Santiago Perseverance

Perseverance. This is something that Santiago, from The Old Man and the Sea clearly demonstrates throughout the entire novela. The definition of the word ¨perseverance¨ is steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success (“Perseverance”). This is the perfect description of the old man’s personality. He was willing to suffer physical pain, hunger and isolation to complete his task of catching a marlin or a big fish. Santiago and the marlin showed their determination when they were placed as opponents throughout the novel and both of them refused to back down. The old man, otherwise referred to as Santiago, was considered salao or unlucky. He had not caught a fish in eighty-four days. After a marlin hooks onto his line, he goes on a four-day voyage to catch the fish and break his unluckiness. The story took an ironic twist after the old man caught the fish. After Santiago successfully caught …show more content…
But today is eighty-five days and I should fish the day well” (Hemingway 40). This quote shows how tired the old man is. He was exhausted because during these few days, he had not gotten many hours of sleep.For example,”It is half a day and a night and now another day and I have not slept.” (Hemingway 76) Although exhausted and hungry, the old man persevered on his voyage. He ignored these many hardships like hunger, exhaustion and isolation throughout his trip and focused on his main target: catching the marlin.He did not get discouraged or distraught and did not doubt himself. He finally had a bite on his line after eighty-six days and would not give up. Not many people would sail in an unknown direction, with no food just to catch a marlin. The old man was trying to prove that he was not salao and that he was a great fisherman, just like some of the younger folks. The old man showed his perseverence by giving up his time and sleep to catch the