What is a Code Hero? Would You Call Santiago a Hemingway Code Hero From Your Reading “The Old Man and The Sea”? 

Answer

What is a code hero? Would you call Santiago a Hemingway code hero from your reading? 

Or Comment on code Hero in the novel  “The Old Man and The Sea.” 

“The Old Man and the Sea” is a 1952 novella by the American author Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961). This masterpiece tells the story of Santiago, an aging fisherman, and his long struggle to catch a giant marlin.

The old man Santiago is one of Hemingway’s most celebrated characters. Santiago proves that Hemingway’s heroes are not all about drinking and moving around. Santiago is blessed with four code hero qualities – honor and pride, brave and valiant under pressure, courage, and resistance to defeat. “The Old Man and the Sea” received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1953), and Santiago redefined Hemingway’s code hero.

Honor and Pride: In the novella, Santiago is a man of honor. He is humble and takes great pride in his work and himself. Though he is unlucky and hasn’t caught a fish in 84 days, he believes in himself. Santiago is honored as a great fisherman by his apprentice, Manolin. The little boy treats Santiago as a friend.

Santiago is being respected not necessarily for his age and in the field of fishing but in general life. He deserves the honor that the boy gave him. As Santiago struggles with the fish, he utters that he loves the fish. He acknowledges the fish and himself are parts of nature. He relates,   

Fish, I love you and respect you very much… But I will kill you dead before this day ends.

Brave and Valiant: Santiago displays his unbeatable attitude when he tries to catch the marlin and get it back to the village. It costs him his time, energy, and a good deal of patience to catch the fish. Although he catches the fish, it seems impossible for him to draw it into the boat. However, he does not give up. In fact, his hands and fingers ache because of his struggle to pull the marlin. Here, Santiago symbolically encourages himself with the words,  

But I must have the confidence, and I must be worthy of the great DiMaggio who does all things perfectly even with the pain of the bone spur in his heel. 

He fights to imagine a day when he will be as great as DiMaggio, who is a famous baseball champion.

Courageous: Santiago’s extreme courage proves him to be a powerful code hero. He is a man of action. Though he is aged, he has shown a lot of courage. He alone fights against the great marlin fish. He also tries till the very end to kill off the sharks.

Resistant to Defeat: Santiago’s undefeatable nature makes him Hemingway’s powerful code hero. Although Santiago has not caught a fish for a very long time, he sails to the sea every day. Even without making any catches, he never gives up. He is an undefeated warrior.

After catching the huge marlin fish, it pulls him for three days and nights, but Santiago never lets it go. When the blood of the marlin spreads on the seawater, it attracts a group of sharks. He fights the sharks, killing as many of them as possible. Hemingway rightly remarks,

A man can be destroyed but not defeated.

In conclusion, Hemingway’s code hero is always courageous and confident. He does not let his fears get to him. Hemingway’s code hero will often be placed in an encounter with death but never defeated like Santiago.