Discussion Question 4- The Old Man and the Sea

The hero of this story would have to be the old man, or Santiago. He is the hero because he is the main character in the book, who overcomes a lot of struggle to have his happy ending. The old man is very strong. He is weak on the outside, but he is very strong on inside. He does not let other people get to him. Towards the end of the book you do see the man does have strength when he is killing the sharks (Hemingway 109). The old man is also very determined. He never gives up on the fish or himself. Even though he is not very religious, he says prayers to ensure the death of the fish, and health for himself (Hemingway 65). The fish caused him a lot of trouble. Santiago could not fully carry out needed tasks because he always had to watch the fish. When he was trying to get some food, he had to constantly hold on to the fish which made his hand cramp (Hemingway 58), but even then he was hopeful and determined to kill the fish. It was so easy for the old man to give up, but he was so determined to bring the fish to the dock that none of the struggles mattered because he was successful in his journey. Santiago was a very smart character. He knew many things about the sea that other fisherman probably did not know. He had a lot more knowledge and skill that when conflicts came up, he always had a solution. He had a lot of knowledge about the weather at sea. He knew if a hurricane or rain was on its way. When he was being attacked by sharks, he figured out a way to kill him with the limited supplies he had. At the beginning of the book the old man is portrayed as very weak, and not able to catch any more fish, but by the end of the book, the old man is portrayed as respected and surprising. Not a lot of people expected him to catch any more fish, especially a fish that size. One of the main abstract ideas is courage. Santiago has a lot of courage because he went out to sea and lost sight of land. He was on the sea with big fish, many sharks, and limited supplies. He was alone and no one could help him. He had strength, courage, determination, and skill which helped him survive in his journey and be successful.

 Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. Cuba. Scribner’s Publishing. 1952