The Old Man and the Sea - Character Analysis: Santiago

Santiago is the protagonist of The Old Man and The Sea.  I believe that the story revolves around him because he is such a unique individual, and even if he is fictional, there are still some people similar to him in our world today.  I find that his deep love for nature and his determination when fishing are the two main characteristics that define who he is.  You know that he must truly appreciate nature because of all the time he spends admiring it, and even just being in it (Hemingway 1-128).  The amount of time he spends outdoors is tremendous, especially in comparison to out living standards today.  His determination is completely obvious, it is the whole reason for the story.  If the old man were not so determined, he would have lost his enthusiasm and gave up fishing months ago.  But fortunately, his determination was much more prominent than his underlying frustrations, and he was able to overcome them to go out and catch his fish (Hemingway 96).  
On a deeper level, the old man had other significant character traits.  He was wise and loyal.  Sure, he may not have been as intelligent other people of that time, but had many more experiences than others.  He was an old man, he had been living for much longer than the other people in town.  Wisdom naturally with experience.  And his loyalty came through friendship, specifically to Manolin.  Manolin was always loyal to Santiago, so that old man returned the favor (Hemingway 17).  Their friendship was of high value to the old man, he missed the boy dearly when battling with his marlin.  The boy was always there to talk to or to take care of him, and he appreciated that very much.  Friendship and loyalty are both prominent traits in Santiago.  
Even during the struggle with capturing and killing the marlin, the old man never gets discouraged.  When the sharks eat away the marlin, the old man is a bit disappointed, but he knows he will not give up (Hemingway 89).  What stood out to me was when the old man made immediate plans to go back out right when he returned (Hemingway 126).  This is something that we can all learn from, we should not lose enthusiasm over failure, only gain inspiration to keep moving forward.  

Hemingway, E. The Old Man and The Sea. New York, NY: Scribner, 1980