain does not matter to a man”(84). If DiMaggio can endure his bone spur, if the great fish can pull the weight of his boat, therefore a simple old man can at least endure the discomforts of his existence. To Santiago, his hands, unwilling to open, responsive only to pain, seemed to have a mind of their own. He had an extreme cramp in his hand, this showed that Santiago must endure and take in the pain instead of allowing himself to lose against his worst enemy and honorable brother (also known as the great marlin). Even when his great fight with the marlin is over, the old man, by himself, must carry home the mast of his ship, a symbol of his burden and suffering. He may be old, but he still has the endurance of El Campeon. …show more content…
Defeat is completely different from destruction, defeat is losing your morals, destruction is losing the battle but keeping all of your morals and respecting yourself throughout the entire process. Santiago is destroyed but he is never defeated. A man can fight to the end never losing his honor or ideals. Even though he may be destroyed his ideas and values are never defeated. He would not care if he died at the hands of the great marlin. The fish is a worthy opponent and Santiago would die like the man he once was, rather than a man defeated. Santiago would happily die doing what he loved. If he died, it would not mean he was defeated. His fight to catch the fish was tenacious, making him a
Could you imagine catching an 18 foot long marlin? The marlin, eaten by a shark on the way home, could not defeat the fact that catching the great fish is a victory. Santiago did this in the book the Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway. He is victorious at the end of the story for multiple reasons-he has endurance, he is never defeated, and he does not lose faith throughout the entire story. Santiago's ability to endure the harsh life he lives gives even more meaning to his belief, "Pain does not matter to a man”(84). If DiMaggio can endure his bone spur, if the great fish can pull the weight of his boat, therefore a simple old man can at least endure the discomforts of his existence. To Santiago, his hands, unwilling to open, responsive only to pain, seemed to have a mind of their own. He had an extreme cramp in his hand, this showed that Santiago must endure and take in the pain instead of allowing himself to lose against his worst enemy and honorable brother (also known as the great marlin). Even when his great fight with the marlin is over, the old man, by himself, must carry home the mast of his ship, a symbol of his burden and suffering. He may be old, but he still has the endurance of El Campeon. …show more content…
Defeat is completely different from destruction, defeat is losing your morals, destruction is losing the battle but keeping all of your morals and respecting yourself throughout the entire process. Santiago is destroyed but he is never defeated. A man can fight to the end never losing his honor or ideals. Even though he may be destroyed his ideas and values are never defeated. He would not care if he died at the hands of the great marlin. The fish is a worthy opponent and Santiago would die like the man he once was, rather than a man defeated. Santiago would happily die doing what he loved. If he died, it would not mean he was defeated. His fight to catch the fish was tenacious, making him a