How Does Santiago Show Courage In The Old Man And The Sea

The Old Man and the Sea is a simple story that teaches many complex lessons. Santiago, an aging fisherman, has failed to catch a fish in almost three months. People start to lose respect for him and Santiago decides to go on an adventure to restore what has been lost. A magnificent marlin twice the size of any fish Santiago has ever caught takes the bait and battles for his life to avoid death. After many days of fighting the fish, nature, and himself, Santiago stumbles home with the carcass and regains the respect of the villagers. Throughout the adventure, readers can see what character qualities that Santiago has, and how he uses them to be a master at his craft. Courage, Pride, Perseverance, and Honor make Santiago the ultimate fisherman.

He never gives into fear or complaint no matter what his predicament is. Santiago never complains about anything that happens to him. First off, he doesn’t complain about his bad luck of not catching fish. He also doesn’t complain or use his injured hand as an excuse. The ability to not complain certainly takes courage, but not the kind of courage that Santiago exhibits throughout the rest of the book. In the beginning, Santiago goes out alone far into the ocean in hopes of finally catching a fish. Although some might say this is foolish, nevertheless it takes courage to do what he did. Santiago also reveals his courage by staying with the marlin for several days. Most fishermen would have given up in the same circumstance, but Santiago had the courage to continue. Later, Santiago singlehandedly fights off sharks with wood beams. During this battle, he pledges to fight the sharks until death. The courage that Santiago reveals in The Old Man and the Sea makes Santiago an elite

Pride seems to be the character quality that causes each situation - good or bad. Santiago’s thoughts and actions can give a picture about his pride. Once he secures the fish, he thinks to himself, “You did not kill the fish only to keep alive and to sell for food, he thought. You killed him for pride and because you are a fisherman.” (p. 29). Santiago admits that he caught this fish for pride. He says that this is a fisherman’s nature. However, this does not necessarily mean that Santiago is a stuck up and prideful person. Before his adventure, Santiago had a conversation with Manolin. In that conversation, Manolin says "And the best fisherman is you." Santiago humbly answers, "No. I know others better.” (p. 5). From this dialogue it is evident that Santiago doesn’t have an overabundance of pride. In fact, he has a near perfect mixture of it. Too much pride can lead to disaster while not enough pride will lead to simplicity and overcautiousness. Santiago shows how he has balanced his pride. Without the pride that he has, it is likely that he wouldn’t have caught the fish that restored his name. On the contrary, too much pride would have most likely killed Santiago. Because Santiago exhibits the perfect amount of pride, he is a master