“A man can be destroyed but not defeated" (Hemingway,51). This is an often-debated quote as to whether Santiago was truly defeated or not by the end of the story. Another debated topic is the difference between being defeated or destroyed. The old man may have had a conflict in his own mind about being destroyed or defeated because when it comes to the definitions of these words they are quite similar. Destroyed means to put an end to the existence of something by damaging or attacking it. Defeated means being beaten in a battle or other contest. "I could not fail myself and die on a fish like this," he said. "Now that I have him coming so beautifully, God help me endure. I’ll say a hundred Our Fathers and a hundred Hail Marys. But I cannot
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I suppose he was talking about the sharks because he used the word “they”. In Santiago’s eyes him and the fish were brothers “I am a tired old man. But I have killed this fish which is my brother and now I must do the slave work.”(Hemingway, 47). After the sharks ripped away all of the meat from the fish Santiago felt like he let the fish down. Santiago suffered from loneliness and the fish was an acceptable companion for those few days he had it. The old man was often too prideful but it was his pride that enabled him to achieve what he otherwise would not. Ernest Hemingway, the author of the book, created an excellent life lesson within this story. Although the sharks destroyed the fish Santiago did not let his spirit become defeated. He needed this journey to ease his mind. I believe Santiago wanted to prove to himself and to Manolin that he wasn’t a weak old man but still had many great years left in his life. The significance of the fish and the sharks is rather extraordinary when you begin to study it in further detail. Santiago was radically changed by this experience with the fish and sharks, which granted him more wisdom than before. The old man placed himself as one of the best fisherman around until he was metaphorically knocked off his pedestal after losing the battle with the sharks and feeling guilty for killing the fish. Although Santiago may have regretted catching the fish and killing it, it
I suppose he was talking about the sharks because he used the word “they”. In Santiago’s eyes him and the fish were brothers “I am a tired old man. But I have killed this fish which is my brother and now I must do the slave work.”(Hemingway, 47). After the sharks ripped away all of the meat from the fish Santiago felt like he let the fish down. Santiago suffered from loneliness and the fish was an acceptable companion for those few days he had it. The old man was often too prideful but it was his pride that enabled him to achieve what he otherwise would not. Ernest Hemingway, the author of the book, created an excellent life lesson within this story. Although the sharks destroyed the fish Santiago did not let his spirit become defeated. He needed this journey to ease his mind. I believe Santiago wanted to prove to himself and to Manolin that he wasn’t a weak old man but still had many great years left in his life. The significance of the fish and the sharks is rather extraordinary when you begin to study it in further detail. Santiago was radically changed by this experience with the fish and sharks, which granted him more wisdom than before. The old man placed himself as one of the best fisherman around until he was metaphorically knocked off his pedestal after losing the battle with the sharks and feeling guilty for killing the fish. Although Santiago may have regretted catching the fish and killing it, it