Santiago as a code hero :: The old man and sea

Throughout the novel, “The old man and the sea” Santiago is given heroic proportion. Santiago is Hemingway’s code hero who illustrates the values of life. Santiago exhibits what Hemingway cherished and glorified. Despite being losing, wins a victory.

The code hero is usually an old and experienced man. He has become what he had to become. In human life and experience there are many forms of both marlin and sharks. Much is to be endured and perhaps relatively little is to be enjoyed. Life may prove to be a tragedy but consciousness of heroism enables a man to face the despair. From this point of view, Santiago attains the moral stature of Hamlet, King, Abigail, Tess and other tragic heroes in literature.

          Santiago is a hero of his own kind. The boy Manolin calls him the best fisherman. Santiago calls himself a strange old man with strength, tricks and resolution to catch the big fish. He sets the standards of behavior for others to follow. He dares to expose himself to greater danger of defeat and death. He struggles with the marlin honorably. Despite his old age, hunger, cramps, wounds, fatigue and dangers to lose the big fish, he does not sit idle. He defends the marlin against the sharks courageously, he speaks the memorable words, “a man can be destroyed but not be defeated.” We see him at the end of the story returning home, completely destroyed, tired and broken with only a mourning skeleton of the fish. But spiritually he remains alive and plans with the boy for future adventures. Thus, he sets the code of conduct and ethics for other to follow.

Muhammad Sohail Arif