The old man and the sea character of Santiago

 

The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway

Give a Character sketch of Santiago.

Santiago, the aged Cuban fisherman, is the protagonist of the novel entitled " The Old Man And the Sea" by Hemingway. He runs in the tissues of the plot in the same fashion as blood moves in the vessels of the human body and provides strength to its various organs. The fact is that he is the sole figure around whom the whole plot of the novel revolves. Before we discuss his adorable characteristics in detail, it is quite relevant to highlight them in one sentence. Patience, sheer optimism, determination, unwavering courage, unflinching will-power, adventurous nature, compassion, humility, piety, professional expertness, and love for nature are the hallmarks of the old man's appealing personality

There is no doubt in it if we say that a captious and critical analysis of the novel certifies the fact given above. As the novel reveals, the old man, despite his ill luck, is quite determined about his plans regarding catching a big fish and does not feel dejected and disappointed even when each day, he is inshore without fish for 84 days. Rather he is ornamented with an iron will and moves on distant oceanic waters all alone in search of a big fish in his small unequipped boat. As the novel reveals, he, in this dishearting situation, remains unflustered facing the situation manfully. All this is sufficient to prove that he is a patient-minded person and never gives way in any condition of life.

His love for sea creatures is essentially realistic and unsentimental. Thus we can prove that he feels elated about having the company of small birds of the sea. As the novel reveals, he is a humorous and religious-minded person and frequently prays to God for the successful culmination of his adventure.

His relentlessness, as a perfect and skilled fisherman, comes to the forefront when we find him much determined to bring the big fish inshore though it is his luckless fate that he succeeds in taking only the skeleton of the Marlin because of the fierce attack of the sharks. The novel makes it quite clear that he has to exert and struggle for at least two consecutive days to control the fish but, in the hour of trial, with his will- power, he succeeds in handling the difficult situation.

The glaring aspect of the personality of the old man, Santiago, he is imaginative and thoughtful. It is with his imagination and thoughtfulness of his that he remembers the heroic deeds of his youth concerned especially baseball and hand games when he is in a perilous situation. Remembering his heroic deeds and the lions of Africa, he actually desires to remove from his mind to remove the fatigue and tiresome caused by his isolation and exertion.

Santigo, on the whole, is possessed such laudable numerous characteristics in his personality that make him not only an adorable character but also a source of inspiration and guidance for the readers.